For most of Tuesday night at PNC Park, the Pirates looked like they had this one locked up.
Then the whole thing started wobbling. A six-run cushion turned into a five-run edge, then vanished entirely when the bullpen unraveled in the eighth. In a game where the pitching never settled in and the offenses kept answering back, Pittsburgh still found a way to finish it off, beating the Giants 13-12 on a walk-off infield error by Osleivis Basabe that brought home Rafael Flores Jr.
The strangest part is that the night opened with the kind of matchup that usually promises a classic. Paul Skenes and Logan Webb were on the mound, and it was set up to be a pitchers’ duel. Instead, both lineups took turns piling on.
Pittsburgh’s third inning was the biggest swing of the night. The Pirates put up nine runs in the frame, needed more than 30 minutes to do it, and did it without an extra-base hit. That burst pushed the lead to six and made the home side look comfortably in control.
But control didn’t last long. Skenes struggled early, the Giants kept chipping away, and Pittsburgh’s bullpen gave up seven runs between the sixth and eighth innings. By the time the dust settled, the game was tied and the Pirates had to survive another tense spot just to keep it alive.
San Francisco threatened again in the ninth, moving the go-ahead run to third against Mason Montgomery, who came in as the reliable left-handed option. Montgomery escaped the jam, giving the Pirates one more shot. That’s when Pittsburgh’s offense delivered again, and Basabe’s error ended it in the home team’s favor.
The win gave the Pirates a needed victory to open September, and it came in the most chaotic way possible.
In Other News...
Pirates Catching Depth Move Could Hint At Something Bigger
The Pirates added another name to their catching mix this week, signing Jose Herrera to a minor league contract and sending him to Triple-A Indianapolis. Herrera had spent time in the Texas Rangers organization and also played in the Mexican League after his release, but his best-known work has come in the majors with the Arizona Diamondbacks. For Pittsburgh, it is the kind of depth move teams make when they want another experienced hand close to the big league picture.
Herrera is expected to help stabilize the catching inventory in the Pirates minor league system, giving the organization some insurance behind the plate. Moves like this do not usually draw much attention on their own, but they can say plenty about how a club wants to protect itself over a long season, especially at a position where bodies can disappear quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Suddenly Have A Tough Decision On A Forgotten Top Pick
Lonnie White Jr. has pushed his way back onto the Pirates radar in a real way this season, and its not just because he was once viewed as one of the organizations more notable young talents. After years of uneven development, the former top prospect has put together a strong 2025 across Hi-A and Double-A, showing the kind of production that can change how a club views a player in a hurry. His combination of power and speed has stood out, and the overall line has made it hard to keep treating him like a forgotten name in the system.
For Pittsburgh, the question now is less about whether White has re-entered the conversation and more about how to handle the next roster crunch. Adding him to the 40-man roster would be a way to keep him out of Rule 5 Draft risk, even if he is not yet ready for a big-league call-up. It is the sort of decision teams prefer to make before the deadline pressures pile up, and it gives the Pirates a small but meaningful test of how much they still believe in a player whose stock looked far more uncertain not long ago. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Suddenly Have A Bullpen Problem At The Worst Time
The Pirates added another layer of uncertainty to a bullpen that has already been asked to do a lot, placing right-handed reliever Kirby Yates on the 15-day injured list retroactive to Aug. 31 because of a right shoulder impingement. Pittsburgh moved quickly to cover the opening, recalling rookie right-hander Khristian Curtis from Triple-A Indianapolis before its series finale against the Giants, a sign the club needed fresh arms available right away.
Wilber Dotel also got the call back up as part of the same round of roster shuffling, while Evan Sisk was optioned to Indianapolis. The timing is less than ideal for a Pirates team trying to keep its late-game options intact, and Yates injury leaves the staff waiting to see how deep the bullpen hole becomes before the next stretch of games really settles in. [Read more 🡒]