ST. LOUIS – There will be ample opportunity for "The Password" starting Tuesday night in St. Louis, as the Pirates recalled Jhostynxon Garcia for their three-game series against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium.

Garcia, 23, is ranked No. 4 among Pirates prospects by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline. He takes

There’s a help wanted sign outside of PNC Park.

No, actually it might be best framed as help required after the Pirates lost three consecutive games to the Phillies over the weekend, didn’t score a run in the final two and optioned Nick Yorke to Triple-A Indianapolis following Sunday’s 6-0 loss.

With

Pockets of adversity have defined the Pirates' season thus far.

Losing two of three in New York to start. Getting swept in a four-game set by the Cardinals at PNC Park in late April. Even a sour ending in San Francisco last weekend.

Each time, the Pirates responded appropriately. But they face

If there weren't serious concerns over the Pirates bullpen prior to Friday, they certainly exist now.

After Gregory Soto blew a three-run lead in the ninth, Dennis Santana struggled in the 10th inning of an eventual 11-9 Pirates loss to the Phillies at PNC Park.

The loss was undoubtedly frustrating for the

Penelope Byler was standing on the top step of the Pirates dugout, chanting with her softball teammates, when Bryan Reynolds approached during batting practice with a question.

Reynolds wanted to know if Byler, 10, could help by throwing out the first pitch before Friday’s game against the Phillies at PNC Park.

A

How the Pirates handled the Colorado Rockies on Thursday was a bit of an open-and-shut case.

They used two openers to set up Carmen Mlodzinski, then hung a touchdown on the Rockies to close it out and earn a series victory on Thursday at PNC Park by a score of 7-2.

Pittsburgh

Ben Cherington has been largely encouraged by the performance thus far of the Pirates offense, a group that ranked fifth in MLB in runs (213) and eighth in OPS (.725) entering Thursday’s games.

The Pirates general manager also knows the team must improve in the bullpen and when facing left-handed starters.

For more than 40% of Wednesday’s game, it looked like Mitch Keller might be trying to one-up his rotation mate Paul Skenes.

Unfortunately for the Pirates, that’s not how things ended.

After retiring a dozen consecutive hitters to open the game, Keller encountered a bunch of trouble in the fifth, the six-run

Endy Rodriguez was on the Triple-A Indianapolis team bus to Louisville when the Pirates told him they were promoting him to Pittsburgh, recalled Tuesday to replace Joey Bart while his foot heals.

Though Rodriguez made his MLB debut during the 2023 season, those familiar jitters returned. Elbow injuries have cost Rodriguez

Paul Skenes is on some kind of run, isn’t he? Brandon Lowe joked after Skenes’ last start how this has seemingly become a thing, flirting with a perfect game or a no-hitter every time. He’s not wrong.

Skenes has been dialed in, although that idea by itself is unique when it

Brandan Bidois hoped his incredible 2025 season put him on the Pirates’ proverbial map, something that officially occurred when they added him to the 40-man roster this winter.

With an ongoing relief need, it ventured to the far corner of that map, recalled Bidois and optioning Cam Sanders to Triple-A Indianapolis,

The Pirates have added some offensive reinforcements, promoting catcher Endy Rodriguez from Triple-A Indianapolis Tuesday for their series opener against the Rockies at PNC Park.

It appears Rodriguez was recalled for his bat, as the Pirates currently have three catchers on the roster.

Cam Sanders was optioned to the Minor Leagues to

SAN FRANCISCO — So much for the Pirates ending their six-game road trip on a positive note.

Instead, they’ll fly back to Pittsburgh plenty frustrated after what happened at Oracle Park on Sunday afternoon, the result of a 7-6 loss to the Giants in 12 innings.

With runners on second and third,

Analysis: Seven things we learned during the Pirates’ trip out west

When Jesus Rodriguez’s single touched the green grass and Heliot Ramos scored the final run in the 12th inning, it was difficult for the Pirates and their fans to see the forest for the trees. Or to take an objective

SAN FRANCISCO — Shortly after learning he made the MLB All-Star Game for the first time last season, Ryan O’Hearn couldn’t wait to share the news with his mom, Christine.

From the visitors’ dugout at Globe Life Stadium — ironic considering he spent part of his childhood in Texas

SAN FRANCISCO — Despite the Pirates amassing just two runs Friday, Don Kelly didn’t get down. Instead, he insisted several times that he liked his hitters’ approach.

A day later, those comments from Pittsburgh’s manager felt prescient.

The Pirates employed a similar approach Saturday, wore out Giants starter Landen Roupp and eventually

SAN FRANCISCO — A 5-2 loss to the Giants on Friday did not sit well with anyone inside a silent visitors' clubhouse at Oracle Park. However, the Pirates did enjoy two performances that may actually mean something in the long run.

Carmen Mlodzinski gave the Pirates a quality start, spinning six

SAN FRANCISCO — The Pirates lineup will have a different look, as they open a series this weekend with the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park.

This afternoon they placed Jake Mangum on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to May 6) with a left hamstring strain and recalled Nick Yorke from

SAN FRANCISCO — When Don Kelly awoke last May 8, his life certainly changed. The Pirates fired Derek Shelton. Kelly, a Mt. Lebanon and Point Park product who’s unfailingly proud of Pittsburgh, was named the replacement on an interim basis.

It was the first-ever managerial gig for Kelly, who turned down

PHOENIX — A first-inning home run from Brandon Lowe. A Pirates pitcher delivering a quality start. And the bullpen holding the line, punctuated by a Gregory Soto save.

That strategy worked perfectly Wednesday, and it was apparently so much fun the Pirates decided to repeat it less than 24 hours later.

PHOENIX — Hours before the Pirates faced the Diamondbacks for the second game of their series at Chase Field, Don Kelly sat in the visitors' dugout and discussed Paul Skenes' abilities as a big-game pitcher.

The Pirates manager referenced the World Baseball Classic and College World Series, explaining how Skenes seemed

PHOENIX — Despite flying across the country and changing time zones, the Pirates hoped to bottle the momentum they built against the Reds over the weekend and perhaps even build on it.

That didn’t happen.

Instead, zero offense, too many free passes and a concerning trend in the outfield combined to produce

PHOENIX — Don Kelly noticed something was different in Spring Training.

Nick Gonzales, meanwhile, said he’s always making adjustments. The trick so far in 2026, when Gonzales has found himself atop the MLB batting average leaders, has been good health and a run of consistent playing time.

Whatever the case, Gonzales has

PHOENIX — Whether it has been avoiding consecutive losses for a long stretch or quickly eliminating the stench of last week’s St. Louis series, the Pirates have done an excellent job this season of staying even-keeled.

But with a six-game road trip to Arizona and San Francisco, there’s an opportunity for

PHOENIX — The Pirates have lost another member of their 1960 World Series team, as they confirmed Tuesday the passing of two-time MLB All-Star outfielder Bob Skinner.

Skinner, who also had two different coaching stints with the Pirates, passed away Monday at the age of 94.

“As a member of the 1960