Pirates August Report Card: Offense Lets Down Improved Pitching
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates needed a strong month of August and they didn't do enough to get towards their ultimate goal.
The Pirates finished August 12-15 and sit 67-71 overall heading into the final month of 2026, making it a difficult proposition for them to make the postseason at this point.
Pittsburgh started the month 4-8 and also suffered a series sweep to the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodgers Stadium, Aug, 21-23, but won four of their final five series in August, going 8-7.
It was a month when the Pirates needed better results, and a big reason for their struggles in August was their offense.
Pirates Offense Falters in August: F
The Pirates had one of the best offenses in baseball at the All-Star break, ranking in the top five in most statistical categories and leading MLB in hits, RBI and batting average.
It's been a massive turn for the worse in the second half of 2026, particularly August, when the Pirates are one of, if not the worst, offenses in baseball.
This includes the most strikeouts, and ranking in the bottom five in most categories, almost a flip from the first half of the season.
Pirates' Offensive Stats + NL/MLB Rankings in August
Stat (Total) | NL/MLB Ranking |
|---|---|
Strikeouts (270) | Most/Most |
Slugging Percentage (.334)/OPS (.632) | 15th/29th |
Hits (193)/Batting Average (.217) | 15th/28th |
Runs (97) | 15th/27th |
Home Runs (23) | 14th/26th |
RBI (91) | Tied-14th/Tied-27th |
Doubles (31) | Tied-13th/Tied-26th |
On-Base Percentage (.298) | 13th/27th |
Stolen Bases (14) | 13th/21st |
Injuries have played a role, of course, with first baseman Ryan O'Hearn and shortstop Konnor Griffin both missing out, center fielder Oneil Cruz returning midway and catcher Endy Rodríguez undergoing season-ending hip surgery.
The biggest culprit is just veteran players not coming through and putting up the numbers they once did.
Second baseman Brandon Lowe and rising rookie catcher Rafael Flores Jr. were the only players with an OPS above .700, while five players were in the .600 range and three players below .550.
Pirates Players' August Slash Line (At Least 45 Plate Appearances)
Player (Plate Appearances) | Slash Line |
|---|---|
Bryan Reynolds (118) | .238/.322/.295 (.617 OPS) |
Brandon Lowe (108) | .227/.306/.402 (.708 OPS) |
Jake Mangum (102) | .233/.314/.344 (.658 OPS) |
Nick Gonzales (95) | .253/.347/.313 (.660 OPS) |
Esmerlyn Valdez (95) | .195/.337/.325 (.662 OPS) |
Spencer Horwitz (86) | .141/.221/.154 (.375 OPS) |
Jared Triolo (74) | .258/.338/.348 (.686 OPS) |
Rafael Flores Jr. (72) | .212/.278/.515 (.793 OPS) |
Jacob Gonzalez (60) | .172/.200/.310 (.510 OPS) |
Henry Davis (46) | .132/.244/.132 (.376 OPS) |
Oneil Cruz (45) | .256/.356/.564 (.920 OPS) |
First baseman Spencer Horwitz returned from his injury at the same time O'Hearn suffered his injury, but has been the Pirates' worst hitter with a .375 OPS.
Catcher Henry Davis has also been terrible at the plate with a .376 OPS, just five hits in 38 at-bats in August, and shortstop Jacob Gonzalez put up just a .510 OPS and struggled massively.
Other players like left fielder Bryan Reynolds, right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez and third baseman Nick Gonzales, who have at times been the Pirates' best hitters, all saw drop-offs in August.
The Pirates getting Cruz back was one of the few positives of August, as he excelled at the plate, hitting three home runs, including the go-ahead solo home run off San Diego Padres All-Star closer Mason Miller in the 1-0 win at Petco Park on Aug. 25.
Pittsburgh couldn't come through when it mattered offensively, and they'll need much better heading down the stretch.
Pirates Bullpen Takes Advantage of Trade Deadline: A
The Pirates made moves addressing their beleaguered bullpen at the trade deadline, and it went from one of the worst in baseball to one of the best.
Pittsburgh added four right-handed relief pitchers via trade before the Aug. 3 deadline: Kirby Yates (Los Angeles Angels), Luke Weaver (New York Mets), Camilo Doval (New York Yankees) and Lake Bachar (Miami Marlins).
All four have found their place in the Pirates bullpen, with Bachar taking on bulk and spot starts, Weaver as the set-up man and both Yates and Doval fluctuating between low-leverage and high-leverage.
They've completed the three internal Pirates relief pitchers, the left-handed duo of Mason Montgomery and Gregory Soto, plus right-handed Yohan Ramírez, who all had strong showings in August.
It ended with the Pirates' relief pitchers combining for a 2.69 ERA over 113.2 innings pitched.
Pirates Relief Pitchers in August
Pitcher (Games) | ERA (IP) | WHIP/BAA | K/BB |
|---|---|---|---|
Camilo Doval (13) | 2.84 (12.2) | 1.50/.190 | 15/11 |
Gregory Soto (13) | 1.32 (13.2) | 1.17/.235 | 16/4 |
Kirby Yates (13) | 2.19 (12.1) | 1.30/.239 | 11/5 |
Mason Montgomery (11) | 0.00 (10.2) | 0.47/.111 | 20/1 |
Yohan Ramírez (10) | 3.07 (14.2) | 0.95/.120 | 20/8 |
Luke Weaver (8) | 4.70 (7.2) | 1.32/.258 | 10/3 |
Lake Bachar (8) | 3.24 (16.2) | 1.08/.158 | 16/9 |
Montgomery was incredible in August, with five saves in five save opportunities, no earned runs allowed and giving up just four hits and a walk to 20 strikeouts.
Soto has pitched well earlier in games, with less pressure, and Ramírez is at his best in long relief roles, baffling hitters with his delivery and pitch mix.
All seven of these pitchers, put together, make a great bullpen, something the Pirates could've used earlier on in 2026.
It also inspires confidence for next year, with almost all of these players under contract for the Pirates, and a strong finish in September will give the front office belief that they finally have a strong bullpen.
Starting Pitching Shows Inconsistency Throughout August: C
The Pirates' rotation put up some great showings and some awful ones as well, not finding the consistency they need towards the end of the campaign.
Pittsburgh's starting pitchers posted a 4.68 ERA, with four pitchers posting lower than that and two pitchers going much higher.
Pirates Starting Pitchers in August
Pitcher (Starts) | ERA (IP) | WHIP/BAA | K/BB |
|---|---|---|---|
Braxton Ashcraft (6) | 2.13 (38.0) | 0.74/.176 | 29/5 |
Bubba Chandler (5) | 3.08 (26.1) | 1.14/.204 | 24/11 |
Jared Jones (5) | 7.40 (20.2) | 1.94/.318 | 25/12 |
Paul Skenes (4) | 3.10 (20.1) | 1.13/.200 | 19/9 |
Carmen MlodzinskI (3) | 14.04 (8.1) | 3.00/.455 | 5/5 |
Braxton Ashcraft had an incredible August, which included his first complete game, making MLB history with 85 pitches and 10 strikeouts in the 13-1 win over the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park on Aug. 13.
Ashcraft put himself in contention for National League Pitcher of the Month and showed he's only getting better towards the end of the season.
Bubba Chandler has also had a strong August, coinciding with his improvements in the second half of 2026, and is also aiming for a strong finish to 2026.
Paul Skenes has struggled this month, without causing the Pirates too much damage, and dominated the Padres in his last start on Aug. 25, throwing six scoreless innings.
Jared Jones had a rough August, following a great July, where opposing teams got hits off of him much more easily than he would've liked.
The Pirates also lost Mitch Keller to a season-ending injury, and Carmen Mlodzinski failed to capitalize on a great opportunity, pitching terribly in his three starts before Bachar took over as the bullpen game's starting pitcher.
Pittsburgh has some of its best talent in the rotation and if both Jones can start pitching a pit better and Skenes finds some consistency, then they will have a much better September.
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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.