Three Takeaways: Pirates Embarrassing RISP Showing vs. Blue Jays
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates didn't get a series win against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre, which saw some tough moments and some good ones as well.
The Pirates lost the first two games of the series, 6-2 in the series opener on May 22 and then 5-2 on May 23, but avoided the sweep with a 4-1 victory in the series finale on May 24.
It ends a six-game road trip for the Pirates, who finish 3-3 after taking two out of three games against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium, May 19-21.
The Pirates now sit 27-26 overall and 14-13 on the road, but they definitely wish things went a bit better than they did against the Blue Jays.
Starting Pitching Has Surprising Performances vs. Toronto
The Pirates starting rotation is always a major focus for the team and how they perform and this series vs. the Blue Jays was no different.
Bubba Chandler had a stellar start in the series opener, throwing a career-high 11 strikeouts and giving up just one earned run over five innings.
He still took the loss, but after posting a 6.95 ERA in his previous five starts and struggling massively with control, Chandler showed that he can still dominate opposing hitters and that he has great stuff.
Paul Skenes had a solid start to his outing in the second game of the series, with just a leadoff solo home run to Blue Jays center fielder George Springer, but then gave up four straight hits and three earned runs in the sixth inning.
Skenes has given up nine earned runs over his past two outings, giving up five runs vs. the Philadelphia Phillies at PNC Park on May 17, which has brought up his season ERA to 3.00, quite high for him.
Mitch Keller bounced back against the Blue Jays, with six innings of one-run baseball, allowing just four hits and three walks, while posting five strikeouts over 101 pitches.
Keller had given up 10 earned runs combined over his past two starts and 11.1 innings pitched, but got back to performing as he's done for most of this season, marking his seventh quality start in 2026.
The Pirates would've loved seeing Skenes having a better outing, but they'll take Chandler dominating and Keller performing the way he did any time.
Bullpen Still Too Shaky For Comfort
Bullpen issues are a constant for the Pirates this season, as they look for more consistency and pitchers to step up.
The Pirates had some good relief outings, but also some poor ones too, which still are a troubling sign for a team needing a strong bullpen to make the postseason.
Right-handed pitcher Dennis Santana continued his struggles over the last month, giving up three doubles and a walk for three earned runs in the eighth inning of the series opener, with the Pirates originally trailing 3-2 and would lose 6-2.
Santana has a 12.96 ERA over his past 10 outings and he went from the Pirates best relief pitcher to one of its least reliable arm.
Fellow right-hander Yohan Ramírez didn't have a great showing vs. the Blue Jays, giving up a solo home run in the second game and then giving up a walk and a hit that took him out of the seventh inning in the series finale.
Left-handed pitcher Mason Montgomery relieved Ramírez and shut down the next five batters with two strikeouts, as he's had a strong year so far, after the Pirates landed him a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays this offseason.
Fellow southpaw Evan Sisk excelled again as well, getting the final four outs in the second game to drop his ERA to 1.61, while both right-handers in Brandan Bidois and Justin Lawrence had scoreless outings in the series opener.
Gregory Soto also got his save in the series finale, despite hitting a batter and issuing a walk, so he'll stay in that closer role, particularly with Santana's ongoing struggles.
The Pirates should have a much better bullpen than they do and they need some right-handed relievers to really start pitching more effectively, complimenting the strong showings from their left-handed relievers.
Pirates Not Taking Advantage of RISP
The Pirates didn't have a great showing at the plate vs. the Blue Jays, with just eight runs scored, but they also were abysmal with runners in scoring position.
Pittsburgh went 0-for-21 with RISP, which included 0-for-9 in the series opener and then 0-for-6 in the last two games.
The Pirates missing those opportunities prevented them from really adding on in different moments in both of their defeats, which could've seriously changed the outcomes and gotten them an extra win.
Three home runs led them to the win in the series finale, with first baseman Spencer Horwitz and designated hitter Oneil Cruz hitting solo home runs and then rookie right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez hitting a two-run shot, his first home run in the major leagues, for the four runs.
Some series will go like this and the Pirates, to their credit, did face great pitching performances from the Blue Jays starting pitching in right-hander Kevin Gausman in the series opener, left-hander Patrick Corbin in the second game and right-hander Dylan Cease in the series finale.
The Pirates still can't hit like this going forward and will hope that they can get some more runs across in their upcoming homestand.
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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.