Jared Jones is finishing the season like a pitcher who has found another gear, and the Pirates are getting a clear look at what that can mean going forward.
On Sept. 22 at PNC Park, Jones carved through the St. Louis Cardinals in a 2-0 shutout win, allowing just one hit while matching his season high with nine strikeouts. He was nearly untouchable again, the kind of outing that keeps hinting at perfection even if it never quite gets there.
The right-hander didn’t reinvent anything against St. Louis.
He leaned into the same formula that has carried him through September, and it paid off in a big way. The fastball did most of the heavy lifting, producing seven of his nine strikeouts and helping him generate weak contact as well, with only two hard-hit balls among eight batted-ball events.
Jones said he didn’t always know exactly what the pitch was going to do, but he trusted it - and Rafael Flores Jr. kept putting down the sign for it.
“Kind of felt like I could put it wherever I wanted," Jones said. "I didn’t really know what I was doing with it. I mean, I threw a 20-vert fastball, then a 10-vert fastball, 18-horizontal, so I had no idea what it was going to do when it left my hand, but I guess it worked out.”
The only real trouble came in the top of the sixth, when Cardinals center fielder Nathan Church lined a double with one out. Jones had Church jammed with a 98.6 mph four-seam fastball, but the ball still slipped beyond Jacob Gonzalez’s outstretched glove at third and dropped in for a hit. Jones responded immediately, finishing the inning with a lineout and a strikeout.
He was efficient throughout, needing just 86 pitches to get through seven innings.
That performance fit right in with what Jones has done all month. After a brutal August in which he posted a 7.40 ERA, a .318 BAA and a 1.94 WHIP, he has turned September into a showcase. In four starts this month, Jones is 3-0 with a 1.08 ERA across 25.0 innings, along with 35 strikeouts, four walks, a .140 BAA and a 0.64 WHIP.
He nearly threw a no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on Sept. 10, carrying it into the seventh inning before finishing with eight strikeouts in a 2-0 shutout. He also flashed that same ceiling back on July 8, when he threw six perfect innings against the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park before leaving because of pitch count.
Jones is almost four months removed from his first start back after internal brace surgery on his right elbow, a rehab process that lasted a year. His season has had its rough patches, especially in June and August, but July and September have shown the version of him that can change the look of a rotation.
Against the Cardinals, the fastball was the main weapon, but Jones has shown he can win different ways. On Sept. 4 against the Los Angeles Angels at PNC Park, he leaned on his slider and got seven of his nine strikeouts with it. He mixes in his curveball and changeup selectively, using both pitches to support the fastball and slider and keep hitters off balance.
That kind of progression matters for the Pirates, especially with a rotation that already has a strong shape for next season. Braxton Ashcraft is an All-Star, Bubba Chandler is entering his second year, Mitch Keller is back from injury and 2025 Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes is in the mix as well.
Jones has already shown he belongs with that group. The way he’s pitching now suggests he could be even more than that - one of baseball’s elite starting pitchers in 2027.
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