Unfortunately, the Pirates have been eliminated from postseason contention. However, if you watched their series against the Royals this weekend, you would never be able to tell. Pittsburgh swept Kansas City out of PNC Park with three gutsy comeback wins.
Game one was one of the final Skenes bump days of the season, and unfortunately, it went like many of them have this year. Matched up against unheralded veteran Randy Dobnak, the Royals struck again and again off Skenes, jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the third inning. The Bucs answered in the bottom half on a Brandon Lowe two-run home run that scored Konnor Griffin, as Brandon Lowe continued his absolutely torrid stretch. Kansas City immediately got one back, though, this time on a solo shot by Michael Massey to make it 5-2.
From that point on, the Pirates played some of their best baseball of the year. Ronny Simon caused havoc on the bases, Henry Davis had a big RBI double, and Griffin added an RBI groundout to cut the lead to 5-4 in the bottom of the fourth. Skenes settled in with two flawless innings to finish his outing, and Ryan O’Hearn tied the game with an RBI fielder’s choice. After Brandon Eisert and Yohan Ramirez held the Royals scoreless in the top of the seventh, Pittsburgh strung together five baserunners and three runs in the bottom half, capped off by yet another Griffin hit — his fourth of the game. He has already tallied three four-hit games in his young career as he continues to impress at just 20 years old. Ramirez and Gregory Soto blanked the Royals the rest of the way to secure an 8-5 win.
Game two was even more dramatic. It was Bubba Chandler’s turn to start as he looked to continue his recent stretch of solid outings. Opposing him was Noah Cameron, a lefty who has quietly put together a good season. Neither starter had his best stuff, though. Chandler labored through four innings, giving up three runs while allowing nine baserunners. Cameron was a little better, allowing four runs over six innings, but still left the game with his team trailing.
The Pirates grabbed the lead with some power from unexpected places. Ronny Simon hit the first home run of his major league career, a two-run line drive down the left-field line. Jake Mangum then added his fifth homer of the year to score Nick Gonzales. On the other side, Carter Jensen homered off Chandler, while Kansas City’s other two runs against him came on a groundout and sacrifice bunt.
That bunt also produced maybe the most notable play of the game. Even though the scorecard showed another run for the Royals, it will be remembered for perhaps the best defensive play by a Pirate all season, as Ryan O’Hearn made an absurd between-the-legs glove flip to get the runner at first base.
After all the theatrics, the Pirates entered the seventh inning up 4-3 with Camilo Doval getting the ball. It did not go well. Doval committed an error that allowed Bobby Witt Jr. to reach second on a ground ball back to the mound, and Jac Caglianone immediately drove him in. A wild pitch put another runner in scoring position, and Nick Loftin brought him home with a single. It was a rough outing for Doval, who has otherwise looked pretty good since the Pirates acquired him at the deadline.
After a quiet inning and a half, the Bucs entered the bottom of the eighth down by one. Rafael Flores Jr. led things off with a single up the middle, and then lightning struck yet again. Lowe connected on his 33rd home run of the year, launching a go-ahead shot to right field. Mason Montgomery took over from there and, as he has done time and time again, shut the door to lock down another save and give Pittsburgh the series win. This one was a bit hairier than his typical outing, requiring a sliding catch from Henry Davis on a pop-up to end it, but it counted all the same.
Game three ended up looking oddly similar to game two. The Pirates sent Lake Bachar to the mound as their opener, a role he has been fantastic in since being acquired at the trade deadline. He wasn’t quite as sharp in this one, lasting just one inning and allowing a run on a Salvador Perez single. Meanwhile, Michael Wacha stifled the Pirates early while making his 20th career start against the Bucs.
Pittsburgh finally got to him in the fourth inning when Oneil Cruz destroyed a ball to center field for his 20th home run of the season, tying the game at one. The blast gave Cruz his third straight 20-20 season, a feat made even more impressive by the extended time he missed this year. Wacha appeared to be tiring as his pitch count climbed, but the Royals stuck with him, and he kept delivering. He reached 113 pitches with two outs in the sixth before finally cracking, giving up a go-ahead single to Spencer Horwitz.
At the same time, the Bucs’ bullpen was unbelievable. Yohan Ramirez and Wilber Dotel each tossed two scoreless innings to pass the baton to Carmen Mlodzinski. Unfortunately, Mlodzinski couldn’t continue the dominance, giving up a pinch-hit two-run shot to Vinnie Pasquantino, who tortured Pirates pitching all series.
For the second straight night, the Royals entered the bottom of the eighth with a one-run lead, leaving the Bucs in need of some late-inning magic. And for the second straight night, they found it. Pittsburgh got a leadoff single before turning to Ronny Simon as a pinch runner. Rafael Flores Jr. then crushed a go-ahead homer, a 110 mph missile to left field that completely flipped the game. It was Flores’ 10th homer of his great rookie campaign, as he continues to look like the leader in the clubhouse to be the Pirates’ everyday catcher going forward. Montgomery ran into a little trouble in the ninth, but escaped once again to lock down the save. He has now made 24 straight scoreless appearances, the longest such streak by a Pirates pitcher since 1901.
For a series between two eliminated teams, there was no shortage of drama. The Bucs continue to surge after their dreadful stretch coming out of the All-Star Break, pushing their record to two games over .500. More importantly, they showed plenty of fight throughout the weekend, erasing deficits in all three games and getting clutch contributions from all over the roster. They now have a chance to finish with a winning record for the first time since 2018.
Series MVP was a tight race between Brandon Lowe, Rafael Flores Jr., and Mason Montgomery. All three contributed heavily to multiple wins, but we’ll give the edge to Lowe. He continued his absurd stretch over the last few weeks, homering twice in the series to push his season total to 33 while continuing to play stellar defense.
The Bucs get an off day tomorrow before beginning their final home series of the year against the Cardinals, who have stumbled since the break. Jared Jones will get the rock against Andre Pallante in game one. Let’s go Bucs!
