Weekly Report: Winning Series Streak, Konnor Back, Calls Up & Down & All Around, Jared & Paul Win, Pirates HoF, Khristian's 1st Win

September already…?

Pirates Stuff:

• To open Tuesday’s homestand, the Pirates called up LHP Brian Eisert from Indy and added C Christian Bethancourt from the taxi squad as the roster additions for September. The club moved Endy Rodriguez from the 10-day IL to the 60-day list so that Bethancourt had a 40-man roster spot. The moves lasted until Friday when Bethancourt was DFA’ed so SS Konnor Griffin could return to action and Eisert was returned to Indy with RHP Isaac Mattson getting the call up.

Konnor – 9/4/2026 photo Pirates

• On Sunday, the Bucs recalled OF Ronny Simon, who has been on fire since returning to Indy, and optioned UT Nick Yorke back.
• For a team hyped to be deep in catching, the Bucs are casting their net far and wide for backstops. They just signed 29-year-old Jose Herrera, who in 187 games for Arizona from 2022-25 had hit .200.
• No, it never ends: The Bucs recalled RHP Khristian Curtis when RHP Kirby Yates was placed on the 15-day IL (right shoulder impingement), retroactive to Monday (8/31). The club also brought up RHP Wilber Dotel and optioned LHP Evan Sisk to Indy.
• SS Konnor Griffin got in a rehab game for Altoona, then reported to Pittsburgh on Monday and was off to join Indy at Toledo on Tuesday. On Friday, he was placed back on the active roster after having been out since July 5 with a finger injury.
• After being waived by the Twins, the Pirates signed 26-year-old Kyler Fedko to a minor-league deal. Fedko, 26, is a Vincentian Academy grad whose dad is John Fedko of “Fedko Zone” fame; Kyler chose Pittsburgh because it was a chance to come home. He debuted for Minny this year after hitting .272/25 HR for AAA St. Paul in ’25-’26 but had pretty serious ligament damage in August, and after surgery will spend most of 2027 on the IL.

Jared Jones back in Victory Lane – image Sportsnet.Pgh

• Overdue weekend: Jared Jones hadn’t started a game that ended up in a Pirates win since July 18, a stretch of seven starts. Paul Skenes joined him, winning for the first time since July 19, also over seven starts.
• John Candelaria, Wilbur Cooper and Jack Wilson were inducted into the Pirates Hall of Fame on Thursday evening with jackets, speechifying and a free meal, then honored pre-game the next night. 
• The 2027 Spring schedule was released – it gives the opponent and home/away status, but the times are still TBD.

Game Stuff:

• Paul Skenes couldn’t make it through the fifth and the Pirates blew five & six run leads, but a nine-run third inning and 19 hits were enough to pull out a 13-12 win over the Giants at PNC on Tuesday night. Oneil Cruz had four hits/RBIs and Brandom Lowe homered among his four raps & scored three times. The seventh Buc pitcher, Mason Montgomery, got the dub; he’s been Superman since July.

Oneil stirrin’ it up – 8/30/2026 photo Pirates

• The Bucs went into overime again, but with reverse results, dropping a 5-4 contest. Bubba Chandler pitched well but a lost no-man’s land bloop (twilight sky) ultimately led to a couple of runs. Carmen Mlod kept them alive with three zeroes/30 pitches, but the G-Men scored twice off Camilo Doval in the 10th; the Bucs could only push one more run home, going through a 2-for-13 w/RISP outing. 
• The Buc bullpen pitchers have become the team’s ace. The six of them gave up two runs on two hits (five walks by two guys) and nine K’s as Pittsburgh took another series with a 5-2 dub (Khristian Curtis’ first MLB win) to close out the Bay set. Pgh only had five hits (they waited out seven walks themselves), but enough for Jared Triolo to drive in a couple and Jake Mangum to score twice (1-for-1, walk, RBI).
• Jared Jones went six three-hit, nine-K, no run innings – and left with just a 1-0 lead. But no prob; Wilber Dotel and Mason Montgomery held it with three frames of one-hit ball. Jake Mangum doubled home Konnor Griffin in the second for the only tally; KG flew around the bases and scored on a Superman dive. All in all, a pretty neat way to celebrate the Pirates Hall of Fame night.

Mason Montgomery has been aflame – August photo Sportsnet.Pgh

• Not great outings by Braxton Ashcraft – innings may be catching up to him – and Isaac Mattson as the Bucs were bonked 6-1 by the Halos. Bryan Reynolds solo homer was the Pirates attack; another lefty shut them down – they’re 11-26 v LH starters.
• Paul Skenes got into the sixth, the pen was money, Henry Davis hit a solo shot and Oneil Cruz-to-Brandon Lowe-to-Davis gunned out a guy at home. The end result was the Bucs took their fourth straight series, beating LAA 1-0 again in a set that they scored a total of three runs.
• The Bucs had a holiday on Monday and then six days of labor in the Windy City, with three-gamers v the White Sox & the Cubbies.

MLB Stuff: 

• TSN is halfway through their “Greatest Players” teams with the release of The Showmen.” No Buc made the squad but Cool Papa Bell, who spent five years with the Crawfords and five more with the Grays, did.

Cool Papa made the TSN roster…

• The DC Nats DFA’ed RHP Trevor Williams last week, and he got through waivers unclaimed. They released him this week, making him a free agent, and he signed with the Texas Rangers.
• The Chicago White Sox picked up OF Tommy Pham from the Phils, who had him stashed in the minors.
• RHP Tanner Rainey, who was with the Bucs for a bit last year, was DFA’ed by the Detroit Tigers.
• 29-year-old OF Dominic Fletcher, who spent most of the summer with Indy,  signed a minor league deal with the Reds. He became a free agent in mid-August after triggering a release clause with the Pirates.
• C Shawn Ross made his debut in Pittsburgh in July, was waived when the regular backstops returned and was claimed by the Mets. They just let him go, and his journey continues as Toronto claimed him.