The Pirates came out of San Diego with a series win, a jolt from their rotation, and one huge swing from Oneil Cruz - but they also left Petco Park knowing how much more they could have had.
Pittsburgh took two of three from the Padres on its final West Coast trip of 2026, opening with a 3-2 win in 12 innings on Aug. 24 and following it with a 1-0 victory on Aug. 25 before dropping the finale 3-0 on Aug. 26. That leaves the Pirates at 65-70, still 7.5 games out in the National League Wild Card chase with 27 games remaining.
The biggest issue in the series was obvious. Pittsburgh, a club that has leaned on its offense all season, was stuck in neutral with runners in scoring position and finished just 2-for-30 while stranding 28 men on base.
The first game was the clearest example: the Pirates went 1-for-15, and the only hit came from designated hitter Nick Gonzales, whose 12th-inning RBI single delivered the go-ahead run. Even that moment came after a long stretch of missed chances, including an 0-for-7 showing in extra innings.
The finale followed the same frustrating script. Pittsburgh loaded the bases in the fourth and seventh innings, put two runners on in both the sixth and eighth, and still managed only one hit in those spots - a pinch-hit single from Jared Triolo that loaded the bases in the seventh. The missed opportunities were enough to leave the sweep on the table.
Don Kelly didn’t hide his frustration after the game. He wanted better at-bats, better contact, and more production in those pressure moments.
“It’s been frustrating, and I wish that there was a magic pill and wand that we could wave and have the guys get the hits and there’s nobody that wants to get the hits more than the players do and we have to be better in the approach and better in those moments," Kelly said to SportsNet Pittsburgh postgame.
"Yes there is pressure and that's what you play for is those moments to be in them and be able to step up and find a way to get that done."
Still, the pitching side of the trip gave Pittsburgh real reason for encouragement after a rough sweep at the hands of the Dodgers in Los Angeles from Aug. 21 through the 23. Against San Diego, the rotation was much sharper, allowing just two earned runs over 17.2 innings.
Braxton Ashcraft came close to six scoreless innings in the opener before a strange balk call brought in a run, the only one he allowed. Paul Skenes then turned in his best start in three months, working six scoreless innings without issuing a walk in the second game. Bubba Chandler was solid as well, covering 5.2 innings and allowing two runs, one earned, while coming an out short of a quality start.
The bullpen backed that up with 10.2 scoreless innings before Jake Cronenworth broke through with an RBI double in the finale. Against a Padres lineup that ranked among the weaker ones in baseball, Pittsburgh’s pitching staff did what it needed to do.
Then there was Cruz.
With the offense struggling around him, the center fielder delivered the defining moment of the series in the Pirates’ 1-0 win. Cruz launched a go-ahead solo homer in the top of the ninth off Padres closer Mason Miller, punishing a 98.2 mph changeup down and inside and sending it out on a shot that looked more like a laser than a moonshot.
It came after Cruz had gone hitless in his previous 12 at-bats, but one swing changed the game and gave Pittsburgh its biggest offensive play of the trip.
Cruz also made his presence felt defensively. The Pirates’ move from shortstop to center field, made about two years ago, paid off again when he threw out Cronenworth after a single by Manny Machado, getting to the ball quickly and firing a spinning throw to Rafael Flores Jr. for the tag.
And that's why you don't run on Oneil Cruz.What a throw pic.twitter.com/TU9T6OH0ZK
For a player some fans wanted gone after his rough Opening Day in center, Cruz has made clear progress in 2026. He has hit left-handed pitching well after struggling badly in 2025, produced better overall, kept his top-end speed, and sharpened his play in center field while growing into a leader in the outfield.
The Pirates also had to navigate more than two months without him because of a left hand fracture, and they can only wonder how different 2026 might look if he had stayed healthy.
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