Nick Gonzales has arguably been the Pirates’ most consistent offensive player this season, but his defense is beginning to erase much of that value.

Alex Stumpf looks at Gonzales’ offensive consistency, his struggles defensively at both third and second base, and whether moving him to DH is the Pirates’ best option down the stretch. Ryan O’Hearn’s impending return only complicates the picture, while Brandon Lowe’s future raises an even bigger question about where Gonzales fits in 2027.

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The Pirates somehow took two of three from the Angels despite scoring just three runs all weekend, because their pitching staff absolutely carried them.

DiNardo and Tyler break down Jared Jones' dominant new-look breaking ball, how the Pirates should handle Braxton Ashcraft's unprecedented workload, Paul Skenes showing improved command but still struggling to finish hitters with two strikes, and Mason Montgomery's incredible emergence at the back end of the bullpen.

They also discuss Carmen Mlodzinski finally settling into a true bullpen role, Luke Weaver's bizarre poison ivy situation, and whether the bullpen has quietly become one of the biggest strengths on this roster.

Plus, a preview of the upcoming six-game road trip through Chicago against the White Sox and Cubs.

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The Pirates took two of three from the Angels, including a pair of 1-0 wins, but the bigger issue isn’t going away. Pittsburgh’s offense has been one of the worst in baseball over the last month, and with the Pirates sitting at 71-73 and five games out of a playoff spot, there is almost no margin for error left.

Alex Stumpf looks at the struggles of Spencer Horwitz, Bryan Reynolds and others, the production Pittsburgh is getting from Oneil Cruz and Nick Gonzales, what Ryan O’Hearn could provide if he returns, and why the offense needs to take control as the Pirates enter their final push.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates shut out the Los Angeles Angels 1-0 behind 5.1 scoreless innings from Paul Skenes and a solo home run from Henry Davis. Skenes still wasn't completely dominant, but his command improved and the Pirates bullpen took care of everything from there.

DiNardo and Doug discuss Skenes' outing, another quiet day from the Pirates offense, the resurgence of Gregory Soto, Carmen Mlodzinski's changing bullpen role and the incredible turnaround Mason Montgomery has made since the beginning of the season.

The Pirates have now won four straight series as they head into the final weeks of the season.

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The Pirates turned in another brutal performance Saturday night, falling 6-1 to the Angels in a game they desperately needed to win.

DiNardo and Doug break down another disappearing act from the offense against a left-handed pitcher, Braxton Ashcraft fading after three dominant innings, the decision to send Isaac Mattson back out for a second inning, and why the Pirates still don't seem to be managing games with the urgency their situation requires.

Bryan Reynolds provided essentially all of the offense with his 16th home run of the season, while Konnor Griffin, Esmerlyn Valdez and Oneil Cruz combined for seven strikeouts. Cruz also reached his 100th career stolen base before making a costly attempt to steal third.

Plus, Johan Ramirez continues to quietly put together a strong season and Paul Skenes takes the mound Sunday as the Pirates try to avoid being swept.

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Konnor Griffin is back, and it didn't take long for him to remind everyone what the Pirates have been missing.

Griffin's speed created the only run of the night as the Pirates beat the Angels 1-0, while Jared Jones delivered one of his best outings of the season. Jones tossed six scoreless innings, generated 19 whiffs on his slider and handed things off to Wilber Dotel and Mason Montgomery to finish the shutout.

Jim and Tyler break down Griffin's immediate impact, Jones' dominant slider, the surprising decision to use Dotel for six outs, Montgomery's continued emergence at the back end of the bullpen and where the Pirates stand after improving to 70-72.

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Jack Wilson is officially part of the Pirates Hall of Fame, and Alex Stumpf believes he absolutely belongs.

But Wilson’s induction raises a much bigger question about Pirates history: how do you properly honor the great players who spent their careers on teams that never won anything?

Alex looks back at the Pirates’ 20 consecutive losing seasons, why Wilson deserves his flowers despite never playing a meaningful game in Pittsburgh, and which players from those forgotten years could eventually join him in the Pirates Hall of Fame.

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The Pirates somehow have life again. They’ve won five of their last six series, sit five games back in the Wild Card race, and now Konnor Griffin is expected to return to the lineup Friday.

Jim and DiNardo are live tonight to talk about what Griffin’s return means for the final 21 games, whether this team has actually done enough to make September interesting again, and why the Pirates may have finally stumbled into a bullpen formula that works.

Is this one last push, or just another reason to wonder what could’ve been?

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The Pirates beat the Giants 5-2 to take the series in San Francisco and make it three straight series wins.

Cody and Doug break down a bizarre afternoon where the Pirates drew seven walks and scored all five of their runs without a run-scoring hit. They discuss Nick Gonzales staying in the batting-title race, Oneil Cruz continuing to look like the player everyone has been waiting for, and another successful Pirates bullpen game.

Plus, should Khristian Curtis be getting starts in September? The guys debate how Pittsburgh should use him down the stretch and whether the Pirates should still be managing every game like they have a legitimate shot at the Wild Card.

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The Pirates let another winnable game slip away Wednesday night, falling 5-4 to the Giants in 10 innings. Alex Stumpf looks at Carmen Mlodzinski’s three perfect innings, the decision to turn to Camilo Doval in extras and all of the smaller mistakes that helped sink Pittsburgh.

With the Pirates now 68-72 and running out of time to make anything of their postseason hopes, Alex explains why this season hasn’t been defined by one bad decision. It’s been “a thousand little paper cuts” from a talented team that has continued to underachieve.

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