Seth Hernandez is wasting no time making noise in the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system. After dominating in Low-A with eye-opening strikeout numbers, an ERA under one, and three secondary pitches producing massive whiff rates, Hernandez has already earned a promotion to High-A Greensboro.

On today’s OffBeat, Alex Stumpf breaks down why Hernandez’s stuff has been so overwhelming, what makes his fastball-changeup-slider-curveball mix so advanced, and why Greensboro could be the next real test in his development. He also looks at whether Hernandez could follow a Konnor Griffin-style rise through the system and potentially reach Altoona before the end of the year.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates offense has been night and day compared to last season. They’re top five in baseball in runs scored, and six everyday players currently have a wRC+ of 115 or higher. On this episode of Bucco Brew, we break down what has changed, how real this offensive surge feels, and why this version of the Pirates looks so much more dangerous.

We also give Braxton Ashcraft the love he deserves. With a 2.77 ERA and the team lead in innings pitched, Ashcraft has been one of the best stories of the Pirates season. If Paul Skenes wasn’t in the same rotation, we might be talking about Ashcraft as the ace of this staff.

Then we get into the biggest concern right now: the bullpen. Gregory Soto has been lights out, but beyond him, who do you actually trust? Dennis Santana and the rest of this group have been more than inconsistent lately, and the Pirates need answers fast.

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The Pirates had a series win, a winning road trip, and another very winnable game slip through their fingers.

On today’s episode of OffBeat, Alex Stumpf breaks down the Pirates’ frustrating extra-inning loss, why Don Kelly made the right call going to the bullpen after Bubba Chandler’s outing, and why the bigger issue is what happened next.

Gregory Soto has been outstanding. Mason Montgomery has carved out a real role. But beyond that, the Pirates’ bullpen depth — especially from the right-handed side — is becoming a real concern. Dennis Santana is struggling, Yohan Ramirez had a rough road trip, Justin Lawrence has had issues, and the internal fixes are not obvious.

If the Pirates are serious about competing, this may be a problem they cannot wait until the trade deadline to address.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates dropped the series finale against the San Francisco Giants in a frustrating game that felt very much within reach. Bubba Chandler gave the Pirates a chance, the offense created traffic, and the team had multiple opportunities to take control — but missed chances, defensive mistakes, and more bullpen concerns proved costly.

On this NS9 Postgame Show powered by Primanti Brothers, Anthony and Doug break down where the game went wrong, the Pirates going just 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position, Ryan O’Hearn’s rough defensive moments, Don Kelly’s bullpen decisions, and the growing concern around Dennis Santana. They also discuss Gregory Soto’s role, Montgomery trust levels, and why this bullpen may need help sooner rather than later.

The Pirates are still playing solid baseball overall, but losses like this are the ones that sting — especially when the issues are starting to look familiar.

Subscribe to North Shore Nine for daily Pittsburgh Pirates coverage, postgame reaction, prospect talk, and honest conversation from Pirates fans who live this every day.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates finally got the offensive explosion they were waiting for, putting up 13 runs and 20 hits in a blowout win over the San Francisco Giants. Tyler and Neil break down the Pirates’ massive night at the plate, another dominant start from Braxton Ashcraft, Joey Bart’s revenge game, Nick Gonzales continuing to hit, Oneil Cruz coming through against a lefty, and what this win means for the rest of the road trip.

The NS9 Postgame Show Powered by Primanti Brothers also looks at how the Pirates are finding ways to win even when the offense had been quiet earlier in the week, why Ashcraft is starting to look like a true top-of-the-rotation arm, and how the lineup suddenly looks much deeper when players like Bart and Gonzales are producing.

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Murf Gray has been one of the hottest hitters in the Pirates’ minor league system, and on this week’s Bucs On Deck, Jim and Anthony Murphy break down what makes his early pro performance so interesting.

Gray, a competitive balance pick in last year’s draft, is already showing an intriguing offensive profile in Bradenton with power, hard contact, strong bat-to-ball skills, and the type of production that could push him quickly through the system. But the biggest question may be on the defensive side: can he stick at third base, or does a potential move to first base change how we view his prospect ceiling?

Jim and Murph dive into Gray’s bat, his contact quality, his defensive outlook, and whether he could become a top-10 prospect in the Pirates system if everything clicks.

Watch the full breakdown on Bucs On Deck, part of the North Shore Nine podcast presented by FanDuel.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates dropped a late-night game to the San Francisco Giants, and while the offense had its issues, the bigger concern once again came from the middle relief group.

Carmen Mlodzinski gave the Pirates six innings and kept them in the game, even if it was not the cleanest or most convincing start. But once the game turned to the bullpen, Justin Lawrence struggled to execute and the Giants opened things up. Anthony DiNardo and Tyler break down whether Don Kelly made the right move, why the blame cannot fall entirely on the manager, and why someone in this bullpen has to step up soon.

They also discuss the Pirates’ lineup against a left-handed starter, Jared Triolo leading off, Billy Cook and Nick Yorke getting starts, Oneil Cruz’s baserunning mistake, and the bigger question of whether Ben Cherington needs to look outside the organization for middle relief help.

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Nick Gonzales has quietly forced his way into a bigger role for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and suddenly third base is not as simple as Jared Triolo returning from the injured list and taking the job back.

On today’s episode of OffBeat, Alex Stumpf looks at the Pirates’ third base situation, why Gonzales has earned real playing time, and why Triolo’s Gold Glove defense still matters for a team with serious defensive issues elsewhere on the field. The conversation goes beyond offense, digging into how the Pirates can best support a young pitching staff, especially with outfield defense becoming a real concern.

Is Nick Gonzales the right everyday answer at third base? Should Jared Triolo be closer to a 50/50 split? And how much should defense matter when the Pirates finally have more offense in the lineup?

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Tonight on NS9LIVE!, we’re starting with the NS9 Really Stupid Question before looking back at some Pirates takes we may need to apologize for.

Ty Ty is ready to apologize for saying the Pirates wasted money on Gregory Soto, who has been lights out. DiNardo is walking back even entertaining the idea of trading Mitch Keller. And both are owning up to going under on Brandon Lowe’s season home run total after he just launched his 10th.

We’re also taking a bigger look at Donny Ball as Don Kelly reaches 162 games as Pirates manager with an 80-82 record. What has worked? What hasn’t? And what’s still hard to figure out?

Plus, we dive into the bullpen and ask whether it’s time to be worried about Dennis Santana, or if this is just a rough stretch in a long season.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates took another series, beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-2 behind another strong start from Mitch Keller. DiNardo and Doug break down Keller’s continued reliability, the Pirates’ improved rotation, timely offense from Brandon Lowe and Spencer Horwitz, and why this team feels much different than past versions.

The guys also discuss how the Pirates responded after a rough series against St. Louis, why the offense no longer feels completely dependent on one or two players, and what this strong start to the West Coast trip says about the club moving forward.

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