North Shore Nine: A Pittsburgh Pirates Podcast

Tyler and Jim break down the Pirates’ 11-1 win over Seattle, where Braxton Ashcraft shoved behind a nasty curveball and the offense finally gave him plenty of room to work. They also get into O’Hearn, Reynolds, Horwitz leaving the game, Endy’s night, and why using Carmen Mlodzinski for three innings in a blowout didn’t make much sense.

On today’s OffBeat, Alex Stumpf examines Reynolds’ legitimate All Star case, his production from both sides of the plate and why the Pirates may go only as far as their best hitter can take them until the lineup gets healthy and the pitching staff receives some help.

Paul Skenes’ ERA is nearly a full run higher than it was last season, and people are beginning to wonder whether the Pirates ace is still the same pitcher. Jim and DiNardo dig into the underlying numbers, what has actually changed and how much Pittsburgh’s awful defense has hurt him.

The Pirates avoided a sweep in Colorado with an 8-6 win over the Rockies, but even a seven-run lead was not enough to make it comfortable. Tyler and Doug break down the offensive breakout led by Bryan Reynolds, Nick Gonzales, Jake Mangum, and Spencer Horwitz, plus the injury scare for Jared Jones after he was hit by a comebacker. They also discuss the much-needed work from Yohan Ramirez and Evan Sisk, the late bullpen struggles from Dennis Santana and Gregory Soto, and why this team still finds a way to make every game more stressful than it needs to be.

The Pittsburgh Pirates wasted another winnable game at Coors Field, falling 2-1 to the Colorado Rockies after scoring only once and failing to bring home the tying run with the bases loaded in the ninth. Paul Skenes was not at his sharpest, but six innings and two runs should have been enough.

The Pirates finally showed some life in the eighth inning, turning a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead behind big hits from Jared Triolo, Bryan Reynolds, and Nick Gonzales. Unfortunately, the lead didn't last. Tyler and Neil break down another frustrating Pirates loss as the bullpen let a winnable game slip away in Colorado. They discuss Bubba Chandler's strong six-inning outing, Don Kelly's decision-making, Mason Montgomery's rough eighth inning, Jake Mangum's costly baserunning mistake, and a ninth inning where the Pirates loaded the bases with nobody out and still couldn't score. They also dive into the continued bullpen issues, the offense's struggles against Kyle Freeland, and whether this team is simply finding new ways to lose close games. Download the new North Shore Nine App and visit NorthShoreNine.com for even more Pirates coverage.

FanGraphs recently released its Pirates Top 50 prospect list, led by Konnor Griffin, Bubba Chandler, Seth Hernandez, Edward Florentino and Johan De Los Santos. Longenhagen also described Pittsburgh’s system as strong, with star talent at the top, near-ready pitching and several high-upside position players.

Mitch Keller turned in his best outing in weeks Tuesday night, but the results and underlying pitch mix still left Alex Stumpf with serious concerns. Keller allowed five runs, four earned, over 5⅓ innings with seven strikeouts, three walks and eight hard-hit balls.

Brandon Lowe has hit 17 home runs, provided strong defense at second base and become one of the most important players in the Pirates’ improved offense. Despite that production, Lowe sits outside the leaders in the first All-Star voting update.

The Pirates scored just 26 runs while going 2-4 against the Dodgers and Marlins. Jim and DiNardo discuss how much the offense is missing Oneil Cruz and Konnor Griffin and whether this lineup has enough depth to survive without them.

Paul Skenes delivered six strong innings, but the Pirates failed to support him in a 4-2 loss to the Marlins. Jim and Doug discuss the sixth straight loss in a Skenes start, another quiet offensive performance and a bullpen without any dependable answers.