◆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)
If you were hoping for more stellar pitching after Bubba Chandler‘s fantastic start last night, you were disappointed Sunday afternoon as Jared Jones was rocked for eight runs in an 11-1 stinker of a loss to the Mets to drop their sixth straight series loss. The offense was also stifled again by a left-handed starter as Sean Manaea went seven innings of one-run ball and an absurd 11 strikeouts. Jim and Doug recap this clunker in the NS9 Postgame Show powered by Primanti Bros and you can watch or listen here:
Jared Jones Only Throwing 2 Pitches Again Isn’t Going to Work
The big knock on Jared Jones as a starting pitcher was that he was primarily a two-pitch pitcher with his “F-U Fastball” and slider. And while those are two really good pitches, he needed to develop something else to throw if he was going to hang around as a MLB starter longterm. He came into this season off the UCL surgery and was throwing his changeup and curveball each about 12-15% of the time. Then sometime in June, he started featuring just the fastball and slider again almost exclusively. I figured he thought since he was on a 75-pitch count, he would just throw them more while it was working. And it was working for a while…well, not anymore. In Sunday’s loss where he gave up eight earned runs, Jones threw the 4-seam and slider 64 times and his changeup just four times and curveball. And he only threw the curve and change to left-handed hitters. It’s not working currently. The word is out that he’s only throwing these and teams are taking advantage. This was the reason why there was a push to add the changeup which we heard a lot about as Jones was coming back from injury.
Sure, the two pitches can carry him for some starts but it’s not a sustainable long term solution if he wants to stay in the rotation. Oh and the velocity on his four-seam fastball dropped about 1 mph per inning where he started out at 98.6 mph in the 1st inning and then finished at 95.7 in the 4th inning. Not very promising overall.
Offense Again Struggles Against a LHP
There’s not much more to say here. It really doesn’t matter who the starter is, if they throw the ball left handed, this Pirates lineup is cooked. Matthew Boyd, Kyle Harrison, Cristopher Sanchez or Sean freaking Manaea. It don’t matter. In this blowout loss, Manaea tossed seven innings, giving up one run on three hits and struck out ELEVEN batters. That’s pathetic. I keep saying it’s next to impossible for this team to get on a little bit of a run when our starter every day doesn’t given this team a quality start or even five to six innings. But they also can’t get on a run because they will eventually run up against a LHP and get shutdown. And they sure have been facing a ton of left-handed starters this season especially recently. They are literally beyond help against a southpaw. This is a problem that won’t get fix this season either. They ignored it at the deadline and now they have to lie there and take it. One of the offseason musts will be to pick up some hitters that mash lefties. But yeah, you can’t get shut down to Sean Manaea in 2026.
Mangum Giveth and Mangum Taketh Away
For about the 50th time this season, we saw the good and the bad of Jake Mangum in the same inning. In the top of the 3rd inning immediately after Luis Robert took Jared Jones deep for a two-run home run, Jared Young hit a line drive to center field where Mangum came running in. He dove for it, didn’t catch and the ball bounced behind him for a month of Sundays for a triple. Mangum’s defense can be maddening out there. If he just pulls up, it’s a lousy single and a single from Marcus Semien next up doesn’t score him but Mangum goes all out, all the time and completely misses it. He honestly probably should have caught it, I’m not sure how he missed it. Semien singles next and scores Young. In the bottom of the inning, Mangum belts his fourth home run of the season and the only run of the game for the Bucs. And he had another hit in this game for a 2-for-4 performance to improve his average to .303. He also went 3-for-5 in Saturday’s game. I don’t know what to say about Mangum at this point other than the fans continue to love and hate him at the same time.
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The Debate
Should Ben Cherington be fired if the Pirates miss the postseason in his seventh year?
No comments yet — be the first to weigh in.
With Doug Ford and Jim Rosati.
Chapters
Key takeaways
1
Evan Sisk should never come in with runners on. 13 of his 23 inherited runners have scored (65%), so with the season on the line at 5-1 in the 4th, Weaver, Yates or Doval had to be the call.
2
Jared Jones lost this game for the Pirates. The rotation has fallen from 6th in MLB in starters ERA last year (3.71) to 21st (4.39), and it's getting worse every start.
3
The Pirates need an 11-4 or 12-3 run over the next 15 games against Miami, Boston, Detroit, LA and San Diego. Nothing about this team suggests they can do it, and .500 looks like the best case.
4
A strong bullpen is meaningless right now because the team can't build a lead for it to protect.
5
If the Pirates miss the postseason in year seven, Ben Cherington absolutely needs to be fired, though the other host predicts Bob Nutting will blame injuries and keep him.
What's going on, everyone? Welcome to the North Shore Nine podcast presented by FanDuel. This is the NS9 postgame show powered by Primanti Brothers. I'm Jim. With me today is Dougie Fresh. Doug, 50 years ago today, John Candelaria threw a no-hitter. He's now 72 years old, Doug.
And I'm not so positive he couldn't have done the exact same thing today against this Pirates lineup.
He's left-handed, right?
He's left-handed?
Yeah, so...
72 years old. As long as he can throw, Doug, I feel like he could do it again.
Yeah. It's remarkable how inept this team has been against left-handed pitchers. You combine it with how inept they've just been in general.
Yeah, yesterday, I wish I would have swapped. Neil wanted to swap yesterday.
I wish I would have swapped yesterday.
Yeah, yesterday's postgame show would have been a lot more fun.
A lot more fun, right.
That's for sure.
And it didn't take long to figure out that was a fluke. It was not a kickstart. It wasn't a revival.
I think we were pretty early on in this game when we realized, yeah, that was the outlier. And this is what this team is now.
Yeah, this one was ugly. It was over early. And it was a really disappointing game to watch because, yeah, after last night, you were feeling a little bit better.
the little a little tiny glimmer of hope was there to say, OK, like this team needs to go on a winning streak.
They need to reel off a bunch of wins in a row.
They've got to win. they got this team needs like a 10 and two stretch, something like that. Right.
And it's like, OK, maybe this is where it starts. Right. Right. Right.
And then you immediately come back and you put together an 11 to one clunker of a game where the entire offense just doesn't show up outside.
Jake Mangum, basically, Jared Jones, who has been pitching quite well recently.
He was the he was the National League. He was one of the best pitchers in the National League in July.
But he comes in and maybe his worst start of the year.
And then, the bullpen comes in and, who cares?
By that point, the game was over. It was it was eight to eight to nothing.
So you want to ask why you bring in Evan Sisk with bases loaded, nobody out.
He's terrible with runners on, you know.
Yeah, I do want to get to that because that's a pattern with Evan Sisk now is allowing inherited runners to score.
He does it nonstop. But yeah, you were you were hoping that yesterday was the start of something special because like that's what this team needed.
They needed something special like they couldn't just go on continuing to play 500 ish ball like they needed to put together a special run and to immediately answer last night with this performance against again, like your problems are these left handed starting pitchers.
Sean Minaya in the year of our Lord 2026, Doug, is not a good pitcher like he used to be one back in the day.
He's not anymore. And he's and he's not good.
Yeah. And he's not a good team.
And he matched his season strikeout total today in the third inning, fourth inning, fourth inning.
Like, yeah, it was seven strikeouts was a season high, right?
Seven strikeouts was a season high and he just mows down the Pirates today.
Three hits, one run, 11 strikeouts and seven innings.
Just a pathetic performance, right?
Great. The Mets are not have not been a good team all year.
They sold off. They've quit.
And they just took two, three out of out of three of us embarrassing, mostly other than the one little outlier game.
The series you had to win.
You had to win.
Right. Again, as you said, something special needs to happen.
Something extraordinary, something that hasn't happened all year.
A 10 and two stretch, 12 and three type stretch, something they haven't done all year, even when things were going well and vibes were high.
But they would still win three, lose one, win one, lose two, win, that thing.
And right. This team needs the only thing that's going to get this team out of this is something like that.
This is where it was supposed to start today.
Right. You got it last night.
You follow up today with a good game and we're delusional enough.
Right. We're delusional.
Like, OK, all right.
They've took two in a row.
Sure, it was a bad team, but you got you can only be who's on the schedule.
we'd have made you guys tomorrow would be there on Bucco Brew saying, like, look, this could be the start of it.
Now you go to Miami, you take two out of three there.
And instead, we're like, man, this team has quit.
They've got no life.
They've got no pulse.
Yeah. Six straight series losses.
I want to get to a couple of super chats.
First off, thank you, Chris Mack with the 440 jewels.
Michael B, shout out to you.
Ten dollars super chat.
He says this team has turned into a damn joke in record time.
You're seven of B.C. and they won't win 75 games.
Don Kelly has lost them.
And I wasn't feeling better at all.
Jim, after last night should have been sellers.
Speaking of like the over under win totals right now, FanDuel after today, the win total for the Pirates all the way down to 79 and a half.
By the way, on FanDuel, you can you can you can try it.
You can go for over 79 and a half wins at minus 105.
But that number keeps going down and down and down.
Also, thank you to Silas says, what a pathetic disgrace.
I was told last night by the hosts having no confidence in the offense carrying over after the game wasn't fair.
Har.
Yeah, clearly, DiNardo and Tyler were wrong there.
I didn't hear them say that.
But if you say so, I'll believe you, Silas.
And then thanks again, Silas.
Year seven, players like Flores and Simon are playing meaningful baseball in what is supposed to be a playoff run.
And Pirates Twitter is celebrating it.
Yeah.
I'm not going to get on Pirates Twitter.
I think they were just trying to have fun during a tough stretch.
And it didn't work by Pirates Twitter is not celebrating.
I'll tell you that it didn't it didn't work very well.
But yeah, they dropped today's game.
They go to 58 and 62 on the year.
They're four games below 500.
There are now the equal there are now an equal amount of teams separating them from a playoff spot, Doug.
Then there are separating them from being the worst team in the National League.
So that's where we're sitting at right now.
The run expectancy, the run differential keeps going down and down and down, especially after an 11-1 loss here.
But let's start with this game was over when Jared Jones took the ball, basically.
He again, he's been pitching well lately, but today was not his last start.
He had been pitching well until his last start.
Yeah, his last start was right.
He himself.
I think I think he said it was, quote unquote, shit, bullshit.
I think it's what he said.
Dog shit.
I think, yeah, dog shit is what he used.
Well, if yes, if last start was dog shit, this one was even worse, Doug.
Yeah.
Starts off the game with a walk, then hits Lindor with the pitch.
So just self-inflicted wounds right off the bat from Jones.
He gives up a single to Bichette to load the bases.
Then gives up another single.
Then a sacrifice fly.
Gets out of that first inning, only giving up two runs.
it could have been worse, I guess.
But he gets out of there giving up two.
He does settle in, one, two, three second inning.
But then the third inning is where the wheels fall off, gives up a two-run homer to Luis Robert Jr., who's not having a good year.
a line drive to Mangum.
Mangum attempts to make a sliding catch.
He misses it.
It goes to the wall.
That's a triple.
You would have hoped that was an inning-ending catch, but it wasn't.
And then Marcus Semyon hits him in, and then it's 5-0, 5-0 Mets.
And then in the fourth, Jones goes back out there, Doug.
And again, self-inflicted.
Hit by pitch, walk.
Loads the bases.
First three batters.
Like, doesn't even give himself a chance to do anything there.
this is just a complete turnaround from last year where, our conversation was, man, they pitched well enough.
But – and they're not pitching well enough.
They're not even close to pitching well enough.
Again, and, right, wouldn't have mattered if he had only given up two runs today, because the offense is not coming through.
But, yeah, the pitching's not giving them a chance.
And it seems like the offense is following it, just giving up.
Yeah.
Dan Zangreely tweeted during the game after Jones got pulled there, the Pirates were sixth in Major League Baseball last year in starters ERA, 3.71.
This year, they're 21st at 4.39.
So, they're – And it's getting worse, like, with every start.
Right?
– It's trending in the wrong direction.
Yeah.
In fact, because I was looking at this up the other day with Paul Skenes, where if you take just Paul Skenes' last 15 starts, Doug – and I know we don't want to make this a Paul Skenes discussion,
but if you sort by worst ERA in the league since May – let's see.
Let's call it May.
11th or so.
It was somewhere in that area.
May 11th, May 12th.
May 12th, I think.
But Paul Skenes and Braxton Ashcraft are both in the bottom 10 in baseball, in ERA, over their last 15 starts.
So, again, Ashcraft started off the year great.
Skenes started off the year great.
Keller started off the year great.
But now Keller's on the shelf.
Ashcraft and Skenes are struggling.
Chandler seems to be making some nice progression.
Jones, you thought, was looking good.
It looked like he was trending the right way.
Yeah.
As a unit, though, they just simply aren't getting the job done.
Absolutely not.
Yeah.
And, that's got to hurt morale.
Vibes is, oh, God, we're down 7-0 in the second inning.
but, that's not an excuse for the hitting to be as ineffective.
There have been a lot of injuries to the offense, so, the pitching is needed to step up, and it's gone the other direction.
Did you see that other super chat?
No, I just haven't gotten to it yet.
We'll get there.
Okay, sorry.
Well, now that you put it up there.
Now that I forced your hand.
Thank you, Silas.
He says, we need basically 11 or 12 of the next 15 to stay relevant and make up ground.
What do you guys predict?
We got Miami, Boston, Detroit, L.A., and San Diego.
So, yeah, like I said, they need to win.
They need, like, an 11-4, 12-3 stretch.
I don't see anything in this team that makes me believe that they are capable of doing that right now.
No, I don't either.
Every one of those teams is better than them.
Yeah, like, right now, you're looking 500.
best-case scenario, it seems like.
And I know that they – it's baseball.
Something could click, whatever.
But right now, this team is trending in the wrong direction in a lot of different areas.
The only thing that looks good right now is the bullpen.
And the bullpen doesn't matter when you can't get a lead to begin with.
If you can't hold a lead or if you can't get a lead in the beginning part of the game, the bullpen doesn't matter.
And so, right now, the fact that the bullpen's pitching well doesn't matter.
It doesn't matter.
They don't have leads to protect.
They're just pitching out the strength.
Yep.
To the offense, quickly, again, after Sisk there makes it 8-1.
The reason why it was 1 is because you did have Jake Mangum hit a solo homer.
Rafael Flores pitches a scoreless ninth inning, you know?
But...
Yeah.
I don't have much else to add here, Doug.
Like, it was a terrible game at a time that you needed to add on.
You needed to stack a win with the win you had yesterday.
And this came out completely flat.
And in all facets of the game, they were awful in every facet of the game.
Yeah.
It's just the...
again, and I hate judging body language and facial expressions.
But they just look lifeless, you know?
And maybe they look lifeless when they're winning, too.
But it's not as glaring, you know?
Because you're focusing on, oh, wow, they did something good.
it just looks like they've all quit.
And I don't believe that.
these are proud players.
Yeah, I don't think that's the case.
I'm not trying to say they are.
It just looks bad.
And it's just...
I don't know.
You know...
I can't expect them to have the pass if we do game-to-game.
But, man.
Yeah.
They just can't hit lefties and the starting pitchers.
I don't know if it's stamina, if they're wearing down.
I'm not sure exactly what it is.
But they are not finishing strong by any means.
And it is a younger staff, right?
Like, Ashcraft has never thrown this many innings before.
Bubba's approaching his max in innings, especially over this period of time.
Jones is coming off arm surgery.
So, it's like, there's a lot of things that, you can understand why this team maybe isn't their strongest right now as a staff.
But every one of them is trending in the wrong direction.
Your ace, who's supposed to be your ace, is not acting like an ace.
And, you're steady.
Mr. Consistent gets the ball every fifth day and gives you a chance to win.
He's on the IL for the rest of the year.
So, you've got to rely on really just, like, people who haven't proven that they can do this.
Like, that's what they're doing is they're relying on starting pitchers who haven't proven that they can do this yet.
And it's not working.
No, it's an ugly recipe.
Right.
That's a lot to ask.
Yep.
A couple more super chats I want to get to.
Michael B., thank you for your $5.
His prediction over his next 15 games is that they go 3-12.
Maybe 4.
He says the team absolutely stinks.
Bill Murphy has been an absolute disaster of a hire.
Hard to argue with the Murphy point at this point.
Thank you for the jewels, Jack, Silas with another super chat.
Appreciate you.
He says, last one, Jim.
Does Ben deserve to be fired?
Great trades and draft picks.
Was he supposed to know Skenes, Jones, Mitch would all stink more than not when they were supposed to be our biggest strength?
If the Pirates don't make the postseason this year, Doug, Ben absolutely needs to be fired.
This is year seven.
He won't be.
There's no excuse.
No excuse.
I agree.
I know you can make these excuses, but there shouldn't be.
that's what will happen.
first of all, I think Bob knows that he does not give a general manager what he needs to actually compete.
And then he'll blame injuries.
Paul Skenes, I want Ben Cherington fired, but that doesn't seem like Ben Cherington's fault.
We all thought Paul Skenes and Dennis Santana were going to be good this year, and they weren't, and that has really hurt.
Counting on young pitching is foolish, and that's proven out.
And, Mitch, well, yes, like you said, he's Mr. Consistent.
He hasn't been that year, but, my gosh, like, he's bad in the second half every year.
So, yeah, I just think Bob says, oh, a bunch of injuries, and I don't really give him what he needs.
He gets another year.
We might be locking down this year.
There might be some missed games or whatever.
I don't see it.
I think he should be fired.
He has done some good things this year.
He's done, he's had some good draft picks.
He's made a good mover to, some of these guys are coming to fruition.
And that's what, that's what Bob will say.
Oh, man, we'll put Murf Gray at third base next year, and Seth Hernandez will give him to the rotation, and, whatever.
I don't think he gets fired.
I think he should be.
I don't think there's any chance.
I don't think it's any discussion.
Yeah.
I don't have much else to add here, Doug.
I got nothing.
You know what the Pirates do have tomorrow, though, is an off day.
And I do feel like they desperately need one of those.
So, who knows?
Like, again, it's, they've got to do something special starting Tuesday.
Figure out how to do it tomorrow on your day off.
Yeah.
And start that something special on Tuesday.
If you don't, season's over.
Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
It's, you have run out of time.
You have run out of time.
Ben Cherington, GM teams that make acquisitions at the deadline do not fare well.
That seems to be the trend here.
Yeah.
All right.
Well, let's get out of here.
Let's give everybody the rest of their Sundays.
Appreciate each and every one of you for watching.
Appreciate you guys listening.
Tomorrow, we will have an episode of Offbeat with Alex Stumpf.
We'll have Bucco Brew in the morning.
And then, starting Tuesday, we'll have our coverage, I guess, if you want to call that, for the Miami Series.
I'm actually going to be at the Miami Series, Doug.
I'll be there Tuesday and Wednesday.
Gosh, I feel bad for you.
you'll have fun in Miami.
More on-location post-game shows for me.
So, yeah, work trip.
Just, like, lined up perfect.
So, we'll take advantage of that.
One more Michael B.
He disagrees with Doug.
You're not the first, Michael B.
We'll see.
I'm going to call you out on this.
I'm going to super-chat you at your house.
I'm going to show up at the house with $2 and say, I told you, he's not getting fired.
Yeah.
All right, guys.
Love you all.
Let's go Bucs.
Let's start the winning streak on Tuesday, all right?
But yeah, we'll see you tomorrow.
See you guys.
All right.
That wraps up this episode of North Shore Nine.
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Should Ben Cherington be fired if the Pirates miss the postseason in his seventh year?
No comments yet — be the first to weigh in.