The Pirates went shopping for late-inning help at the trade deadline and came back with plenty of it. Luke Weaver, Camilo Doval and Kirby Yates all arrived in Pittsburgh with real closing experience on their résumés. But the arm looking most natural at the end of games was already there.
Mason Montgomery has forced the issue.
Pittsburgh still hasn’t officially handed him the closer title, but the usage tells the story. He’s getting the entrance treatment, the spotlight innings and, most importantly, the outs.
On Tuesday night, he finished off a 4-1 win over the Detroit Tigers with a scoreless ninth and two strikeouts to pick up the save. The next night, he was back in another tight spot, coming on with the Pirates trailing 3-2.
Montgomery held the line, allowing two hits but striking out two, and then Rafael Flores Jr. and Brandon Lowe went back-to-back off Kenley Jansen for a walk-off win. Montgomery got the victory and stretched his scoreless streak to nine straight appearances.
That run has been loud. Over those nine outings, Montgomery has posted two wins, three saves and a 0.63 WHIP while piling up a 17:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio across eight innings. Since June 23, he’s given up just four earned runs in 21.1 innings.
For the season, the left-hander is sitting on a 3.40 ERA with five saves and a 5-3 record in 50 1/3 innings.
What makes this even more interesting is the context around the deadline moves. Pittsburgh brought in three veterans to stabilize the bullpen, but Montgomery has been the one making the strongest case to own the biggest moments.
He’s showing the kind of stuff teams want in the ninth, and the strikeout numbers back it up. This isn’t just a short burst of good fortune.
There’s also a practical reason for the Pirates to keep leaning into it. Montgomery isn’t just a hot hand for now; he could be part of this bullpen for a long time. He remains under team control and won’t be arbitration-eligible until 2028.
So if Pittsburgh set out to fix the bullpen, it may have found its best answer without trading for him. Don Kelly can hold off on the official label as long as he wants, but Montgomery is making it harder and harder to pretend the job is still open.
In Other News...
Pirates Outfield Depth Just Got More Concerning Behind Current Starters
The Pirates outfield picture took another hit Wednesday when Jhostynxon Garcia landed on the 7-day injured list with Triple-A Indianapolis. Garcia is already on Pittsburghs 40-man roster, so even an issue at the minor-league level carries some weight for a team that has been trying to keep enough healthy options in the pipeline. It comes at a time when the organization is still sorting through its outfield mix and trying to avoid any more thin spots.
Pittsburgh only recently got center fielder Oneil Cruz back from the 60-day injured list, which helped stabilize the group at the big-league level. Even so, the depth behind him remains a talking point with Bryan Reynolds, Esmerlyn Valdez and Jake Mangum among the other outfielders on the roster. Garcias setback does not solve any of the questions hanging over the group, and it leaves the Pirates watching another layer of their depth chart a little more closely. [Read more 🡒]
Paul Skenes Recent Struggles May Come Down To One Fix
Paul Skenes has looked a little out of sync lately, and one former big leaguer thinks the explanation may be hiding in the delivery itself. Dan Plesac broke down Skenes mechanics on MLB Network and pointed to an issue that can snowball fast for a pitcher with elite stuff: Skenes is opening up too early, which leaves his arm playing catch-up and can sap both velocity and command.
For the Pirates, the encouraging part is that this does not sound like a major overhaul so much as a small adjustment with a clear target. Plesac framed it as a fix that is minor and achievable, which matters when a young arm is working through a rough patch and the margin for error is so thin. If Skenes can clean that up, the recent downturn might look less like a trend and more like a temporary mechanical hiccup. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Fans Have One Huge Reason To Watch Baseballs Next Showcase
PNC Park has long carried the look and feel of a showcase ballpark, and now there is another reason for Pirates fans to keep an eye on the sports biggest stage. With Oracle Park in San Francisco set to host the 2028 All-Star Game, the case is being made that Pittsburgh should be squarely in the conversation for the following year, giving the city a chance to put one of baseballs best settings on display.
The timing only adds to the appeal for Pittsburgh, with 2029 landing near the 50th anniversary of the 1979 Pirates championship team. An All-Star Game at PNC Park would not just be a marquee event for the franchise, it would also give fans across the city a chance to celebrate the ballpark and the clubs place in baseball history at a moment that already carries some meaning. [Read more 🡒]