​PITTSBURGH — The Pirates faced a tall order taking on the American League East-leading Braves in a three-game series at PNC Park. The Braves had swept Pittsburgh in three straight in Atlanta back in June, and while the Pirates showed a bit more fight this time, the results weren’t dramatically different. The Pirates surged to a big win on Tuesday, but they dropped the remaining two games and lost the series, slipping back to a .500 mark with a 47-47 record.
Here are a few takeaways from the set against Atlanta. I’m not ready to crown Ryan O’Hearn with the label of “better free-agent signing” than Russell Martin, the former Pirates catcher who helped steer Pittsburgh to consecutive playoff appearances in 2013 and 2014. But I will say that O’Hearn has been the best of the signings since then, and he could surpass Martin when all is said and done.
What O’Hearn did on Tuesday was historic. His 10 RBIs set a franchise record, breaking a mark that had stood for 87 years. He also joined a select group as the 11th MLB player ever to clock three homers and 10 RBIs in the same game. “I didn’t do anything different or special today. I just saw the ball really well from the first pitch of the day and was kind of in cruise control,” O’Hearn explained. “I got some good pitches to hit, and after the third one, I thought, ‘Oh man. No kidding. Today must be my day.’” The 32-year-old is posting a .289/.346/.490 line with 16 home runs and 61 RBIs on the season—nearly a pair of career highs in both categories (17 HRs, 63 RBIs) and among qualified National League hitters, he sits in the top 20 in batting average.
“Just the total approach that he takes every single time he’s in the box, he’s such a professional hitter, and the way our lineup has run out there, he brings a stability to it,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said.
I’m a serious baseball fan who appreciates the significance of a perfect-game pursuit. It’s one of the sport’s hardest feats. On Wednesday, Jared Jones carried six perfect innings—an extraordinary performance. Still, Don Kelly’s decision to pull Jones after six innings, while not popular in some quarters, was the right call. If it had been any other starter from the current rotation, or if Jones hadn’t just returned from elbow surgery, the decision would have leaned toward letting him continue. Jones has been limited to about 75–80 pitches per start since coming off the 60-day injured list, and he reached 77 pitches after six innings—roughly a 116-pitch pace if he had gone nine. Notably, Jones himself indicated after the game that six innings were all he had in him: “I’m on what, my eighth start off of surgery? I completely understand it and it is what it is.”
Putting emotions aside, it’s hard to argue with the decision when the pitcher involved agrees with it and when the allocation of innings aligns with the broader plan for his health and the team’s needs. As the Pirates move forward, the balance between short-term results and long-term development remains a delicate one, particularly with a rotation that has shown flashes of dominance even as it navigates the midseason grind.