Pirates' Bubba Chandler Still Has a Big Issue to Solve
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Bubba Chandler is still early in his MLB career, but his first full season is one where he hasn't fixed a key issue.
Chandler has struggled with his command in his career and is doing so again in 2026, which showed with his six walks over five innings in the 9-0 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on May 6.
It tied his season-high of six walks he had in his 2026 debut vs. the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on March 31 and is a worrying trend, as he had trimmed down in his walks in starts after that, but they have gotten back to a high level again.
Chandler didn't have a terrible outing, with just two earned runs allowed over five innings, but command is clearly still something he's looking for in 2026.
First Inning Causes Issues for Bubba
Chandler started off his outing with a strikeout, then gave up a triple to second baseman Ketel Marte and issued his first walk of the game to right fielder Corbin Carroll.
He then got a fly ball that turned into a sacrifice fly and looked to get the last out of the inning on a ball hit deep by first baseman Illdemaro Vargas, but right fielder Bryan Reynolds and center fielder Oneil Cruz had miscommunication and the ball dropped for a double, making it 2-0.
Chandler issued two more walks before getting a ground out to end the inning and prevent further runs from coming across.
He threw 38 pitches in that first inning, with two of the walks coming after getting two strikes to start the at-bat and then just four straight balls on the other walk.
Why This is Something Chandler's Struggled With
Chandler has great pitches, a fastball that reaches 100 mph, a changeup in the lower 90s mph and a slider that can hit that speed as well.
When he's on his game, Chandler can take down any opposing batter, who can hardly keep up with the speed he throws his pitches at.
The issue for Chandler is that if he isn't locating his pitches nor starting off well, he can get frustrated and struggle finding the command needed to harness the velocity he's throwing with, leading to walks, hits and runs.
Chandler cut down his walks each of the next three starts following his season debut, going down to four to two and then to one in his best start of 2026 vs. the Tampa Bay Rays at PNC Park on April 17, where he allowed one run over six innings.
He then reversed that trend, walking three batters and giving up six earned runs in the 6-1 defeat to the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on April 23 and then walked four batters and gave up three earned runs in the 5-4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park on April 29.
Chandler has to find that command at some point in his career, but luckily for him, he's still just two-three months into his time as a major leaguer and will have these growing pains.
How Chandler Bounced Back in Outing
While the first inning didn't go to plan, Chandler made some adjustments and ended up pitching decently the rest of the way.
Chandler reduced his pitches greatly the rest of his start, throwing 54 pitches over the next four innings, an average of 13.5 pitches per inning, a much better rate.
He allowed just three more walks the rest of the way, not great, but also didn't allow any hits nor runs either.
Chandler relied far less on the fastball, which he threw 60% through the first time through the order and then just 33% the second time through the order. He used his offspeed pitches more often, with his changeup at 40% the second time through the order, plus his slider 20% of the time.
He got three of his four strikeouts after the first inning and was able to get ground outs, pop outs and fly outs to move through the Diamondbacks Order.
Chandler did walk the first two batters in the fourth inning, but came back with a ground out and then a double play, thanks to fellow rookie in shortstop Konnor Griffin for making those plays.
It's been a tough stretch for Chandler, but he knows he has what it takes to turn it around and get back to the pitcher everyone thought he would be this season.
"I'm a major league baseball player," Chandler said postgame. "I should learn after each pitch, definitely each outing. I've done well, I'm young, I've done a whole lot in the big leagues. There's variables to it, but again, I'm ready, I'm prepared for this level. So just got to be better in a couple places and once I do that I'm going to start rolling."
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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.