Pirates Takeaways: Starting Pitching and Offense Switch Spots
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates are not having the best month of June and another series loss at home to the Miami Marlins showed that.
The Pirates suffered two defeats in three games against the Marlins at PNC Park, June 12-14, which comes after another series defeat to the Los Angeles Dodgers at home, June 9-11, finishing 2-4 on this latest homestand.
Pittsburgh fell 8-3 in the series opener on June 12, won 3-2 on June 13 and then lost the series finale 4-2, dropping them to 36-36 or .500 on the season
The Pirates offense struggled in this series and they'll have to do much better, especially with some other issues on the team.
Pirates Need More Offense Going Forward
The Pirates have served as one of the best hitting teams in baseball, completely turning it around from 2025, where they were one of the worst offensive teams.
Pittsburgh scored a total of seven runs this series, just the fifth time they've not scored double-digit runs and the second-least scored runs in a three-game series this season, with their five runs scored vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field, May 5-7, the lowest.
The Pirates also didn't get good performances from some of their star players this season, particularly first baseman Spencer Horwitz, second baseman Brandon Lowe and slugger Ryan O'Hearn, who all combined for 3-for-37 from the plate (.081 batting average)
Pirates Hitters vs. Marlins
Player | Hits in At-Bats | Batting Average |
|---|---|---|
Spencer Horwitz | 1-for-11 | .091 |
Brandon Lowe | 1-for-13 | .077 |
Bryan Reynolds | 4-for-11 | .364 |
Ryan O'Hearn | 2-for-13 | .154 |
Nick Gonzales | 3-for-11 | .273 |
Tyler Callihan | 3-for-10 | .300 |
Jake Mangum | 4-for-10 | .400 |
Jared Triolo | 2-for-10 | .200 |
Endy Rodríguez | 2-for-7 | .286 |
The Pirates particularly struggled with runners in scoring position, 3-for-24, and left 26 men on base this series.
Pittsburgh did have some strong performers, like Bryan Reynolds and Jake Mangum, who almost had a bases-clearing hit in the series finale, before Miami center fielder Jakob Marsee made an incredible diving catch to end the inning.
The Pirates are lacking in offensive production with the injuries to shortstop Konnor Griffin and center fielder Oneil Cruz, who still have weeks before they return.
This season could get worse really quickly, so the Pirates need their best hitters to come through and produce going fowrard.
Bullpen Still Having Issues
The Pirates still haven't found the right arms out of the bullpen to get outs and put up strong outings consistently in 2026, which didn't change vs. the Marlins.
Pittsburgh was tied 2-2 with Miami after six innings, before rookie right-handed pitchers in Wilber Dotel and Antwone Kelly combined to give up six earned runs over the next two innings in the 8-3 defeat in the series opener on June 12.
Fellow rookie right-handed pitcher Brandan Bidois came on with the Pirates down a run in the seventh inning and gave up four straight singles, which scored two runs in the 4-1 loss in the series finale on June 14.
Right-handed pitcher Isaac Mattson came in and got the final out of the seventh inning, which brings into question why Bidois, who the Pirates had sent down two days prior before an injury to Dotel brough him back, came in during a one-run game.
The Pirates did have some success in their 3-2 win on June 13, with right-handed pitcher Yohan Ramírez battling back from two walks to start the eighth inning with three strikeouts and then left-handed pitcher Gregory Soto got the save in the ninth inning, but left-handed pitcher Mason Montgomery gave up a single that tied the game at 2-2 in the sixth inning.
Pittsburgh needs more from their bullpen, and while they won't always pitch perfectly, they simply don't have arms they can rely on in a season that they have the offensive talent to make a run at the playoffs.
Starting Pitching Much Better vs. Marlins
The Pirates starting pitchers had a rough couple of series before this vs. the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park, June 5-7, and the Los Angeles Dodgers at PNC Park, June 9-11, but showed that they can bounce back and have solid outings.
Pittsburgh's starters allowed six earned runs over 16.2 innings for a 3.24 ERA, which isn't too bad against a Marlins team that is currently .500 and now an MLB-best 10-2 in June.
Braxton Ashcraft didn't have as efficient of an outing as he wanted in the series opener, but still held the Marlins to just two earned runs over five innings, which was much better than when he gave up six earned runs over five innings in the 6-3 loss to the Braves on June 6.
Bubba Chandler arguably had his best start of the season in the second game, allowing two earned runs over 5.2 innings and posting six strikeouts, which followed a strong bulk relief outing vs. the Braves on June 7.
Paul Skenes gave up two solo home runs in the second inning in the series finale, but tied his season-high of 10 strikeouts and only allowed two hits and a walk outside of that, giving the Pirates a real chance to win the series.
Ashcraft is trending towards earning an All-Star nod, if he can have some strong performances over the next month, but both Chandler and Skenes have had slumps this season.
Chandler is now finding his command, while still dominating with his fastball and utilizing his offspeed pitches.
Skenes isn't as good as he's been previously, with an 2.85 ERA that's north of his usual sub-2.00 ERA, but he's still one of the best pitchers in baseball and is cutting back on some of the mistakes he had in some prior starts.
If the Pirates can have more effective starting pitching, which they envisioned at the start of the season, then it could play a big role in them getting back on track and working towards the postseason.
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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.