After splitting a four-game set earlier in the week with the Cubs, the Buccos looked to cap off their homestand with a series win versus the stumbling Minnesota Twins.
Game one on Friday might go down as the best Pirates game all year. As they do on Fridays at home, the Pirates donned their City Connect uniforms and the fans packed out the stadium. On top of this, Jared Jones was making his long-awaited return to the field after a series of elbow injuries that have kept him out since 2024. Opposing him was up-and-coming Twins righty Taj Bradley, who is having a stellar start to the campaign. Jones came out firing, hitting 100+ on the radar gun multiple times and striking out Byron Buxton. Kody Clemens did tag him for a solo homer in the first, but besides that, it was a clean inning for Jones. The bats immediately responded with a series of walks, singles, and productive outs, ending with a Konnor Griffin single to make the score at 3-1 leaving the first inning. Griffin, nursing a few forearm issues, started the game at DH. The Twins were able to answer, though, pushing across two more in the top of the second to level the scoring. The next few batters went quietly for both teams, but Trevor Larnach crushed a two-run homer with 2 outs in the third to leave the Pirates trailing 3-5. However, Oneil Cruz in the bottom of the inning had to one-up him, absolutely destroying a ball 110 mph and 450 feet out of the stadium. While the 5-4 score would remain, it was a little too late for the starting pitchers, as both were taken out before finishing the fifth inning. The bullpens then took control of the game, as seven different pitchers for both teams allowed a total of two hits going into the bottom of the ninth. The highlight of these was young Wilber Dotel, who got though three almost perfect innings. At this point, it was looking rather dire for the Bucs – they hadn’t sustained a rally since early in the game and Taylor Rogers stepped to the mound for the Twins. The Apple TV announcers were practically proclaiming the game over, even after leadoff hitter Spencer Horwitz reached on an infield single. As they kept bringing up stats about how nobody is able to barrel a ball versus Rogers, Bryan Reynolds brought the hands in on a mid-90s sinker and pounded one to the second level of PNC for a walk-off bomb. The normally nonchalant Reynolds dropped his bat, gave the crowd a good yell, and was mobbed at the plate by the team. It was the second walk-off homer of Reynolds’ career, and its safe to say that this might be his defining moment. It had felt like a squandered effort by the bullpen, but Reynolds was able to get the job done.
If game one goes down as the Byran Reynolds moment, game two will go down as the Jake Mangum game. Similar to game one, both starting pitchers struggled. Mitch Keller and Bailey Ober have both been great this year, but they were not able to fool hitters for this one. Keller surrendered ten hits and seven runs in four innings, while Ober and his 88 mph four seam fastball allowed 12 hits and eight runs. Some of the offensive highlights for the Pirates included a Spencer Horwitz leadoff pimp job, Jake Mangum’s first homer of the season, and Oneil Cruz’s second homer in as many games. These all left the Pirates up 7-1 by the second, but then Keller’s struggles caught up to him, and the score was deadlocked at 7-7 going into the fifth. The frustrations were growing over the blown lead and questionable umpiring, culminating in a completely unwarranted Brandon Lowe ejection. After not being granted an ABS challenge on a pitch he motioned to challenge immediately, Lowe flew out and yelled in frustration. In an unprecedented move, the first base umpire threw Lowe out of the game, much to the displeasure of Don Kelly. Tyler Callihan filled in for Lowe, as he was called up for the series. This event might have sparked something with the squad. A Jake Mangum single scored Konnor Griffin to make it 8-7, and it was around this time that it was clear that Mangum was feeling it after his first dinger. He wasn’t able to come up with a ball on a diving attempt and lost his glove, but got up and ran 50 feet to the warning track to recover the ball and hold Victor Caratini to a double. Then, in the seventh, he singled on a bunt, stole second base, and then scampered home on a Jared Triolo single. Bryan Reynolds knocked in another run with a sac fly to make it 10-7, and then the game turned chaotic again. After Ramirez, Sisk, and Santana all turned in hitless innings, Mason Montgomery experienced his first struggles in a while, giving up two runs but holding the lead to pass the baton to Gregory Soto. Soto came in with two on and two outs in the eighth, and was able to get Kody Clemens to ground out to Callihan to end the threat. He stayed on for the ninth, where once again Jake Mangum saved the day, getting to an Orlando Arcia gap shot to kill the rally and clinch a 9-8 win and a series win for the Pirates. There was plenty of solid performers in this game besides Mangum. Oneil Cruz tallied his eighteenth and nineteenth steals of the season to add to his home run, and Nick Gonzalez smacked three singles to bring his average back up over .300.
Game three much more comfortable, which is ironic because there was a mix of good and bad news before the game even started. Ryan O’Hearn was returning from his trip to the injured list, but replacing him on the list was Konnor Griffin, whose forearm issue will keep him out about a week. On top of this, Carmen Mlodzinski was placed on the restricted list, as he has expressed his frustration with his move to the bullpen. Despite these frustrations, the Bucs came out with a different level of energy than the Twins did. Braxton Ashcraft continued a dominant start to his campaign, striking out a career-high eleven hitters and going six extremely strong innings, only reaching a 3-ball count a few times. He could’ve gone further, as he was only at 80 pitches, but there was no need. As they did throughout the series, the Bucs struck early and often, destroying Twins starter Zebby Matthews. Ryan O’Hearn homered in his first at-bat back, and Nick Gonzales hit his first home run of the season. Even though they “only” tallied eight hits, the Bucs were will able to get nine runs across, thanks to timely hitting, good baserunning, and solid at-bats. Cam Sanders and Brandan Bidois both had solid mop-up performances, and the Bucs won 9-3 to sweep the Twins out of Pittsburgh.
The Pirates needed this series in the worst way. They have been solid this year, but the NL (specifically the Central) is absurdly competitive. Despite some starting pitching struggles, the bats tallied 31 hits and 25 runs, and rallied every single time they needed to. To this point, the Pirates have scored more runs this every AL team and 11 NL teams, a shocking turnaround from last year.
This might be the toughest series MVP to award yet. Bryan Reynolds, Nick Gonzales, Oneil Cruz, Jake Mangum, and Braxton Ashcraft all were outstanding, and the Pirates needed all their performances. Reynolds had the best singular moment, but Mangum brough consistent energy throughout the series that was contagious to the rest of the squad.
The Pirates get an off day tomorrow, then will travel to Houston to face a struggling Astros team. Bubba Chandler will square off against old friend Mike Burrows on Tuesday to kick off the series. Lets Go Bucs!
