The reeling Pittsburgh Pirates entered the home of the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers in desperate need of a spark after getting blown out by the Reds and dropping four consecutive series. There are probably about 28 other teams the Pirates would have preferred to face while trying to "get right," but instead they found themselves in Milwaukee against arguably the best team in baseball.
Game 1 represented exactly the type of fresh start Pittsburgh was hoping for. Just hours after acquiring Luke Weaver, Camilo Doval, Kirby Yates, and Lake Bachar at the trade deadline to completely reshape a struggling bullpen, the Pirates backed up those moves with one of their better all-around wins in quite some time.
The offense struck first behind a huge two-out rally. Spencer Horwitz came through with a bases-clearing double to give the Bucs an early 3-0 lead, and Jake Mangum added another run in the fourth inning with a perfectly executed bunt single that brought home another run and extended the advantage to 4-0.
Bubba Chandler looked dominant for much of the night. His fastball had life, his secondary pitches were working, and whenever Milwaukee threatened, he found a way to escape trouble. It looked like another encouraging step forward for the young right-hander.
Things began to unravel a bit in the sixth. Protecting a 4-1 lead, Chandler started to lose a little momentum while also running into some unfortunate luck. Andrew Vaughn lined a single into right field to score one run, and moments later an errant throw from the outfield skipped away after Nick Gonzales couldn't come up with it while Chandler failed to back up the play. Another run scored to suddenly make it a 4-3 game, ending Chandler's night on a frustrating note after what had been another strong outing.
Fortunately for the Pirates, the bullpen finally looked like a strength. Although only Camilo Doval was available among the newly acquired relievers, the combination of Gregory Soto, Doval, and Mason Montgomery completely shut the door on Milwaukee over the final three innings. The trio held the Brewers scoreless and secured a much-needed 4-3 victory to open the series.
With reinforcements on the way and a win over one of baseball's best teams already in hand, it felt like the Pirates had finally found something to build on.
Unfortunately, that feeling disappeared almost immediately. The next three games all blended together, and unfortunately for Pirates fans, they all looked very similar as well.
Pittsburgh followed up its impressive opener by dropping three straight games by scores of 4-2, 4-2, and 5-2. The final scores were nearly identical, and the script rarely changed.
The offense struggled to put together much of anything, sloppy mistakes continued to creep into nearly every game, and whenever it felt like the Pirates had an opportunity to swing momentum back in their favor, something seemed to go wrong. Whether it was quiet bats, missed opportunities, or frustrating defensive lapses, the Pirates simply never found their footing after Game 1.
To make matters even more frustrating, one of the biggest additions at the deadline, Luke Weaver, never even got an opportunity to make his Pirates debut during the series.
Series Thoughts and State of the Season
The biggest concern right now has become the starting rotation, with the offense not far behind. It is almost crazy to think that the bullpen is probably the least of the worries right now.
Coming into 2026, the starting pitching was supposed to be the identity of the Pirates. It was the group everyone expected to carry them through a postseason race. Instead, it has become one of the biggest question marks on the roster.
It starts with Paul Skenes. You have to feel for the guy because it's obvious how badly he wants to win, but he simply has not looked like the same pitcher who dominated baseball over the last two seasons. For this Pirates team to accomplish anything this year or in the future, they need Skenes to be the guy. Right now, he’s just been a guy.
The issues don't stop there, either. Jared Jones has been solid since returning from injury, but he wasn't sharp enough in Game 2. Bubba Chandler continues to show flashes and looks like he's making real progress, but he still hasn't been able to finish off what have otherwise been excellent starts. Braxton Ashcraft, who had quietly been the Pirates' most consistent starter for much of the year, has started to cool off. Then there's Mitch Keller, who is now out for the season. What was once viewed as one of the deepest strengths on this roster has suddenly become a major concern.
The offense, which carried this club through much of the first half despite all the bullpen struggles, has also slammed into a wall. Lately it has started to resemble the 2025 offense again, where scoring three runs or fewer feels like the expectation instead of the exception. There are only a handful of hitters producing consistently, while much of the lineup appears to be searching for answers at the same time.
Yes, the Brewers are one of the best teams in baseball. That much is obvious. But that doesn't change the fact that the Pirates desperately needed to find a way to win this series or at least salvage a split. Instead, they leave Milwaukee with a 1-3 series loss, finish the road trip at 2-6, and now sit five games back of a National League Wild Card spot.
As mentioned before, this season is now on major life support, to say the very least.
Next up for the Pirates is a return home to PNC Park for a three-game series against the New York Mets. The opener is set for Friday night, with Carmen Mlodzinski expected to get the ball for Pittsburgh against Zac Thornton. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 PM.
