CHICAGO — There are plenty of words to describe Brandon Lowe. Professional, productive and calm are a few of the first ones that come to mind.
But Bubba Chandler went a different direction after Sunday’s 4-3 victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field, essentially saying the Pirates second baseman is underappreciated around Major League Baseball.
Pittsburgh’s best starting pitcher in the second half also added a little something at the end of his answer on Lowe as it pertains to 2027.
“Dude’s had an unbelievable career and unbelievable year,” Chandler said. “It’s little stuff like him not being an All-Star that [ticks] everyone in here off. What he means to the team is everything. I hope he sticks around.”
Lowe became a discussion point Sunday because he pinch hit in the sixth and put the Pirates in front, 4-2, by lining a two-strike cutter 102.8 mph into center field for a two-run single.
It was the first go-ahead run Lowe has driven in as a pinch hitter since May 26, 2024, when he was with the Rays. It’s just the third time this season a Pirates pinch hitter has driven in a tiebreaking run.
For Lowe, however, nothing changes. When he’s not starting, he basically prepares the same way. Around the third or fourth inning, he’ll try and get some swings in the cage. He’s always locked in on every pitch. It’s just the way he operates.
“The professionalism of the at-bat,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said of what stood out to him regarding Lowe. “He goes in, he's aggressive, but then he's able to get deeper into the count and find a way to hit a line drive.”
Lowe has obviously been doing it all season, hitting .258 with an .801 OPS in 139 games, producing 29 homers, 85 RBIs and 28 doubles. That’s the best home run total by a Pirate since Josh Bell (37) in 2019, plus the third-most by any player in his first season with the club in team history.
No second baseman in MLB has more homers. Only Brice Turang of the Brewers (.806) has a better OPS, which is part of why Chandler feels Lowe doesn’t get the respect he deserves.
“It’s tough when you have [Mars, Penn., native JJ] Wetherholt and Turang in your division,” Chandler said. “But he came off cold [Sunday] and got the biggest hit of the game. It’s a testament to how much of a pro he is and how he goes about his business, how he prepares to be ready for that moment.”
Offense is Lowe’s calling card, but any discussion with him should also mention his defense and the incredible strides he’s made this season.
Upset at his performance in 2025, which includes a mark of -14 defensive runs saved, per FanGraphs, Lowe made it his personal mission to improve. Lowe worked a bunch with infield coach Chris Truby on his pre-pitch prep and how he moved. The results have led to a 27-run swing in DRS to +13.
His highlight in this one was snaring a line drive hit by Pirates nemesis Ian Happ (Mt. Lebanon) in the eighth inning.
“We’ve been working really hard to make sure we’ve taken a good jump in the right direction for that whole thing,” Lowe said. “Our guys, whenever they toe that rubber, have given the best they can. So I want to be able to make sure that I give them the best defense I can out there. I think it’s going pretty well this year.”
Among other observations from Sunday’s game:
• Chandler has grown so much this season, even if he tends to downplay that progress. Second inning. Back-to-back walks to start. In April, May or June, Chandler might’ve crumbled.
This time, however, he recalibrated and got a lineout to left and a double-play ball to escape trouble. With two more Sunday, the Pirates have turned 15 double plays behind Chandler this season, second-most among rookie pitchers.
Not only that, Chandler’s slider has become more of a weapon for him, and he threw it a career-high 38 times among his 90 pitches Sunday.
Chandler still considers it a project pitch, but the results are hard to deny. On Sunday, he gave the Pirates 5 1/3 innings of three-run ball. Since the All-Star break, Chandler is 5-1 with a 3.40 ERA in 10 starts.
“Bubba stayed in the moment,” Kelly said. “He had a couple of innings where it looked like it was starting to speed up a little bit. But to his credit, he found a way to slow it down again.”
• Speaking of slowing it down, not sure anyone is doing that better than Mason Montgomery right now. Montgomery needed just seven pitches to notch his 13th save and run his career-long scoreless streak to 21 consecutive appearances.
“It might sound boring or repetitive, but it’s the truth, man,” Montgomery said. “I make the effort to stay the same. Earlier in the year whenever I opened some and I got asked a similar question, I had a similar answer. I try to treat it the same.”
Montgomery has been unhittable during this stretch, walking four and striking out 30 over the past 21 games (20 1/3 innings), which dates back to July 27.
• Sneaky important spot for Carmen Mlodzinski, entering with the bases loaded in the sixth. Did the job, too. Got a ground ball, issued an intentional walk, then ended the inning on a fly ball.
This marked three consecutive appearances of no more than 1 2/3 innings for Mlodzinski, who hasn’t allowed a run or a hit in 6 2/3 September innings spread over four appearances.
The starting experiment might not have worked, but Mlodzinski is a very good reliever.
Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH.