Brandon Lowe Has Been a Game-Changer for Pirates
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates needed any sort of offense from their lineup and second baseman Brandon Lowe took on that responsibility in his latest outing.
Lowe hit a leadoff solo home run in the top of the first inning, which ended up the winning run in the 1-0 victory over the Arizona Cardinals at Chase Field on May 6.
It marked his ninth home run of the season, tied for the Pirates' lead with center fielder Oneil Cruz, with the team getting some great power production so far in 2026.
It's another big time hit for Lowe, who has provided exactly what the Pirates hoped for when they traded for him this offseason.
POW GOES LOWE💥 pic.twitter.com/cyTxBs8b6K
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) May 7, 2026
Lowe Hits Impressive, Winning Home Run
The home run was one of the more impressive that Lowe has hit this season, going 104.3 mph off the bat and 435 feet to dead center, hitting above the top of the yellow line that would've been out in every MLB ballpark.
Even more impressive was the fact that Lowe hit an 87 mph changeup on the outer strike zone from Diamondbacks right-handed starting pitcher Michael Soroka and drove it out for a home run.
“Yeah honestly, it was just get up there, put up a good swing, just try to pass the baton to the next guy, it was a really good swing," Lowe said postgame. "Love it and any time we can give Paul a lead, we’re sitting pretty good.”
Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin looked like he almost hit a home run in the series opener on May 5, 110.1 mph off the bat and 415 feet to center field, but it hit just below the yellow line for a double.
Lowe just wanted to get on base any way he could and even when he hit that pitch, he wasn't entirely sure it would go out for a home run.
“I mean after watching Konnor’s yesterday, it was kind of, get out of the box and make sure we were at least on two or get as far as we can around," Lowe said. "I’ll joke with him but if that wasn’t a homer yesterday, I wasn’t too sure about anything. I was glad it went out.”
Brandon Lowe Giving Pirates What They need
The Pirates have scored just two runs in their past two games, but gotten two wins out of it, as they also took the series finale against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park on May 3 by a 1-0 score.
Pittsburgh got great starting pitching performances from Braxton Ashcraft vs. the Reds, 7.2 scoreless innings, and Paul Skenes vs. the Diamondbacks, 8.0 scoreless innings, while left-handed reliever Gregory Soto closed out both games.
The Pirates, who are now 20-17 and competing for a spot in the postseason, need performances like that from their starting pitching, but also big time hits like Lowe had.
Lowe loved watching Skenes on the mound, as he had one of his lighter days at second base.
“That was really easy," Lowe said on Skenes. "I didn’t have to do a whole lot. Just get up there and watch him just kind of do what he does and consistently roll out great appearances, great outings and it’s fun when you can just kind of sit back and let him go on auto-pilot.”
The Pirates landed Lowe in a trade from the Tampa Bay Rays this offseason and he's shown that he can be a leader on the field with his hitting.
Lowe has slashed .252/.360/.546 for an OPS of .906, with 30 hits, 20 runs scored, eight doubles, the nine home runs, 22 RBI and 19 walks to 30 strikeouts.
He's made Pirates history throughout this campaign, with his two home runs on Opening Day and becoming the first Pirates player to have five RBI in consecutive games since RBI became an official stat in 1920.
His nine home runs are tied for seventh-most in the National League and 15th-most in MLB, while his slugging percentage and OPS are 10th-best and 12th-best in baseball, respectively.
The Pirates haven't made the postseason since 2015, but if Lowe keeps hitting like he has, then they may have a chance of finally ending that streak.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.