Pirates Secure Series Win Over Diamondbacks on Pitching Mastery

The Pirates closed the Phoenix series with a 4–2 win on May 7, 2026, taking the series 2–1. Right-hander Mitch Keller (4-1) threw six innings, allowing two runs on four hits and earning his sixth quality start. Cy Young winner Paul Skenes followed on May 6 with eight innings, two hits, seven strikeouts and a 2.36 ERA, improving to 5-2.

Pirates Series Takeaways: Top for a Reason, 2 Concerns

Brandon Lowe opened the game with a solo homer; ESPN lists it as his 10th, while OnSI records it as his ninth. Joey Bart added a sixth-inning solo blast, and Ryan O’Hearn and Spencer Horwitz each delivered RBI singles in the fifth. Lowe’s line is .252/.360/.546 with nine homers, a .906 OPS and 22 RBIs.

Sports Illustrated

Minutes before the game, the Pirates removed left-fielder Jake Mangum with hamstring discomfort and inserted Billy Cook in center field. The club said the move “was made to protect the player’s health while maintaining defensive depth.” It left Bryan Reynolds in left and Ryan O’Hearn in right, but a recent Cruz-Reynolds collision produced an RBI double for Arizona, highlighting outfield lapses.

Sports Illustrated

Analysts note two concerns: right-hander Bubba Chandler’s 26 walks in 34 innings, the most in the NL, and outfield communication problems, exemplified by the Cruz-Reynolds collision. The discrepancy in Lowe’s home-run total adds a reporting gap.

Pirates Series Takeaways: Top for a Reason, 2 Concerns

ESPN records Lowe’s homer as his 10th, while OnSI lists it as his ninth, and the team has not clarified the count.

Sports Illustrated

• “Yeah honestly, it was just get up there, put up a good swing, just try to pass the baton to the next guy, it was a really good swing,” — Brandon Lowe, Pirates second baseman

Sports Illustrated

• “I didn’t have to do a whole lot. Just get up there and watch him just kind of do what he does and consistently roll out great appearances, great outings and it’s fun when you can just kind of sit back and let him go on auto-pilot.” — Brandon Lowe, on Paul Skenes

Sports Illustrated

• “How sensational is Skenes’ start? He now has a career 2.01 ERA, the lowest ERA by any pitcher through his first 63 starts since at least 1920. He has made 22 scoreless starts, which are the most by any pitcher through 63 starts since at least 1901.” — Bob Nightengale, MLB reporter

Heavy

• “Paul Skenes got his 5th win of the season last night! Last year, he didn’t get his 5th win until July 21st.” — MLB Network

Heavy

The Pirates head to San Francisco Friday to begin a three-game series against the Giants, extending their West Coast swing and providing another test for the rotation and the reconfigured outfield.

ESPN