Pirates Star Breaks Slump At Perfect Time
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PITTSBURGH — One of the Pittsburgh Pirates best hitters was in the midst of his worst stretch of the season from the plate, but one swing changed everything.
Second baseman Brandon Lowe hit a solo home run for the Pirates, a go-ahead shot that put his team up 6-5 in the ninth inning in an eventual win over the Athletics at Sutter Health Park on June 16.
Lowe took advantage of an 87.7 mph slider up-and-inside the strike zone from Athletics right-handed pitcher Elvis Alvarado, sending it 104.6 mph off the bat and 371 feet over the right field wall.
It was another home run for Lowe, who has hit 18 this season, but maybe the most important hit of his short time with the Pirates.
LOWE AND BEHOLD‼️ pic.twitter.com/MDWi8p9swS
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 17, 2026
Lowe Struggling From the Plate
There aren't many better hitters on the Pirates than Lowe, but he's not hit the ball as well recently.
Lowe has slashed .161/.226/.446 for an OPS of .672 in 14 games in June, with nine hits in 56 at-bats, plus five walks to 20 strikeouts. He has also slashed .160/.229/.413 for an OPS of .642 in his last 19 games since May 27.
Lowe had struggled in recent series, with just one hit in 13 at-bats vs. the Miami Marlins, June 12-14. and two hits in 11 at-bats vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers, June 9-11, both at PNC Park and just one hit in eight at-bats vs the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park, June 5-7.
He is still showing power, with four of his nine hits in June coming as home runs and then five of 12 hits since May 27 serving as home runs as well.
Lowe was batting as high as .270 before this recent slump, but is now down to .239, and the Pirates need him swinging the bat with more consistency moving forward.
Why Lowe is Crucial to Pirates Success in 2026
The Pirates added Lowe this offseason in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, where they hoped he would provide power and runs to an offense that simply didn't have that in 2025.
Lowe has done exactly that, with his 18 home runs the most on the Pirates tied for fifth-most in the National League and ninth-most in baseball, while his 47 RBI rank eighth-most in the National League and tied 15th-most in baseball.
His .511 slugging percentage also ranks 12th most in the NL and 21st in MLB, plus his .832 OPS ranks 23rd in the NL.
Lowe leads all second baseman in home runs, RBI, doubles (16) and slugging percentage, while ranking second in OPS.
The Pirates are .500, 37-37 through 74 games in 2026, keeping them within reach of making a run at the postseason.
Pittsburgh currently doesn't have two of its best players, with center fielder Oneil Cruz and shortstop Konnor Griffin out with injuries, and there's a great loss of offensive production with them not playing, particularly on the power side of things.
Lowe has added great power to the Pirates lineup, but he'll have to keep doing so and with consistency, while also reaching base more often than he has done.
He isn't alone though, as fellow offseason addition in Ryan O'Hearn, plus Bryan Reynolds, Spencer Horwitz and Nick Gonzales all have more responsibility offensively for the Pirates.
Lowe can lead the way for the Pirates, with the others providing in the ways they know, and when Cruz and Griffin come back, they'll again be one of the best hitting teams in baseball.
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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.