The Pittsburgh Pirates’ final series before the midseason All-Star break came at home against the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers. The series would feature a doubleheader on Saturday, due to a rainout the night before.
After the sweep, the Pirates went into the All-Star break with a record of 50-47, which should hopefully help them build momentum for the rest of the season.
History Repeats Itself?
For the first time since 2015, the Pirates have won 50 or more games at the midpoint, and it’s the first time since 2016 that they are above .500.
The 2015 season is interesting to look back upon. That season was the last time the Pirates played in a playoff game, which gives some hope for this season, but importantly, the Pirates swept the NL Central-winning St. Louis Cardinals right before the 2015 All-Star break, as they just did to the Brewers.
This sweep holds more meaning than just an incidental pattern from 11 years ago; it gives Pirates fans hope. The Pirates continue to battle and win even when it seems they have been written off. Coming into the series at 47-47 and after dropping two straight to the Atlanta Braves, the Pirates desperately needed this series to build some momentum and not fall under .500 at the break.
The Battlin’ Bucs
In that series, the Pirates played some of their most inspiring baseball. The moniker of “The Battlin’ Bucs” was proven true once again. Down 6-3 with the bases loaded, rookie Esmerlyn Valdez stepped up to the plate and hit a lead-taking grand slam, his second home run of the game.
The Magician, as Valdez has become known as, completely flipped the game around and quite possibly the season. In the second game of the doubleheader, Valdez would hit his third home run of the day.
All three of Valdez’s home runs gave the Pirates the lead. He also hit a go-ahead RBI single that day, which gave him four go-ahead hits, something no MLB player had ever done in one day.
Historic Offense in Pittsburgh
Valdez’s historic performance was the icing on the cake for how good this Pirates offense has been. The offense currently ranks first in runs and batting average, and second in OPS and total bases. In 2025, the Pirates hit 117 home runs; in 2026 they have hit 125, and there are still 65 games left.
The Pirates, who baseball fans associate with being awful, had one of the worst offenses in baseball last season. This season is proving to be a complete turnaround. They currently have one of the best offenses in the league.
A worst-to-best turnaround like this has not been seen since the 1980s. In 1986, the St. Louis Cardinals had the fewest runs at the All-Star break, but in 1987 they had the most and made the World Series. Hopefully history can repeat itself almost four decades later.
The Pirates have improved their win total by the fourth most of any team from the 2025 All-Star break (39 wins) to the 2026 All-Star break (50 wins).
Pirates Returners Are Right Around the Corner
The Pirates offense has been phenomenal, but some of their main bats have not been contributing as of late because of injury. Star center fielder Oneil Cruz has missed over a month with a left hand injury, first baseman Spencer Horwitz strained his left hamstring on June 24, and catcher Endy Rodriguez strained his left glute on July 5.
All three of these guys have been major contributors to the Pirates offense. Cruz, known for power and speed, has 14 homers and 21 stolen bases in just 64 games played. Horwitz, the primary leadoff man for Don Kelly, is batting .280 this season with 33 RBIs. The first baseman has hit 10 home runs this season, four of those coming in the first inning as the leadoff man.
Rodriguez has brought much-needed hitting to the catcher room that has struggled this season. Through 35 games, Rodriguez is batting .260 with 5 home runs.
Cruz and Horwitz are continuing to progress and ramp up their baseball activity in Florida, according to José Negron. Both players are likely to return sometime before the end of July, and the team should announce a specific return date soon. For Rodriguez, his injury is only Grade 1, so he should not miss much more time outside of his 10-Day IL assignment.
Getting these bats back soon will be beneficial to an already powerful Pirates’ offense.
What Does the Pirates’ Road Ahead Look Like?
Currently, the Pirates sit in fourth place in the NL Central, 9.5 games behind the first-place Brewers. Out of the five squads in the division, the Pirates have the best record over their last 10 games, winning seven of those.
The Buccos have the seventh-hardest strength of schedule remaining at .510. Some of the best teams they will play include the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees, as well as three teams from their own division, which will be key in working their way up the NL Central standings.
The Pirates sweeping the Brewers means more than just a few random wins in July. It shows they can compete and dominate the best of the best. It gives both the team and the fan base real hope for more winning baseball in Pittsburgh and a playoff push come October.
As of now, the Pirates sit 2.0 games out of a Wild Card spot with about as much hype and promise for the second half of the season in over a decade.
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