The Pittsburgh Pirates are down to their final three games of 2026, and their rotation is getting one last turn before the season closes out at Comerica Park.
Pittsburgh opens the weekend against the Detroit Tigers on Sept. 25, with Bubba Chandler taking the ball. Jared Jones is lined up for the series and season finale on Sept. 27, while the Pirates still have Sept. 26 listed as “TBA.” Detroit’s starters for the series are Jackson Jobe in the opener, Justin Verlander in his final start on Sept. 26 and River Ryan in the finale.
For Chandler, the final week offers one more chance to show how far he has come over a demanding first full season in the majors. He came into the year carrying the kind of prospect buzz that follows one of baseball’s best young arms, but the day-to-day grind has made the transition a hard one.
In 29 starts and 30 appearances, Chandler is 8-9 with a 4.34 ERA over 151.2 innings. He has struck out 138 batters and walked 76, while opponents are hitting .232 against him and he owns a 1.37 WHIP.
The command issues have been the biggest drag on his season. His 4.52 BB/9 and 11.6 BB% rate rank third-highest, his 76 walks are sixth-most and his 1.37 WHIP is the 10th-highest.
The second half has looked much better, though. Over 11 starts, Chandler is 5-1 with a 3.63 ERA across 57 innings, along with 53 strikeouts, 21 walks, a .237 BAA and a 1.25 WHIP.
He has also had his share of rough outings, including his most recent start against the Kansas City Royals at PNC Park on Sept. 19, when he allowed eight hits and three runs and lasted only four innings.
The Pirates will need him to finish strong, especially with their pitching depth stretched thin. They have leaned on bullpen games for two of their five rotation spots, and Chandler, Jones and Paul Skenes have been their only healthy starters.
Braxton Ashcraft and Mitch Keller are both injured, which has forced Pittsburgh to use the bullpen much more than expected.
Lake Bachar has started eight of those games and could get another look, since he last pitched against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sept. 23 and would be on two days of rest. Rookie right-hander Wilber Dotel, who has not pitched since Sept. 20, is also in line for a bulk role.
Chandler’s outing could shape how the Pirates piece together the rest of the series.
Jones, meanwhile, has been rolling at exactly the right time. He has won three of his four starts in September and owns a 1.08 ERA over 25.0 innings, with 35 strikeouts, four walks, a .140 BAA and a 0.64 WHIP.
Among pitchers in baseball this month, Jones ranks near the top across the board: second-lowest WHIP, second-most strikeouts, third-lowest BAA and ERA, plus the fourth-best K/9 at 12.60 and K/BB at 8.75.
He also just delivered one of the best outings of his career against the Cardinals on Sept. 22, carrying a perfect game into the sixth inning, giving up only one hit and matching his season high with nine strikeouts over seven innings.
Opponents have had trouble with both his fastball and slider, which have accounted for 31 of his 35 strikeouts.
Jones is nearly four months removed from his first MLB start after returning from internal brace surgery, and the Pirates have every reason to believe he is finally trending toward the ace they envisioned.
In Other News...
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Pirates Fans Know This Year's Biggest Problem Isn't In The Dugout
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What makes the conversation around the franchise so pointed is that the dugout does not appear to be the main issue. Don Kelly is expected to stay on as manager, and Ben Cherington is also likely to remain in charge of the front office, despite the criticism aimed at the way the roster has been built. For Pirates fans, the question is less about who is standing where and more about whether the organization can finally solve the larger problem that has kept the team stuck. [Read more 🡒]