The Pittsburgh Pirates are staring at one of the biggest series of their season, and the timing could hardly be tighter.
Pittsburgh opens a mid-week set against the Arizona Diamondbacks at PNC Park from July 27-29, with the two clubs separated by just one game in the National League Wild Card race. The Pirates are one game behind Arizona for the third NL Wild Card spot, which gives this series real swing potential: win it, and they can move ahead; sweep it, and they would also own the series lead after already taking two of three at Chase Field from May 5-7.
The other side of that coin is just as stark. A rough series would push the Pirates further back in the chase, which is why this matchup lands squarely among the most important of their year.
Both teams come in after losing their weekend series. Pittsburgh dropped two of three to the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park, while Arizona lost two of three to the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Chicago’s Wild Card cushion is now 4.5 games, while Washington sits a game back, tied with Pittsburgh but one spot lower thanks to the Pirates winning that season series, 4-3.
The rest of the race is tightening and slipping in different directions. The St.
Louis Cardinals have stumbled again, losing two of three to the Cincinnati Reds and going just three wins in their last 11 games. They’re still one game above .500, but sit 1.5 games back.
The Miami Marlins are falling fast, too, after being swept by the San Diego Padres at loanDepot Park. San Diego is back to .500 and only two games back, while Miami has lost 12 straight, is two games below .500 and sits three games back.
That makes this a busy and consequential stretch across the board. The Cardinals host the Cubs in a four-game series.
The Marlins get the Philadelphia Phillies, who are two games ahead of Arizona. And then the Diamondbacks head to Pittsburgh.
Washington is the lone club left out in this particular cluster, and the Nationals host the 2025 World Series runners-up, the Toronto Blue Jays, who are 48-58 after a rough season.
For Pittsburgh, the challenge has been relentless. July has already brought home series against the Phillies, Nationals, Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers, plus road matchups with the Cleveland Guardians, New York Yankees and Cubs. Every one of those opponents is above .500 and in the postseason mix, yet the Pirates have still gone 11-9 through the month.
The schedule doesn’t exactly ease up from here, either. Pittsburgh still has road series against the Reds and Brewers, both four-game sets, along with road trips to the Cubs and Marlins, a West Coast swing against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Padres, home-and-away series with the Cardinals, and a home series against the resurgent Boston Red Sox.
If the Pirates can keep their current pace and take care of the teams they’re supposed to beat, they can stay in the Wild Card hunt and give themselves a real shot to grab that spot by the end of September.
In Other News...
Pirates Have A Surprising Path To A Blockbuster Without Gutting The Farm
The Pirates are expected to be buyers at the 2026 trade deadline, but that kind of move is never simple when the farm system is thin. Pittsburgh does have one type of asset that tends to travel well in July: young pitching with team control, the sort of arm contenders covet because it can help now and still fit a rotation for years.
Hunter Barco fits that mold in a way that makes him easy to notice around the league, even with the injury interruptions that have shaped his pro path. He has had Tommy John surgery, an elbow issue and a shin injury that cost him time, but the broader appeal is still there for clubs hunting a controllable starter with upside. In a market that keeps putting a premium on that profile, the Pirates may have a path to a meaningful deadline return without stripping the system bare. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Finally Resolve Jose Urquidy Saga With Playoff Stakes Attached
The Pirates have finally closed the book on the Jose Urquidy situation, a move that had lingered after he was designated for assignment and left the club weighing whether there was any real path forward. Urquidy had done enough at Triple-A to at least keep his name in the conversation, putting up a 3.66 ERA across 17 starts in 2026, but Pittsburgh clearly decided the roster question was bigger than the numbers.
What comes back in return is a reminder of where the organization is trying to thread the needle, balancing immediate roster churn against long-term pitching depth. Felix Doroteo is still a young arm in rookie ball and nowhere near helping the big-league club, which makes this less about a quick fix than about clearing the deck and moving on from a decision that had been hanging over the Pirates for days. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Deadline Prediction Would Rip A Productive Bat From This Lineup
With the Pirates hanging around the postseason race, the front office has a familiar deadline task in front of it: find offense without blowing up the roster. That is why any rumor tied to a bat with real production draws attention, especially when the club is trying to decide whether to push in for a run or simply keep building around what it already has.
Stephen J. Nesbitt of The Athletic floated one possibility involving Houston third baseman Isaac Paredes, whose season line includes a .782 OPS and a steady mix of power and on-base skills. Paredes would give Pittsburgh a proven middle-of-the-order presence, and the fit makes some sense given the way the Pirates have been searching for more punch, but the deadline is still ahead and nothing has been confirmed. [Read more 🡒]