◆NEWSPirates Notes: Keller, Pitching Pursuits, Lineup◆ROSTERSigned free agent RHP Enmanuel Nunez to a minor league contract◆STATPaul Skenes ranks 4th in the NL in strikeouts (200)◆STATNick Gonzales ranks 4th in the NL in batting average (.303)
◆NEWSPirates Notes: Keller, Pitching Pursuits, Lineup◆ROSTERSigned free agent RHP Enmanuel Nunez to a minor league contract◆STATPaul Skenes ranks 4th in the NL in strikeouts (200)◆STATNick Gonzales ranks 4th in the NL in batting average (.303)
The Pirates are winners of 4 straight games and completed a sweep of the Chicago White Sox tonight by the score of 2-0. The Bucs continue to hunt for October baseball after their 6th consecutive series win. According to Fangraphs, the Pirates’ playoff odds have risen to 1.6%! Jared Jones was elite yet again tonight, and Oneil Cruz carried the offense solely on his back and the teams heads into Wrigley Field one game over .500. While this may be too little too late, at least the Pirates are giving us enjoyable baseball to watch while playing meaningful September games. Watch Tyler and I break the game down in detail here:
Jared Jones had a no-hitter going for 6 2/3 innings tonight, and yet this somehow undersells his dominance. He generated 20 whiffs on the night, with the slider generating 12 of those on its own. Jared could’ve pitched for the next 24 hours, and the White Sox had 0 chance of scoring with how he was moving tonight. Jones was so good I was shocked that he only had 8 strikeouts on the night. What impressed me most tonight, though, was his efficiency. We all know just how good his fastball/slider combination is, but often times he can’t always throw it in the zone. That was not a problem tonight, as he did a fantastic job attacking hitters and peppered the zone early with strikes. Jones has gone on streaks this year where he looks as good as prime Paul Skenes, and there is clear development of his game from his rookie year to now. Nights like tonight make one dream about a true 2-headed monster of aces between Paul and Jared and how dominant they can be for years to come.
Oneil Cruz Might Be the Pirates’ Most Valuable Player
Oneil Cruz was the entire offense for Pittsburgh tonight, as he drives in both of the Pirates’ runs that sealed them the game. His home run tonight was the hardest-hit ball of the entire season and the furthest hit baseball in Guaranteed Rate Field in 2026. I don’t care that MLB changed the distance; that was a 467 ft home run in our hearts. The Pirates are now 13-7 since Oneil Cruz was activated from the IL, and you can clearly see his influence on the offense. The Pirates’ free fall in July with very few runs scored probably doesn’t happen if we aren’t robbed of a full season of Cruz in center. He can win games on his own with his power; his ability to hit lefties has filled a massive hole, and his speed causes chaos on the base paths. He is becoming a star before our very eyes, and while it has taken longer than we all wanted, he is showing why he was a top 5 prospect in the sport when he graduated. Oneil deserves the chance to hit nukes into the Allegheny in October, and he is trying to drag this team there by himself.
Meaningful Baseball is Nice
The Pirates genuinely need a miracle to make the playoffs, as a combination of elite play from themselves and total capitulation from both the D-backs and Padres is needed. But there is hope, and after 2 months of misery, the Pirates are finally playing exciting baseball. The team has good pitching; it is hitting well enough and is playing a good defense to boot. Meaningful baseball also matters in terms of building a winning culture. These are the most important games the Pirates have played in 8 years, and when you lose that much, it’s hard to establish winning standards. I take encouragement that there is a real fight from the Bucs going down the stretch. It may not get them to the promised land this season, but it will certainly help the team out next season when it comes to winning more baseball games.
Comments· 2
The Debate
Were the Pirates right to keep Jared Jones on a short pitch count this season, even when he was dealing?
kjw007⭐All-Star· 62d ago
Love the way Jones is competing on the mound
NH19 PiratefanAll-Star· 57d ago
Jones be dealing. It was nice to see the Pirates play up to their potential.
With Neil Lucas and Tyler Sweeney.
Chapters
Key takeaways
1
When Jared Jones has his control, his fastball-slider combo makes him one of the best pitchers in baseball, bar none. At his best he looks like prime Jacob deGrom.
2
The Pirates were smart not to let Jones build up to 100 pitches every start. It was frustrating to see him pulled after five or six shutout innings, but September starts like this one are the payoff.
3
With a healthy Konnor Griffin, and a healthy Oneil Cruz all year, the Pirates would probably be in a playoff spot. Cruz is the catalyst of this offense.
4
Book it now: the Pirates get to 85 wins and miss the playoffs by two games, but it'll be a fun ride getting there.
5
Rafael Flores has to throw out runners more consistently or teams will treat him as a free stolen base. If he fixes that, there's no reason he can't stick at catcher, especially with 20-homer power.
He did a really good job last start of jumping ahead of hitters.
I thought he did a good job of getting them into two strike counts.
I think his first pitch strike percentage was over 70%.
His last outing today, it was 58% for first pitch strikes.
I believe again, I'm not breaking news here.
When you get ahead of hitters, it's a lot easier to pitch and it's a lot more difficult to hit.
He is doing a phenomenal job of just attacking guys right now and just being absolutely relentless on the mound.
And it certainly helps when your slider has become just as dominant as his slider has been this last, however many outings.
Mm-hmm.
12 whiffs with a slider?
That's insane.
there are probably, like, some starters who have started for this team who have not gotten 12 whiffs in a single game, let alone from one pitch.
yeah, I don't know if this is the Jared Jones we're just going to have to get used to, where he will have those months where he looks terrible.
But we are always going to have these months where he looks like one of the best pitchers in baseball because that fastball slider combo is just that good.
It just, it makes people look silly.
And when he, when he has the control, he's, he, Jared Jones, the control is one of the best pitchers in baseball bar none.
It's obscene how good it is.
Dare I say the Grom-esque.
I think that's fair.
Yeah.
Like in all reality, whenever he, whenever he's throwing, like he, like he did today and like he did his last start, it's legitimately like Jacob deGrom in his prime.
Just fastball slider attack.
Stuff's nasty.
Good luck.
Yeah.
Just an absurd pitcher.
and I don't know if it's like the injury stuff, but I genuinely do feel like you can see him putting pieces together this year that give me more confidence.
Like that.
This is more sustainable than say like what we saw in his rookie year.
Like in his rookie year, you could like there were, even when he was dominating, you could like poke holes in what he was doing.
But I think even just having that change up, which for what it's worth, got two whiffs and was barely thrown that third and even fourth pitch that make hitters honest and have to think about that makes his fastball sliders look even crazier.
I completely agree with you, Neil, like this, at least this version we've seen last two starts.
I know, but at least this version and comparing it to the version of Jared Jones, we saw his rookie season.
This one looks just significantly better.
And I'll, you mentioned the change up and also the curve ball as well that he's flipping in there.
not a large clip, but like you said, it's something else that he can mix in.
The ability to do that.
And plus, I do think the change up starting to flash a little bit like it.
There's something there with it for sure.
But the other good pitch and he's maintaining his velocity deeper in the games.
We're not seeing fluctuations like we like his rookie year.
We would see him just some of them starts.
He 94, 95 and that doesn't seem right.
And then you worry about the wear and tear.
I don't think we've really seen that at all this year.
He's.
He just looks like he's carrying the velocity.
Well, he looks like he's able to go deeper in the games.
The efficiency has been great here lately.
Dare I say the Pirates, like we're smart to not let him ramp up to 100 pitches each outing each time out.
Like, I feel like this is part of the process where not only was he hurt, but the Pirates also saw what happened when he was going deep in his and they did deep into games consistently as a rookie and they wanted to build them up.
And I think we're just enjoying the fruits of that approach, even as frustrating as it was to see him get pulled after five or six shutout innings.
I think games like this in September, why you do that?
I hate to agree with you on this one, but I do.
I don't know how you can argue with the results at this point, because it does seem like and whether it be the way they handled him and the way they brought him back, whether that's the reason or not.
But you can't argue with the results here.
He has definitely gotten stronger as this has gone on.
And now we saw it today.
They're starting to lengthen the leash a little bit on him.
He's going a little bit deeper now.
He's he's over 90 pitches now.
But they might have known what they were doing here.
Yeah, I will say that a month ago, Don Kelly comes out the dugout step immediately after he gives up that single in the seventh inning.
Like immediately, as soon as he gave up that hit, Don Kelly, I feel like.
But it was nice to see that he was trusted in my group chat.
People were complaining like, oh, here comes Don Kelly.
He's going to pull him now.
But no, I really glad he got to finish that off.
He deserved the full seven.
he didn't even get to 100 pitches and he pitched seven innings.
One more thing I did want to mention about Jones before we get to that.
Got to give a shout out here to Dean 409.
Man, it really does make you think how much more wins the Pirates would have if Cruz never got hurt.
What an unbelievable player.
Don't worry, we're going to get to him.
And then also a shout out here to Silent PA0192 for becoming a YouTube member.
Appreciate the both of you here.
Mentioned earlier, Jared Jones takes a no hitter into the seventh inning.
There's something I want to mention here now.
At 620, or no, I'm sorry.
At 923, one of our North Shore Nine group techs got a message to Cody asking if he had a graphic ready just in case something were to happen.
By 928, nothing was going to happen because the no hitter was gone.
Thanks a lot, Jim Rosati.
The Rosati curse lives on.
Always and forever.
Even when he's in Boston visiting Chipotle.
The curse still reigns.
He just can't help himself, Neil.
No.
It's almost like he enjoys it.
It is.
And I'm just glad that the real Mr. Rosati is in here to get the hashtag raise it and make sure we get all those in here to be entered into the Primanti Brothers giveaway.
But, in all seriousness, it's just so good from Jared Jones.
Down to a 14 ERA.
Unreal.
This is like, I don't know.
As much as much as, you never want to be like, the good old meme, the Pittsburgh Pirates will be better next year.
Just the thought of like, Eskeens, Jones, Ashcraft, top three.
I might've been one of them people like last year when I was getting annoyed of him, but my golly, this year he has, he has put together a really strong season.
It really is a shame that he was injured.
2025 was so bad that, like, I don't really, I don't, I don't really, take issue with anyone's takes during that game, that year, just because it was so awful.
We were all in the trenches.
No one was having a good time.
We all said things that we regret.
That's fine.
But no, this year, I think you're right.
I said last night that we're probably in a playoff spot with a healthy Konnor Griffin.
I think the same rings true with like a healthy Oneil Cruz all year.
he is the catalyst in this offense for sure.
And not to mention he's playing some pretty decent defense as well in center right now.
I feel like had another nice play out there today.
I'm coming in on a ball that just hung up there and died.
He, his defensive war is coming into the day was at a negative 0.5, which pretty much average or pretty much replacement level ish.
He's putting together a really strong season.
Yeah, excellent stuff all around me that he keeps hitting lefties too.
That was the one thing I was worried about when he came back from injury.
Like, was he going to keep hitting lefties?
And he is, he is still doing great against them.
And I'm just going to keep saying it.
The guy hadn't played center field in his life.
And the fact that we, the development of the work that he's clearly put into being a center fielder, I think it's super competitive commendable.
Like, really great stuff.
I was trying to find one thing real quick here.
So, coming into today at least, since coming off the IL, Cruz was slashing 293.88 with a 478 slugging percentage.
He goes three for four today.
So, obviously, those numbers are lower than they will be tomorrow.
But, some idiot was on here and said something about, just give him time.
It's going to take a while for Oneil Cruz to get back.
That idiot's name might have been Tyler.
It has taken Oneil Cruz absolutely zero time to get back.
No, he's got off the IL and immediately just scorching.
I would love to know our record since Oneil Cruz came back, to be honest.
Because he has, for an offense that was basically dead in the water for a month and a half, he has breathed so much life into this with his power and speed.
And, quite frankly, contact.
that was a great at-bat to give him that insurance run.
Just fantastic stuff all around.
And that was the other insurance run that the Pirates got.
And also, another guy I did want to talk about tonight here before we get into giving away some sandwiches.
Got to talk about Rafael Flores a little bit.
He collects another hit tonight.
Does strike out twice.
Even with that, I do want to mention that I've really been impressed with how he's grown behind the plate.
I think he's calling really good games right now.
I think receiving's been pretty decent.
He did weird me out by keeping his mask on a foul ball pop-up today.
That was strange.
But all things considered, I think he's really starting to grow here behind the plate, which, hand up, I didn't think he had that in him, to be honest with you.
I don't notice him behind the plate, so I think that's probably the biggest compliment I can give.
I don't know if, I haven't watched close enough to know if he's calling good games.
But I can say without any hesitation that it's so much more pleasant watching him start than our other options right now.
And I'm glad that the pitchers are taking to him, and I think they're not suffering because of him.
Now, I would like to see him be able to throw runners out on a more consistent basis.
That is where my biggest worries come in.
I'm afraid Pete Bore's going to see him as a free stolen bases machine.
But if he fixes that, then there's absolutely no reason why he can't stick a catcher.
Comments· 2
Were the Pirates right to keep Jared Jones on a short pitch count this season, even when he was dealing?