A tough NL Central stretch could reveal if the Pittsburgh Pirates can truly compete.
It is probably too early in the season to say that a stretch of 10 games that began Friday night will define the 2026 Pittsburgh Pirates. However, that run of intradivision games should at least begin to show how Pittsburgh stacks up in a surprisingly strong National League Central.
The Pirates started the stretch on the right foot on Friday night by blanking the Brewers 6-0 in Milwaukee. Ace Paul Skenes took a perfect game into the seventh inning. Shortstop Konnor Griffin celebrated his days of being a teenage phenom end by hitting his first major-league home run on his 20th birthday.
Pittsburgh improved to 15-11 a year after finishing last in the NL Central. A month into this season, the Pirates are in third place in a division in which all five teams are over .500.
The Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds are tied at the top of the standings with 17-9 records. The St. Louis Cardinals are 14-11, and the three-time defending champion Milwaukee Brewers are 13-12.
Pittsburgh plays three games against the Brewers in a series that ends on Sunday. The Pirates then have a seven-game homestand next week at PNC Park with four games against the Cardinals and three against the Cubs.
While the schedule focuses on division rivals, Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly cautions against overemphasizing those matchups.
"We’ve stressed that every game matters," Kelly told reporters on Friday. "I think that’s one thing I’ve been really proud of the guys for. Regardless of what has happened in prior games, we’ve continued to compete really well. Messaging from the beginning, stressing that every single game matters. Show up, dominate today, and get after it. Whatever happens in that game, rinse, repeat, and show up tomorrow. I think the guys have done a really good job of that."
The Pirates have been consistent. They have not lost consecutive games since dropping the first two of the season to the Mets in New York.
Pittsburgh has alternated wins and losses in its last 13 games. That may not sound like a great accomplishment, but it is progress for a franchise that hasn’t had a winning season since 2017. Kelly believes it is an indicator of his team’s resiliency and what is to come for the Pirates.
"I don’t believe we’ve played our best baseball yet,” Kelly said. “There are things that we can get better at. We can continue to grow and learn from these experiences and keep competing. I think that’s the thing I’ve been most impressed with, the way that we’ve shown up every day with that competitive mindset. Regardless of what happens, continue to give it everything we’ve got."
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