Pirates Surge with Skenes, Bullpen Struggles | Pittsburgh Pirates News

The Pirates roar back with a series win in Cleveland, pushing their record to 52-48 and showing renewed momentum after the All-Star break. Jared Jones dazzled with a gem, Jacob Gonzalez launched his first homer, and rookie Esmerlyn Valdez lit up the scoreboard again—his sixth homer in seven games. Paul Skenes also delivered a seven-inning gem, the first such start since May. But the bullpen’s shaky performance—giving up a walk-off homer after a 3-run lead—remains a glaring weakness. With the trade deadline just three weeks away, the Pirates have a solid offense and a strong rotation, but fixing the bullpen is critical if they hope to make a playoff push. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/c3fd04fe02d4ccd8