The Pittsburgh Pirates finally solved the thing that had haunted them all winter: power.
Last offseason was all about finding more thunder in the middle of the lineup and giving the pitching staff a little breathing room. The club went out and added Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn to a group that already featured Bryan Reynolds and Oneil Cruz, and the result was exactly what they were after in one sense. This is now the most powerful Pirates team ever.
They’ve hit 175 home runs, which is the new franchise record. The mark was broken Wednesday night when Cruz launched a first-pitch sweeper from Logan Henderson 113 mph over the Clemente Wall.
Lowe then added his team-leading 31st homer in the next inning, and Rafael Flores Jr. chipped in his ninth in the sixth. All four Pittsburgh runs in the 5-4 loss to the Brewers came on homers.
It was a fitting way for this group to set the record. It was also a reminder that the bigger issue hasn’t gone away.
A year ago, the Pirates’ offensive shortcomings were easy to spot. They lived near the bottom of the league in several key categories and finished dead last in home runs.
The lack of slug was impossible to miss. This season, that specific complaint doesn’t hold up anymore.
The Pirates do have power now. They have real bats.
Lowe has delivered a 31-homer season. O’Hearn has given them a strong offensive year when healthy.
Cruz has continued to flash the kind of upside that can change a game in one swing. Flores and Esmerlyn Valdez have also provided encouraging production.
And still, the wins haven’t followed often enough.
Injuries have played a part. Cruz and Spencer Horwitz both missed time before returning after the All-Star break.
Konnor Griffin and O’Hearn were out for significant stretches in the second half. As those absences stacked up, the offense faded, and Pittsburgh ranked near the bottom of baseball in second-half home runs.
That’s what makes this record feel so complicated. The Pirates did address one of their biggest problems from last season.
They did improve in a clear, measurable way. But the team still looks headed for another October spent at home.
The mission was never just to hit more homers. It was to build an offense that could support a strong pitching staff and push the club into the postseason.
At times this year, the Pirates looked like they might have done that. With the standings moving toward October, though, the same old ending is back on the table.
The 175 home runs show real progress. They also wipe away one more excuse.
If this core returns next season, being better at the plate can’t be the finish line anymore. The standard has to be winning.
In Other News...
Pirates Just Took Away Nuttings Easiest Offseason Excuse
The Pirates have spent much of this season with a familiar-looking offseason script in hand: a competitive record, some real production from key pieces like Oneil Cruz and Nick Gonzales, and enough roster gaps to argue that a stronger winter would be the answer. At 75-75 with 12 games left, they are still hanging around the .500 mark, but they are also well behind the final NL Wild Card spot, which keeps the conversation pointed toward what comes next if this year closes short of October.
If Pittsburgh lands somewhere around 85 wins and still misses the postseason, the usual excuse about needing a cleaner, healthier run will be harder to lean on. The bullpen and starting rotation remain obvious areas to address, and the offseason would have a clear mandate to add through free agency and trades while also trying to re-sign Brandon Lowe. In that sense, the final stretch could end up mattering less for the standings than for what it removes from the front office's argument book. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Just Got A Measuring Stick Against The NL Central Standard
Beating the Brewers has become more than a good night for the Pirates this season. Pittsburghs 7-4 win not only sealed the season series, it gave the club a rare marker against the team that set the pace in the NL Central, one that had been out of reach since 2018. For a Pirates group still trying to measure where it stands, finishing 7-6 against Milwaukee offered a cleaner snapshot than most standings can provide.
Don Kelly and several players framed it as evidence that Pittsburgh can compete with the divisions standard-bearer, even if the bigger picture is still a work in progress. The Brewers consistency is what made the matchup matter, and the Pirates ability to hang with them across the season gives the front office and clubhouse something real to point to. It also leaves an obvious next question hanging over the final stretch of development: how often can this team turn those kind of comparisons into something more lasting? [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Make Desperate Lineup Bet To Avoid Brewers Sweep
The Pirates are trying something different in Sundays series finale at PNC Park, reshuffling their lineup in hopes of finding a better answer for Brewers left-hander Kyle Harrison. Harrison has given Pittsburgh problems in earlier matchups this season, and the club responded by keeping left-handed hitter Oneil Cruz and switch-hitter Bryan Reynolds in the mix while also moving Nick Gonzales into the designated hitter spot.
It is the kind of lineup bet teams make when a series is slipping away and the opposing starter already has the upper hand. Pittsburgh has leaned on platoon thinking and a few personnel tweaks to give itself a better look against Harrison, with the goal of avoiding a sweep and getting something going before the day is over. [Read more 🡒]