The Pirates are still standing in the middle of the season, but Friday night in Cincinnati looked like the kind of loss that can tilt everything off course.
Pittsburgh took a lead into the eighth inning and still walked out with an 8-7 defeat to the Reds, its fourth straight loss. The collapse dropped the Pirates to 55-56 and below .500 for the first time since July 3, a rough turn after weeks spent trying to prove they belonged in the National League playoff chase.
It was the sort of game that piled on from every angle. Paul Skenes was hit hard, giving up five earned runs on seven hits, four walks and two home runs in just four innings. He still struck out seven, but the ace who once gave the Pirates a steady edge every fifth day has been harder to pin down lately.
Then the bullpen took over and couldn’t hold the line. Pittsburgh blew its 20th save of the season, undoing enough offense to win most nights.
Brandon Lowe went 3 for 4 with a double, a run scored and an RBI. Jake Mangum chipped in two hits, a home run and two RBI.
It still wasn’t enough.
That has been the story too often for this team. When the rotation does its job, the lineup goes quiet.
When the bats finally show up, the bullpen can’t finish. And when the Pirates do manage to put themselves in position to survive both, a defensive mistake shows up at exactly the wrong time.
The night got worse in the ninth when Ryan O’Hearn injured his quad while running to first base and had to be helped off the field.
That matters beyond the box score. O’Hearn has been one of the pieces keeping this offense together, giving Pittsburgh steady production, professional at-bats and a presence the club has leaned on all season. If he misses time, that would sting even more with Konnor Griffin, Spencer Horwitz and Oneil Cruz already working back from injuries.
The trade deadline picture is still there for the Pirates, and they still should be in buying mode. Ben Cherington can’t let one ugly night, or even a four-game skid, become a reason to stand pat. The bullpen’s 20 blown saves are a warning sign, not a signal to wave the white flag.
What Friday did was make the deadline feel a lot more urgent. Pittsburgh doesn’t just need one reliever and a pat on the back. It needs multiple trustworthy bullpen arms, a read on O’Hearn’s health and some sign that Skenes can get back to being himself before the season slips further away.
There’s still time. Injured players can return, help can arrive, and the Pirates can still claw back into the wild-card race. But after Cincinnati, the room for error is shrinking fast.
In Other News...
Pirates May Have Found A Trade Path For Bullpen Help
The Pirates search for bullpen help may be getting a little clearer as the trade market starts to take shape, and the Texas Rangers are suddenly part of the conversation. After a rough stretch, Texas has let other clubs know that no player is entirely off-limits, which opens the door for teams like Pittsburgh to at least explore ways to add depth without paying premium prices.
For the Pirates, the appeal appears to be in the Rangers relief mix rather than the headline names. Peyton Gray and Tyler Alexander have both put together solid seasons, and they fit the kind of lower-cost path Pittsburgh would likely have to pursue. The bigger-ticket Rangers pieces remain a different matter, with players such as Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi not expected to be available to a club like Pittsburgh. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates May Have Found A Bullpen Arm Worth Watching Closely
The Pirates got a first look at Doval almost immediately after acquiring him from the Yankees on Saturday, and the right-hander was in uniform and on the mound by Sunday. Pittsburgh brought him into the mix against the Reds, giving the bullpen a fresh arm to evaluate in a game that offered an early glimpse of how he might fit into Don Kellys relief plans.
Dovals first outing with his new club was a mixed one, as he gave up a solo homer but otherwise worked through the inning with authority. Kelly and Doval both addressed what the appearance meant for his role moving forward, and for a Pirates bullpen that is always looking for someone who can give it a little more late-game stability. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Bullpen Pressure Just Grew For Ben Cherington At Deadline
The bullpen market moved a little faster than the Pirates did, and that matters in Pittsburgh with the deadline in the rearview. Chicago landed right-handed reliever Huascar Brazobn from the Mets, a name the Pirates had shown interest in, underscoring how quickly relief help can come off the board when multiple clubs are chasing the same arms. For a team still trying to sort out the late innings, it was another reminder that patience alone is not going to fix the problem.
Ben Cherington is still searching for answers, and the pressure around the Pirates bullpen has only grown as the club continues to look at other possibilities. Luke Weaver and Brooks Raley remain among the targets being explored, but the broader issue is familiar by now: Pittsburgh needs more certainty in relief, and every missed opportunity only sharpens the focus on the general manager to deliver something that actually steadies the group. [Read more 🡒]