Jared Jones Easing Back into Pirates Rotation
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PITTSBURGH — Jared Jones is finally back in the Pittsburgh Pirates rotation and he's showing that he's ready for the challenge ahead.
Jones threw five scoreless innings for the Pirates in their 5-1 win over the Houston Astros in the series finale at Daikin Park on June 4, helping his team secure and important road series victory to start off June.
He made his second start of the season and this served as his first road start for 2026, since rejoining the Pirates back on May 29.
It wasn't the cleanest of outings, but Jones displayed just what the Pirates wanted from him and that there's promise for even more impressive starts in the future.
Why Jones Had Success Vs. the Astros
Jones had to work hard early on, throwing 25 pitches in the first inning and then throwing 18 pitches in the second inning, for 43 pitches total in the first two frames.
He did throw just 31 pitches over the next three innings, allowing him to finish with 74 pitches and with the five scoreless innings.
Those first two innings he posted four strikeouts, including three in the first inning after a single and a walk, and then he relied more on groundouts and fly outs, allowing three hits over the final three innings, but not allowing the Astros to really start a rally.
“Yes and no," Jones said on how he felt starting this game. "When you let the first two guys of the baseball game get on, you kind of have to get on, you kind of have to get a little bit more amped up. Once everything settled in, it was pretty smooth sailing.”
Jones mostly went with his four-seam fastball, which he touched 100 mph seven times, but also used his slider and changeup to good effect as well.
He got six whiffs on 14 swings on his slider, while also getting two of his four strikeouts on his changeup, as his offspeed stuff played a big role in his start.
Jared Jones Pitch Mix vs. Astros
Pitch | Usage | Average Velocity |
|---|---|---|
Four-Seam Fastball | 31/74 (42%) | 99.0 mph |
Slider | 27/74 (36%) | 91.0 mph |
Changeup | 11/74 (15%) | 94.5 mph |
Curveball | 5/74 (7%) | 85.6 mph |
“That might be the first time I’ve thrown a first-pitch slider in my life," Jones said postgame to SportsNet Pittsburgh. "Obviously mixed a little bit more, threw everything I had at them and ended up working out pretty well.”
Jones Getting Used to Pitching for Pirates Again
This marks the first win for Jones as a Pirates pitcher since Sept. 8, 2024, 634 days prior to this victory over the Astros.
Jones missed all of 2025 with elbow pain and then internal brace surgery, which kept him out the first two months of this season as well, as he worked back to full health and then threw in five starts on his rehab assigment.
This was a much better outing that his first one back, where he gave up five earned runs and two home runs vs. the Minnesota Twins at PNC Park on May 29.
Jones wasn't too concernced about his first start coming into this one, but just pitching as efficiently as he did vs. the Astros is a good way to get back on track.
“First start back was obviously pretty tough, but you take that stuff with a grain of salt," Jones said. "First time in 600-plus days. So nobody’s expecting it, I expected it myself. That start was always going to happen, but having this bounceback one is a pretty cool feeling.”
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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.