Houston Astros vs. Pittsburgh Pirates - July 31, 2024

Reds gave Pirates the clearest reason yet why Brandon Lowe is worth the qualifying offerAs the Pirates look to 2027, finding a way to retain Brandon Lowe’s services should be a top priority. Not only was the second baseman Pittsburgh’s best player,

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Do the Astros have a catcher upgrade option on the trade market?Yainer Diaz' trade value may be highest right now, but can Astros really replace him on the expected trade market?

Paul Skenes and Pirates' young core have more to lose from MLB's looming lockout than fans realizeThe Pittsburgh Pirates have spent years asking fans to be patient while their young talent develops. Now, just as the franchise finally appears to be assembling

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10 Greatest MLB Divisional Series Upsets 😮Reflecting on the most unexpected triumphs ➡️

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Pirates 2026 season in review: OutfieldersSolid years from Cruz and Reynolds led the way for the outfield this season.

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Houston Astros may have found a superstar in the making with Xavier NeyensAstros prospect Xavier Neyens led minor league baseball in this key statistic, indicating future strong success

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New FA Rumors and PredictionsLanding spots for buzzing players 📲

Pirates' new scouting director faces a draft challenge Pittsburgh hasn't had to worry about in yearsFor years, the Pittsburgh Pirates have enjoyed one significant advantage when it comes to building their future: premium positioning in the MLB Draft. That luxu

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Each Team's Biggest Roster Hole to Fix in Offseason ⚾The one personnel flaw Houston needs to address in 2027 📲

Pirates’ Endy Rodríguez decision will reveal how much faith they still have in his futureFor a few fleeting weeks in 2026, it looked like the Pittsburgh Pirates were finally getting the version of Endy Rodríguez they'd been waiting years to see. The

Bryan Reynolds’ bizarre 2026 stat may completely change how Pirates view his down yearFor much of the 2026 season, Pittsburgh Pirates fans were left wondering what happened to Bryan Reynolds' power. The veteran outfielder finished the year with j

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Astros face Yainer Diaz dilemma: Is there really a better catcher available in free agency?Yainer's trade value may be it's best right now, but replacing him will be harder for the Astros than you think.

Pirates' roster crunch could make Spencer Horwitz the odd man out in 2027The Pirates acquired Spencer Horwitz via trade two years ago, and Pittsburgh still isn’t quite sure what kind of player he is. Before he took the field for a re

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Pirates 2026 season in review: BullpenIt was an up-and-down year for the ‘pen.

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Jazz Chisholm Landing Spots📍FA fits for All-Star 2B with Yankees stint likely over 📲

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🚨MLB Proposes Less GamesReturn of 154-game season. Opponent selection in postseason. Full MLB proposal to MLBPA here 📲

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Best Fits for Michael King and Casey Mize ⚾Why the Nationals should look to sign one of San Diego's free agents ➡️

Pirates offseason rotation plan starts with one massive Mitch Keller decisionThinking long and hard about the Pittsburgh Pirates' offseason wishlist brings about several key needs. The top of that list is headed by retaining Brandon Lowe

Paul Skenes’ imperfect 2026 season may have taught him more than his dominant ones ever couldPaul Skenes entered the major leagues without much experience being ordinary. He dominated college baseball. He tore through the minor leagues. He arrived in Pi

Division Series Recap 🍿Yankees, Padres and Braves all eliminated. Tap to catch up on all the action 📲

AL and NLDS Overreactions 🗣️Can anyone beat the Dodgers? Time to trade Acuña Jr.? 📲

MLB Lays Out Lockout PlansNew details emerge on 34-page memo with team owners and high-ranking execs (The Athletic)

Jackson Merrill’s old Paul Skenes quote has aged painfully for PiratesTwo years ago, Paul Skenes beat Jackson Merrill for National League Rookie of the Year. The Pittsburgh Pirates can keep that one. Because when Merrill reflecte

Pirates may regret Oscar Marin decision if Reds hand him a promotionThe Pittsburgh Pirates decided last offseason that Oscar Marin had taken their pitching staff as far as he could. Now, one year later, a division rival might de

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How long will the Astros make Joe Espada twist in the wind before deciding his future?The Astros' season ended over a week ago. There is no reason to delay announcing his future any further.

11 years after Pirates’ 98-win heartbreak, 82 wins shouldn’t be treated like a breakthroughEleven years ago today, more than 40,000 fans packed PNC Park expecting the Pittsburgh Pirates to begin another October run. Instead, Jake Arrieta and the Chica

MLB Postseason Buzz 🗣️

😬 Yankees defensive struggles ♨️ Padres-Brewers drama 📳 LIVE with insider Jon Heyman

Predicting the Outcome for Each Team's Top Free Agent 🔮How the Astros will decide to keep or let go of their most coveted available player ➡️

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The greatest MLB player from every stateBaseball is America’s pastime for a reason. It remains the one sport kids play from a young age and remain active in through high school in many cases. There ar

Wilber Dotel looks like a Pirates success story but still comes with one huge questionThe Pittsburgh Pirates' pitching was a mixed bag in 2026, providing both optimism and concern for 2027. The bullpen was a major issue in the first half, but the

Pirates should be embarrassed watching MLB’s smallest markets dominate OctoberThe Pittsburgh Pirates have spent years explaining all the ways baseball's economic system makes their job harder. Then October arrives, and teams facing many o

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Astros pending free agents: Who should stay, who should goIt's going to be a busy offseason for the Astros, who have a lot of decisions to make on their roster.

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Build a World Series Champ 🎮Tap to play. Share your record in the comments ⬇️

Spencer Horwitz’s Super Two status quietly makes Pirates’ offseason math more complicatedThe Pittsburgh Pirates knew their young core was eventually going to become more expensive. For some of that core, “eventually” is starting to arrive a little e

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How every MLB owner made their fortune, from Stan Kroenke to Steve CohenMLB owners are worth billions of dollars. This is nothing new. While most are in the business of private equity or even gain net worth courtesy of their team al

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10 songs every angry Astros fan needs on their postseason rage playlistAstros fans, you have anger, rage, and frustration to get out of your body. These songs will help you.

Pirates giving Brandon Lowe qualifying offer will be their easiest (and most fruitless) offseason callThe Pittsburgh Pirates' biggest Brandon Lowe decision this offseason should also be their easiest. Give him the qualifying offer. Lowe is headed for free agency

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Ranking MLB's Top 50 Rookies 🔢Where Pittsburgh's first-year players stand across the league 📲

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Astros should move on from Christian Walker — Here’s who could replace himWalker has underwhelmed in two seasons in Houston and the team should move on. Here's how they could do it.

Pirates should be watching Milwaukee’s 2-0 lead as an offseason blueprintThe Milwaukee Brewers are one win away from the NLCS, and the Pittsburgh Pirates should be paying very close attention to how they got there. Thre Brewers didn’

Mason Montgomery is Pirates breakout star for 2026Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Mason Montgomery is coming off an excellent 2026 campaign.

Andrew McCutchen’s MLB Network gig offers an intriguing glimpse at his post-Pirates futureAndrew McCutchen has spent nearly two decades making himself one of baseball’s most recognizable players. His latest October assignment offers a pretty convinci

What could life look like after Jeremy Pena for the Astros?Pena has established himself as the second-best player on the team behind Yordan Alvarez. Here are the potential plans for Houston if they move on from their A

White Sox’s stunning playoff run makes Pirates’ endless rebuild look even worseThe Chicago White Sox lost 121 games two years ago. It was the most losses by an MLB team in the Modern Era, the kind of season that ordinarily becomes shorthan

Players Who Were Worse Than You Think in 2026 ⚾Breaking down which Astro didn't perform as well as expected this year 📲

Every Playoff Team's October X-Factor ❌Each squad's key to crushing the MLB postseason

Realistic Offseason Trade Ideas 💡Assessing how the Brewers and Pirates could make a move ➡️

Should the Houston Astros trade Yainer Diaz? The catcher decision isn’t that simpleA new GM must weigh whether Diaz' positive bat will outweigh his negative defense, and if so, for how long?

Paul Skenes’ historic arbitration raise should eliminate Pirates’ favorite offseason excusePaul Skenes is about to get a massive raise. For the Pittsburgh Pirates, it still isn't massive enough to justify pinching pennies anywhere else. MLB Trade Rumo

Pirates urged to make trade with division rivalThe Pittsburgh Pirates could be busy on the trade market this offseason.

Braves just showed Pirates what a bullpen game is supposed to look like in masterclass vs. DodgersAfter the Pittsburgh Pirates spent the final weeks of the 2026 season trying to survive bullpen games, the Atlanta Braves just used one to beat the defending Wo

Oneil Cruz's surprising ranking adds sting to Pirates' lost opportunityAs the MLB playoffs rage on, the Pittsburgh Pirates sit home; it's hard not to stop and think about what could have been. After an embarrassing 71-91 campaign l

How to rebuild the Astros pitching staff: who stays, who goes, new targetsPitching was the backbone of the Astros dynasty era, and the biggest reason for this season's failures.

Pirates dumped Ke'Bryan Hayes before his bat made heinous history for the RedsThe Pirates have reveled in first-round pick success of late, seeing Paul Skenes, Konnor Griffin, Carmen Mlodzinski, and Nick Gonzales blossom, but that win str

Espada isn't Dusty, but the numbers say he deserves to be Astros managerEspada was tasked to do far more with much less, and the numbers say he absolutely did.

Don Kelly’s entire lifetime puts Pirates’ postseason drought into brutal perspectiveDon Kelly is no spring chicken. He has nine big-league seasons under his belt as a player and just wrapped up his first full season as Pirates manager, leading

MLB Division Series Game 1 Recap 🎬Results, top highlights and more from every matchup Saturday 📲

Pirates' bold Kyle Schwarber offer could come back to haunt them with Brandon LoweThe Pittsburgh Pirates may have accidentally destroyed one of their own potential excuses for letting Brandon Lowe walk. Last offseason, Pittsburgh reportedly o

Astros arbitration eligible players: who should stay and who should goThe Astros have a lot of decisions to make, and status quo is definitely not the way to go.

Pirates' first offseason signing rumor gets debunked in fittingly lame twistFor a few hours, it looked like the Pittsburgh Pirates had made their first move of the offseason. Somehow, the truth was even less exciting. A transactions log

Four personnel decisions the Astros have to make this offseasonThe Houston Astros are at a crossroads, and hard decisions are coming this offseason.

Jared Jones, Mason Montgomery earn National League award honors for SeptemberThe Pirates’ pitching staff received elite efforts from two of their hardest- throwing arms.

ABS Challenge Success Rate 📈How every MLB team did in first season with system 📲

Pirates insider predicts Brandon Lowe heartbreak fans are already fearingPittsburgh Pirates fans have known for months that Brandon Lowe’s looming free agency could end painfully. Now, one prominent insider is predicting exactly that

MLB Divisional Round Picks 🔮Predicting winners in postseason's next round 📲

Yordan Alvarez stayed healthy and put together an MVP season for the AstrosWhen you line up the competition, no one really compares with Yordan's 2026 season.

Luis Arraez Landing Spots 📍Why the Pirates would be a great fit for Philly's star second baseman 📲

MLB Rules Out Grand Teton GameRob Manfred won't pursue idea after doing 'due diligence' (The Athletic)

Jared Jones, Konnor Griffin just added pressure to Pirates’ Brandon Lowe decisionA lot of moving pieces came together to bring forth the Pittsburgh Pirates' offensive resurgence in 2026, but the single most integral part of the turnaround wa

Every MLB Team's Biggest Surprise and Disappointment ⚾Breaking down notable highlights and lowlights of Houston's 2026 season 📲

Pirates fans delivered a message ownership can’t afford to overlook in 2027The Pittsburgh Pirates spent years giving ownership an easy excuse. Attendance was down. Interest had eroded. Fans were frustrated. PNC Park was too often fille

Red Sox fans only know half the pain that Pirates fans do after another postseason flameoutLosing to the Yankees stinks, but it doesn't compare to what we saw a decade ago.

Astros' Tatsuya Imai's $18M decision: money or happiness?Let's be real. If he were happy here or wanted to be here, Tatsuya Imai would have emphatically said he's opting in. He didn't say anything close to that.

Pirates ownership has spent 13 years turning the ‘Cueto’ game from a beginning into a relicOctober 1 will always mean something different in Pittsburgh. Thirteen years ago today, PNC Park shook. It shook with 40,000-plus fans who had waited more than

Kevin Gausman, Shota Imanaga's Top Suitors 🛬Where Cubs' top SP free agents could end up signing ➡️

From dynasty to rebuild: the Houston Astros must finally face their new realityEndings hurt, but they offer the chance for something new and fun again.

Pirates finally fixed baseball’s most embarrassing offense, raising the stakes for 2027A huge improvement still wasn't enough this season.

White Sox Eliminate AstrosChicago gets 1st postseason series victory since 2005 and will face Guardians in ALDS

Ben Cherington’s Brandon Lowe comments already sound like Pirates are preparing an excusePittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said virtually everything fans could want to hear about Brandon Lowe, but he also said one thing that should m

Wild Card Game 2 Slate Recap ✍️3 out of 4 matchups officially set. Results and top highlights from each Wednesday game 📲

Ben Cherington's biggest Pirates roster failures are hiding in plain sight on playoff benchesIf you want a perfect illustration of everything wrong with the Pittsburgh Pirates' roster construction under general manager Ben Cherington, look no further th

Big Jose Altuve HR 💪

B/R Walk-Off

@BRWalkoff

JOSE ALTUVE 💥 Astros cut the deficit to one run in the 4th inning 👀 (via @MLB)

Cam Smith Solo HR 🚊

MLB

@MLB

Cam Smith homers to the train tracks 😯

Jeremy Peña Solo HR 🚀

Mattingly, Espada on Hot SeatPhillies, Astros managers likely out if teams can't make deep postseason run (The Athletic)

Astros fans are booing what Pirates fans have spent decades begging forThere are few things more frustrating for Pittsburgh Pirates fans than watching other fan bases take October baseball for granted. But the Houston Astros might

Four questionable decisions doom Astros in Wild Card round openerIn the regular season, the Astros do a great job of staying even-keeled and not overemphasizing any one game of 162. The Wild Card round is Best-of-3.

White Sox Game 2 Lineup 📝

Chicago White Sox

@whitesox

Game 2 🔜

Astros players and fans are frustrated, but now isn’t the time to turn on each otherHouston fans have stood behind the Astros through championships, heartbreak, scandal, and everything in between. Frustration won't change that.

MLB Postseason Buzz 👂

🎯 Wild Card picks 👀 Manager situations 📳 LIVE with insider Jon Heyman

5 Teams That Can Dethrone the DodgersAnalyzing which squads have the best chance to beat reigning champions 📲

Former Pirate Joe Musgrove had an unforgettable playoff moment nearly two years in the makingThe Pittsburgh Pirates may be watching the MLB postseason from home for the 11th consecutive year, but one of their former pitchers just delivered one of Octobe

Astros Pitcher Calls Out Fans 😳Bennett Sousa unhappy with home crowd after Game 1 loss

Pirates’ September award sweep makes one offseason need impossible to ignoreThe Pittsburgh Pirates’ best month of the 2026 season came too late to salvage their playoff aspirations, but it produced a fitting pair of individual honors. J

Pirates Prospect update: Seth Hernandez named top MLB Prospect in FSLThe Pirates’ top prospect is atop the Florida State League!

Wild Card Game 1 Slate Recap ✍️Results and top highlights from all of Tuesday's matchups 📲

White Sox Silence Astros 🤫South Siders take Wild Card Game 1 to get first postseason win since 2021 📲

Altuve Legs Out Single 🦵

B/R Walk-Off

@BRWalkoff

Jose Altuve's infield single keeps the Astros alive in the 8th 👀 (via @MLB)

Pirates’ record-setting strikeout total exposes clear next step for pitching staffTime to turn that dominance into wins.

Astros Smash 2-Run HR 💣

MLB

@MLB

The Astros are on the board 🚀 Nelson Velázquez smashes a 2-run homer! #Postseason

Mariners managerial search could leave Pirates scrambling for replacement on Don Kelly's staffThe Pittsburgh Pirates aren't expected to make sweeping changes to Don Kelly's coaching staff this offseason. That doesn't necessarily mean the group will remai

Astros Wild Card roster features surprise name that could shuffle Yordan Alvarez, Jose AltuveThe Houston Astros' Wild Card roster includes Raynel Delgado, which could lead to a curious plan for Yordan Alvarez and Jose Altuve.

Ranking Postseason Starting Lineups 🔢Where the Astros' offense stands going into October ➡️

Astros' Wild Card Roster 🚀

Matt Kawahara

@matthewkawahara

Astros roster for the wild card round:

Complete list of Pirates 2026-27 free agents and their outlookThe Pittsburgh Pirates don't have a particularly long list of major league free agents this offseason. They do, however, have one decision that could tell us a

MLB Wild Card Rosters 📝Check our your squad's postseason team here 📲

Pirates already missed the window to make Ben Cherington decision that matteredBen Cherington expects to be back for an eighth season as general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates. At this point, does it really matter? Cherington said that

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Pirates get first winning season since 2018It was a winning season despite no playoffs for the Bucs.

Pirates gave opponents an embarrassingly simple blueprint that might've kept them out of playoffsThe 2026 season saw the Pittsburgh Pirates improve massively on offense. After finishing dead last in nearly every significant category in 2025, the Pirates fin

AJ Blubaugh Starting Game 1

Chandler Rome

@Chandler_Rome

The Astros are starting AJ Blubaugh in Game 1 tomorrow against the White Sox, sources tell @TheAthletic.

Pirates’ Camilo Doval misfire somehow looks even worse after one Giants appearanceThe Camilo Doval trade already looked bad for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Somehow, it took exactly one inning with the San Francisco Giants for it to look worse. Pi

ABS Increased MLB Game Times ➕Average time to play nine innings up nearly 4 minutes from last year (AP)

🚨 MLB Playoff Bracket SET 🔒😱 Astros on wrong end of history 🔔 Phillies taking on Braves 📲 Recap of final day

MLB Round-by-Round Playoffs Predictions 🔮How the Astros will fare starting in the wild card round ➡️

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Astros Get a Clean Slate in October as Playoff Baseball Returns to HoustonOctober baseball means everything that happened all year long no longer matters.

Brandon Lowe’s wife may have accidentally raised the stakes for Pirates’ offseasonBrandon Lowe's future with the Pittsburgh Pirates was already going to be one of the biggest storylines of the offseason. Then his wife may have unintentionall

Explaining Playoff Bracket ✍️Everything to know about Wild Card format, Divisional Series and more 📲

Final Regular Season Power Rankings 📊How the Pirates finished out the year 📲

Pirates may learn replacing Brandon Lowe is the more expensive optionThe Pittsburgh Pirates are going to have to pay somebody this offseason. The question is whether they finally realize the easiest person to pay might be Brandon

Last Day of Regular Season 🔥Phillies grab final Wild Card spot. Astros take AL West. Full recap here 📲

Playoff Field Finalized ♨️Standings after Phillies clinch, Astros win division 📲

Astros vs. Athletics (09/27/2026)

Full highlights from Houston Astros' 9-0 win vs. Oakland Athletics 🎥

Pirates vs. Tigers (09/27/2026)

Full highlights from Pittsburgh Pirates' 4-2 win vs. Detroit Tigers 🎥

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Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Detroit Tigers: Jared Jones vs. River RyanThe Pirates are on the road looking to grab a win today.

Pirates’ Don Kelly had a front-row seat for both ends of Justin Verlander’s legendary careerLong before Don Kelly was managing the Pittsburgh Pirates, he was standing at third base wondering what exactly the Detroit Tigers had just unleashed on profess

Biggest Winners/Losers of MLB Season 📊8 players and teams that have stood out this season for good and bad 📲