Pirates vs Rays Series: What to Watch on Bobblehead Weekend
In this story:
PITTSBURGH — After a sloppy and disappointing series tie to the Nationals that exposed cracks in their defense and raised questions about playing the game on the margins, the Pittsburgh Pirates continue their homestand at PNC Park on Friday to open a three-game home series against the Tampa Bay Rays.
During this week's series split, the Pirates (11-8) committed multiple defensive miscues (four during yesterday's game alone) that extended innings and handed Washington free runs. Yesterday, the Pirates came back to tie the game three different times. But poor defensive play ultimately caught up to them, as they lost the game in 10 innings.
The Rays (11-7) arrive in Pittsburgh as their usual brand of pesky, well-coached baseball. Tampa Bay doesn't beat itself. It fields the ball cleanly, runs the bases aggressively, and gets just enough from a pitching staff that always seems to find hidden gems. For a Pirates team coming off its sloppiest stretch of the young season, the Rays represent a dangerous opponent, and a stiff test of whether Pittsburgh can clean up its mistakes.
With first pitch scheduled for 6:40 p.m. Friday at PNC Park, here are five things to watch in the Pirates vs. Rays series.
1. Will the Paul Skenes bobblehead giveaway go better than last year?
Saturday afternoon at PNC Park is shaping up to be one of the biggest sports days Pittsburgh has seen in years. The Pirates host the Rays at 4:05 p.m. for a Paul Skenes Cy Young bobblehead giveaway, and later that night, just down the road at PPG Paints Arena, the Penguins open their first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia Flyers. The entire city will be buzzing. But for the Pirates, the stakes off the field are almost as high as the ones on it.
Last season, the team's Rookie of the Year bobblehead giveaway turned into a public relations nightmare. The Pirates severely underestimated demand and did not have enough bobbleheads for all fans in attendance. Thousands went home empty-handed after waiting in lines that stretched for blocks. The backlash was swift and loud. Angry fans flooded social media, and the team was forced to issue vouchers for a second run of bobbleheads to be delivered weeks later. What should have been a celebration of Paul Skenes became a lesson in logistics, and a black eye for an organization trying to rebuild trust with a frustrated fan base.
This year, the Pirates have been explicit: all fans attending Saturday's game will receive a bobblehead. No exceptions. No vouchers. The team has promised that nobody will go home empty-handed. That means the pressure is on the front office and the gameday operations staff to get it right. With a weekend crowd expected and the Penguins playing later that night, PNC Park will be packed with families, out-of-town visitors, and casual fans who might not come back if they feel burned again.
The Pirates simply cannot afford a repeat of last year's fiasco, not with Skenes on the mound, not with the Penguins playoff energy spilling over, and not with a fan base that is finally starting to believe again. Saturday is a chance for a mulligan. How the organization handles the crowd, the lines, and the distribution will say as much about where this franchise is headed as anything that happens between the foul lines.
2. Will the Pirates continue to support Skenes?
The reigning NL Cy Young winner has enjoyed something this season that he rarely saw in 2025: run support. In all four of Skenes' starts this year, the Pirates have scored five or more runs while he was in the game. That's a staggering turnaround from last season, when he received five or more runs of support in only three of his 31 starts.
Since his uncharacteristic Opening Day start, Skenes has been his usual dominant self—pitching deep into games, missing bats, and keeping the Pirates in every contest—but for the first time in his young career, he's also getting paid back by the offense. The question is whether that trend holds against a Rays team that throws strikes and forces opponents to earn every base runner. Tampa Bay's pitching staff doesn't beat itself with walks (10th in MLB), which means the Pirates' bats will have to be patient and opportunistic. If they can scratch out five runs for Skenes again, Pittsburgh's ace becomes pratically unbeatable.
3. Can the defense step up?
The Nationals series again raised some questions about the defense. The only recorded errors over the three games were the four from yesterday, but the box score didn't even tell the full story. There were miscommunications in the outfield, rushed throws from the infield, and at least two plays that were scored as hits but could have been outs.
Sloppy defense has a way of snowballing, and it cost the Pirates at least one game in Washington. The Rays are exactly the wrong team to face when you're shaky with the glove. Tampa Bay puts the ball in play, forces infielders to make throws, and will take the extra base every single time a defender hesitates. If the Pirates want to keep playing winning baseball, they need to clean up on defense. A crisp defensive series against the Rays would go a long way toward restoring the confidence that started to wane in Washington.
4. Will Bubba Chandler limit free passes?
The rookie right-hander has electric stuff. Everyone in baseball agrees on that. But through his first three starts of 2026, Chandler has walked 14 batters in 14 innings pitched. That is simply not sustainable. He's putting pressure on his own defense, running up his pitch count, and leaving games earlier than the Pirates need him to.
The Rays are an on-base machine by design, and are fifth in MLB in On Base Percentage. They work counts, they draw walks, and they make pitchers pay for nibbling. If Chandler continues to miss the zone at his current rate, Tampa Bay will happily take the free passes and wait for a mistake over the heart of the plate. The Pirates don't need Chandler to be perfect. They need him to throw strikes. This series presents a clear challenge: can he rein in his control against a lineup that will test his patience as much as his arm?
5. Can the Pirates exploit Tampa Bay's struggling bullpen?
On paper, this series presents a golden opportunity for the Pirates' offense to do damage late in games. The Rays' bullpen has been a glaring weakness through the first few weeks of the season, carrying a collective ERA north of 5.80.
Tampa Bay has struggled to find reliable arms in high-leverage situations, and opposing lineups have feasted on their middle relief especially. For the Pirates, who have shown the ability to string together late-inning rallies during their hot start, this is a matchup to attack. If Pittsburgh's starters can keep the game close through five or six innings, the advantage flips. The Pirates' hitters, particularly the bottom of the order, which has been surprisingly productive, need to work counts, get into those bullpen arms early, and force Tampa Bay to cycle through their options. A patient approach could turn close games into comfortable wins.
Key Stats
- Buccos on the Basepaths: .375 OBP over last seven days is fourth in MLB; 12 stolen bases is most in MLB
- Rakin' Rays: .289 AVG for hitters over last seven days is fourth in MLB
- The Pirates and Rays have met a total of 27 times. The Rays lead the series 11-16.
Probable Pitchers & Matchups
Game 1: Friday, 6:45 PM EDT at PNC Park
- PIT: RHP Bubba Chandler (0-1, 3.86 ERA, 14 K)
- TB: RHP Nick Martinez (0-0, 2.16 ERA, 11 K)
- Key Battle: Martinez vs Pirates DH Marcell Ozuna (4-for-10, 2 HR, 3 RBI in 10 career AB against Martinez)
Game 2: Saturday, 4:05 PM EDT at PNC Park
- PIT: RHP Paul Skenes (3-1, 4.00 ERA, 18 K)
- TB: RHP Drew Rasmussen (1-0, 1.13 ERA, 17 K)
- Key Battle: Skenes vs Rays 1B Yandy Diaz (3-for-6, 1 HR in six career AB against Skenes)
Game 3: Sunday, 1:35 PM EDT at PNC Park
- PIT: RHP Mitch Keller (1-1, 2.86 ERA, 14 K)
- TB: LHP Shane McClanahan (1-1, 3.95 ERA, 13 K)
- Key Battle: McClanahan vs Pirates SS Konnor Griffin (First career matchup between the two)
Players to Watch
- SP Paul Skenes (PIT): Has allowed 2 ER or less in last three starts
- 2B Brandon Lowe (PIT): .333/.448/.833, 4 HR, 12 RBI over last seven days
- 3B Junior Caminero (TB): .316/.391/.684, 2 HR, 4 RBI over last seven days
- SP Drew Rasmussen (TB): 6 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 7 K in last start
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Ethan Merrill is from Grand Rapids, MI, and brings with him a diverse background of experiences. After graduating from Michigan State University with a degree in journalism, he worked with the Arizona Diamondbacks for three seasons before settling in the Pittsburgh area in 2020. With a passion for sports and a growing connection to his community, Ethan brings a fresh perspective to covering the Pittsburgh Pirates.