Monday night’s win over the Philadelphia Phillies offered the Pittsburgh Pirates something they’ve been short on lately: a reminder that all those chances they keep creating don’t have to disappear.
That mattered because the recent track record with runners in scoring position has been rough. Pittsburgh entered Monday just 1-for-16 with the bases loaded dating back to June 4, a stretch that turned too many innings into dead ends. The low point came Sunday against Cincinnati, when the Reds’ bullpen kept opening the door and the Pirates still couldn’t force their way through.
Cincinnati relievers issued eight walks over 4 2/3 innings, yet Pittsburgh still came away empty three different times with the bases loaded. Two of those situations came with nobody out, the kind of setup good offenses are supposed to cash in immediately. At the very least, teams have to find a way to scratch out something - a sacrifice fly, a ground ball, anything that moves a run across.
Instead, the Pirates kept letting the Reds slip away. They eventually did enough to avoid a sweep, but that kind of missed opportunity can’t become part of the routine for a team trying to stay in the playoff conversation.
“For the third time today, the Pirates come up with zero runs with the bases loaded. Twice, they've loaded the bases with no outs.
Henry Davis popped out (with a 2-0 green light). Then Konnor Griffin grounded to third for a 5U-2(tag) double play.
Pirates lead 5-4, top eight. https://t.co/3tdHG9Xcdc
- Colin Beazley (@colin_beazley) June 28, 2026”
Monday’s game against Philadelphia at least hinted at a fix. The Pirates were more assertive without crossing into recklessness, and they turned pressure into production instead of letting the inning evaporate. That’s the shift this lineup has to make more often.
Nobody’s asking every bat in the order to morph into a star overnight. At this point, the Pirates would probably settle for Henry Davis getting anywhere near the Mendoza line.
What they do need is better situational hitting. There’s enough athleticism here, enough contact skill and enough developing power to be better than what they’ve shown over the past few weeks.
That’s why the frustration should be treated as a warning sign, not a verdict. Pittsburgh has already spent plenty of this season proving it can hang around.
The rotation has kept them in games. The lineup has flashed.
And the roster has enough depth now to survive some rough patches.
But teams that belong in October don’t just hang around. They finish the chances that are handed to them.
The Pirates didn’t do that against the Reds all weekend. They took a better step Monday. The only question now is whether it becomes the start of a real correction, or just a brief break from the same old problem.
In Other News...
Pirates May Have Found The Bullpen Fix Fans Wanted All Along
The Pirates have spent much of the season looking for relief help, and the search keeps circling back to the same basic question: can they find someone who actually steadies the middle innings without costing them too much in talent or payroll? That is why a Miami arm has started to draw attention. He fits the kind of profile Pittsburgh tends to like in trade talks, with a strong year on the mound and the flexibility to handle more than one inning when needed.
What makes him especially intriguing is the combination of performance and control. He has been productive this season and remains in a pre-arbitration window that keeps him affordable for now, which matters for a club trying to fix a bullpen without creating another problem elsewhere. In a market that also includes bigger names and pricier alternatives, the Pirates may have found a quieter route to the help they need, even if the final cost and timing still have to play out. [Read more 🡒]
Former Dodgers Reliever Is Back In The News For A Tough Reason
Lou Trivino is back on a major league roster, as the Phillies shuffled their bullpen by optioning Chase Shugart to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and bringing up the veteran right-hander. For a reliever who has bounced through several stops in recent years, the move puts him back in a familiar role with a club that already knows what it can get from him, even if the assignment is a limited one.
Philadelphia is expected to use Trivino in low-leverage spots and in games that have already tilted heavily one way or the other, which is hardly glamorous but still valuable for a staff that needs arms to cover innings. He has also logged time with the Yankees, Giants, Dodgers and Orioles, and his latest return gives the Phillies another experienced option as they sort through the middle and back end of the bullpen. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Face Painful Trade Deadline Call To Fix Their Bullpen
The Pirates are headed into the trade deadline with a familiar problem at the top of the to-do list: the bullpen has not held up well enough, and help looks like a necessity rather than a luxury. Pittsburghs front office is weighing the cost of getting a real late-inning arm, with recent trades for high-impact relievers offering a reminder that the market for this kind of upgrade is rarely cheap.
Levi Sterling is one of the names being discussed as part of the kind of package it might take, and that alone says plenty about how serious the Pirates may need to get if they want to solve the issue quickly. The challenge now is balancing urgency against the future, because improving the bullpen could require giving up real talent, and the deadline has a way of making those decisions even harder. [Read more 🡒]