Jared Jones came within three outs of helping write a little history, and the Pirates backed him up just enough to finish the job.
On a night when Pittsburgh was also dealing with more injury news for another starter, Jones took control at Rate Field and never really let the White Sox settle in. He allowed his first hit only to the 23rd batter he faced, then kept going for seven scoreless innings in a 2-0 Pirates win on Thursday. The result gave Pittsburgh its first road sweep since July 2025.
The no-hit bid had a real pulse heading into the seventh. Jones was out there at 79 pitches, and while a solo no-hitter felt like a stretch, the possibility of a combined one was still alive.
Munetaka Murakami nearly opened the inning with a bloop single to right, but Jake Mangum came charging in and made a diving catch to erase it. A few batters later, Colson Montgomery crushed a 1-1 four-seamer off the top of the right-field wall, ending the no-hit dream and putting the tying run in scoring position.
Jones answered by getting a lineout to close the inning and finish his night.
His final line was as clean as it gets: one hit, two walks, seven shutout innings. Don Kelly met him with a hug after the outing.
For Jones, this kind of night stood out because his return from internal brace surgery in 2025 has been uneven. He came into Thursday with a 4.10 ERA in 18 starts, a season that has swung from six perfect innings to a rough three-inning, eight-earned-run outing. This time, though, everything clicked.
He needed only 20 pitches to get through the first two innings, striking out two and blowing 99 mph fastballs past White Sox hitters. The pace was sharp, the command was there, and the Pirates’ starter made the opposition uncomfortable from the jump.
Pittsburgh’s offense didn’t do much early against opener Hagen Smith, but once Erick Fedde entered, Oneil Cruz changed the game. The Pirates’ power bat jumped on a 1-1 changeup in the fourth inning and sent it soaring into the night for a Statcast-projected 433-foot blast at 117.4 mph off the bat, giving Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead.
That was enough with Jones dealing the way he was.
In Other News...
Pirates Fans May Be Rethinking That Paul Skenes Yankees Return
The Paul Skenes trade chatter keeps hanging around the Pirates, and the latest version of it has centered on a possible Yankees package built around Spencer Jones. It is the kind of rumor that inevitably grabs attention in Pittsburgh because Skenes is already the face of the pitching staff, but it also lands in a moment when the conversation has gotten more complicated, with Jones starting to look more like a real asset and Skenes coming off a stretch of uneven outings.
For Pirates fans, that is what makes the speculation tricky to sort through. A young pitcher with ace upside is not something a team gives away lightly, yet any return would have to be substantial enough to match the value of a player like Skenes, and the Yankees have at least one intriguing piece in Jones to talk about. For now, though, it remains exactly that: talk, with no confirmed trade and no official decision from either side. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Get A Needed Return As Another Lineup Concern Emerges
Ryan OHearn is back in the Pirates lineup mix after the club reinstated him from the 10-day injured list, giving Pittsburgh a needed boost following his absence with a left quad strain. His return came at a time when the roster could use some stability, and the Pirates were at least able to welcome back a familiar bat as they try to keep their lineup moving.
Esmerlyn Valdezs day ended with a different kind of concern, though, after he left the field with left hamstring discomfort while limping to first base. Any lower-body issue at this stage of the season draws immediate attention, and Valdezs status now becomes a storyline to watch as the Pirates assess whether theyll have him available down the stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Lose Key Rookie Bat As Late Push Gets Tougher
The Pirates late-season push took another hit when they placed right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez on the 10-day injured list after he sustained a left hamstring injury in the Sept. 12 game. Valdez had emerged as a key power bat for Pittsburgh, giving the lineup a needed jolt at a time when every productive at-bat matters, and losing him removes one of the clubs more important sources of pop.
In the corresponding move, Pittsburgh recalled outfielder Ronny Simon from Triple-A Indianapolis, and the team is expected to cover right field with Jake Mangum and Simon while Valdez works back. For a club trying to keep its offense moving, the injury leaves even less margin for error, and it puts more attention on how quickly the Pirates can piece together production in a spot that had finally become a real threat. [Read more 🡒]