LOS ANGELES — The Pirates arrived in California on Wednesday knowing they’d need a strong showing against the Dodgers, not only to kickstart their longest road trip of the season but to spark a badly needed hot streak over the final weeks or so. While general manager Ben Cherington before

LOS ANGELES -- The start of Saturday’s game could not have gone much better for the Pirates. They scored three runs off Tarik Skubal in the first. Jared Jones buzzed through a stacked Dodgers lineup while pitching in his hometown ballpark for the first time. Despite plenty of momentum early,

LOS ANGELES — Now, here comes the hard part. Friday night against the Dodgers and Yoshinobu Yamamoto was theoretically the soft spot in this series, the one game where the Pirates didn’t have to face a two-time Cy Young Award winner.

LOS ANGELES — When Pirates and players first examined the 2026 schedule last August, this pocket was hard to ignore. Nine games in 11 days, including six against NL West heavyweights in the Dodgers and Padres, plus ending a month where the Pirates play 18 of 27 on the road.

With the Pirates trailing by two and their season teetering on Wednesday afternoon, Rafael Flores Jr. calmly grabbed a bat and jogged upstairs to the batting cages adjacent to the service tunnel in the bowels of PNC Park. As Flores worked to get loose and calibrate his swing, there's no

It’s almost like Braxton Ashcraft’s previous start, his complete-game gem, never ended. He just saved his progress, flew home from Miami and resumed the game Tuesday with the Tigers in town. It sure must have felt like as video game for Rafael Flores Jr., who was once again behind the

When the Pirates have shown signs of pulling themselves off the mat in the second half, starting pitching has been arguably been their biggest aid. Yet when they’ve struggled, that aspect has usually been the primary culprit. After taking two of three from the Red Sox over the weekend and

The Pirates welcomed back a big part of their offense on Monday, as they activated Oneil Cruz from the 60-day injured list. To make room on the active roster, they optioned Ronny Simon to Triple-A. They designated Johnathan Rodriguez to create space on the 40-man roster. Cruz had been on

Don Kelly started to really see the change last year, the comfortability and command, the brick wall behind home plate, the throws whizzing down to second base. But in 2026, Henry Davis has taken his defense to another level, one that could make him the Pirates’ fourth Gold Glove catcher

Aiming to snap a seven-series losing streak and win their first in nearly a month, the Pirates had to wait around awhile. Through a 2-hour, 34-minute rain delay, in fact. But when the weather finally stopped and play resumed, the Pirates closed out an 8-3 victory over the Red Sox

Ben Cherington is plenty aware of the Paul Skenes question that has been hanging over the Pirates. What’s wrong? Is he hurt? Pittsburgh’s general manager said Sunday on the Pirates Insider Show on 93.7 The Fan the organization has seen nothing to indicate Skenes is injured, though the Pirates do

Paul Skenes has dealt with plenty of firsts in his Major League career, from milestones to the National League Rookie of the Year and the NL Cy Young Award last season. This is one he probably could have done without: pitching on eight days rest because he had a start

Just when it looked like the Pirates might’ve found brighter days, Sonny Gray came along and darkened the mood. The Red Sox starting pitcher kept the Pirates bats at bay during a 4-0 loss on Saturday, knotting this series at a game apiece. Gray worked seven shutout innings and struck

It seems like just yesterday that Franklin Park native Fred Roberts learned about the Miracle League of Southwestern Pennsylvania. When his son Jack was around 8 years old, Roberts heard about a new baseball league in town that focused on inclusion, allowing everyone to experience baseball. Fast forward 16 years.

Bubba Chandler couldn't help but laugh when he was asked about following Braxton Ashcraft's complete-game, 85-pitch, 10-strikeout masterpiece Thursday in Miami. "He set the bar way too high," Chandler said. Ashcraft's outing probably isn’t repeatable, but the momentum generated might be sustainable. It looked that way Friday, as the Pirates

Braxton Ashcraft’s complete game on just 85 pitches Thursday might not be the only throwback statistical oddity achieved by a Pirates player this season. It’s much less attention-grabbing than Ashcraft allowing just one run on three hits with 10 strikeouts during a 13-1 victory over the Marlins, but it also

MIAMI — The way the Pirates have been trending, including what happened during the first two games of this series, they've needed someone to put a foot down, to deliver an emphatic performance and allow everyone to follow that person's lead. Braxton Ashcraft gave the Pirates exactly what they had

MIAMI — A few familiar faces returned to the Pirates clubhouse on Thursday, as they recalled Isaac Mattson and Jack Brannigan from Triple-A Indianapolis. The moves were necessary because the club placed Endy Rodríguez on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to Aug. 10) with left hip inflammation and optioned Evan

MIAMI — When the throw sailed wide of first base, allowing Nick Gonzales to score instead of Jacob Gonzalez hitting into what should've been an inning-ending double play, it looked like the splash of good luck the Pirates have needed. Turns out it was only a mirage. Despite the early

MIAMI — Lake Bachar thought he was done with baseball. As a senior at Wheaton North High School in Illinois, Bachar was all-conference on the diamond and as a kicker on the football team. But with dreams of playing in the SEC or Big Ten, Bachar attended a bunch of

MIAMI — The Pirates lost a game on Tuesday. Fortunately for them, it looks like it doesn’t extend beyond that, into something affecting the status of Paul Skenes. Their bats went quiet, as Pittsburgh finished with just four hits during a 2-0 loss to the Marlins at loanDepot Park, their

Jared Jones was seething after his last start, describing it as “terrible, [dog crap], just about any word you can think of that means bad.” The Pirates right-hander wasn't thrilled after this one either — and understandably so. With the Pirates looking to snap a five-series losing streak, Jones allowed

Jake Mangum couldn't hide the emotion in his voice. Soaking wet and freezing following Saturday's 9-0 drubbing of the Mets at PNC Park, Mangum thanked Pirates fans for the raucous environment they created and spoke passionately about how he wants this team to finish the season. Around a half-hour later,

There was hope that a new setting and a pitcher rejoining the starting rotation might spark the Pirates. It didn’t work out. With Carmen Mlodzinski starting and the Pirates opening a three-game series against the Mets, the right-hander didn’t have his best stuff and the offense produced too little too

Pittsburgh has always felt like home to Josh Harrison. After what transpired Friday, PNC Park will officially represent the finish line for the Pirates fan favorite. For a special press conference before the start of a three-game series against the Mets, Harrison sat between Pirates Chairman Bob Nutting and assistant