The Pittsburgh Pirates were one strike away from turning an entertaining, back-and-forth game into one of their best wins of the season. Instead, Gregory Soto allowed a three-run homer in the ninth inning, wasting Esmerlyn Valdez’s go-ahead pinch-hit homer and sending the Pirates to a brutal 9-7 loss against the Cincinnati Reds.

Jim and Doug break down another failure from the Pirates bullpen, the defensive mistakes that hurt Jared Jones, Brandon Lowe’s 20th home run, Endy Rodriguez’s continued impact and the baffling way the team has handled Carmen Mlodzinski.

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Pirates pitching prospect Reinold Navarro possesses one of the most electric fastballs in the organization, and it may be one of the best pitches in all of Minor League Baseball.

Jim and Anthony Murphy break down what makes the 19-year-old left-hander’s fastball so difficult to hit, the development of his slider and changeup, and the extreme strikeout numbers he has produced with Bradenton.

There is also one major concern. Navarro is still walking nearly one batter per inning. Can he improve his command enough to remain a starter, or is his future as a potentially dominant late-inning reliever?

In this episode:

• Why Navarro’s fastball grades as a potentially elite pitch
• How his changeup has developed against right-handed hitters
• The command issues holding him back
• Why his upside remains impossible to ignore
• Whether Navarro could eventually become an elite closer

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The Pirates fell back to .500 after another winnable Paul Skenes start slipped away in a 6-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Jim and Tyler break down Skenes’ concerning recent stretch, Konnor Griffin homering in his return from the injured list, big swings from Marcell Ozuna and Esmerlyn Valdez and another bullpen failure that leaves Pittsburgh at 41-41.

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Spencer Horwitz had become one of the Pirates’ most important hitters before a hamstring strain sent him to the injured list. Alex Stumpf breaks down just how much Horwitz has meant to the lineup, why Ryan O’Hearn gives Pittsburgh a capable replacement at first base, and whether Jake Mangum, Tyler Callihan and Esmerlyn Valdez can help make up the lost production.

Plus, with Konnor Griffin nearing a return, is this the right time to make him the Pirates’ everyday leadoff hitter?

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The Pittsburgh Pirates reached the halfway point at 41-40 and remain firmly in the National League Wild Card race, but their midseason report card is all over the place. Jim and Tyler grade every position group, the coaching staff and Ben Cherington’s front office.

The outfield and revamped infield have carried the offense, while the bullpen, designated hitter spot and Marcell Ozuna signing receive failing grades. Alex Stumpf also joins the show to explain why the Pirates have been one of MLB’s worst teams at using ABS challenges. The guys finish by revisiting their preseason predictions and discussing MLB’s latest CBA proposals, including the growing possibility of another lockout.

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Cody and Doug breakdown today's 5-1 Pirates victory over Seattle! Henry Davis pled his case that he can still be valuable offensively, and Bubba Chandler continued to turn the corner as he works to become a solid rookie starter.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates have spent years cycling through temporary answers behind the plate. Alex Stumpf believes Endy Rodriguez may have finally ended that search.

On today’s OffBeat, Alex traces the Pirates’ catching situation from Jacob Stallings through Henry Davis and Joey Bart before explaining how Endy has taken control of the position. His simpler swing, improved timing and patient approach are producing better at bats, but Wednesday’s win showed that his value goes well beyond the box score.

Alex also discusses Braxton Ashcraft’s dominant outing, Carmen Mlodzinski’s three innings of relief and why the Joey Bart trade reflects Pittsburgh’s confidence in Endy.

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The Pirates finally had one of those nights where everything actually looked easy.

Tyler and Jim break down the 11-1 win over the Mariners, starting with Braxton Ashcraft and how much his curveball carried the outing. They talk through why this version of Ashcraft is so encouraging, what Ryan O’Hearn and Bryan Reynolds gave the lineup, Spencer Horwitz leaving the game, and another strong night from Endy Rodríguez.

They also close with Carmen Mlodzinski throwing three innings in a blowout and why, even in a win like this, that felt like a pretty silly way to use him.
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The Pittsburgh Pirates had every chance to beat the Seattle Mariners and still walked away with a 3-2 loss. Pittsburgh collected nine hits, drew three walks and benefited from three Seattle errors, but stranded nine runners and repeatedly gave away scoring opportunities with poor execution and baserunning.

Anthony DiNardo and Doug E. Fresh break down Nick Gonzales’ costly decision on the bases, Mitch Keller’s six-inning, three-run outing, the bullpen’s scoreless work and the larger problem with a team that never seems to hit, pitch and defend well on the same day. They also debate how much blame belongs on Don Kelly when the roster gives him so few trustworthy bullpen options.

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Don Kelly believes the Pirates are about to see a different Marcell Ozuna. Alex Stumpf remains far from convinced.

Ozuna produced one of his better games of the season Tuesday, but his .598 OPS, continued swing-and-miss issues and lack of explosiveness still raise major concerns. Alex explains why a few productive at-bats do not prove Ozuna has turned a corner, what a legitimate turnaround would look like and why the $12 million signing could be remembered as one of the worst in Pirates history.

With Konnor Griffin emerging as Pittsburgh’s best right-handed hitter, the Pirates badly need Ozuna to finally provide the power they expected.

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Bryan Reynolds is riding a 12-game hitting streak, owns an OPS over 1.000 in June and has become the hitter the Pittsburgh Pirates need most with Oneil Cruz and Konnor Griffin injured.

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.

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