There are plenty of reasons why the Pittsburgh Pirates are headed in the wrong direction during the second half of the season.
When the Pittsburgh Pirates wrapped up the first half of the 2026 season and went into the All-Star break, they were just two games out of the final National League Wild Card spot.
The Pirates emerged as a legit playoff threat through the first few months of the season, but now the hope of returning to the postseason is nearly gone, with Pittsburgh 7.0 games back.
The question on everyone’s mind is: what’s to blame for the Pirates’ second-half collapse? There’s more than just one reason, and here are three of the big ones.
Pittsburgh’s Fading Offense
Heading into the Midsummer Classic, the Pirates had arguably the best lineup in all of baseball. Their .768 OPS and 110 wRC+ each ranked second in all of baseball. After years of Pittsburgh having one of the worst offenses in baseball, it suddenly looked like the team’s biggest strength.
Those numbers have completely flipped during the second half of the season. From mid-July to the end of August, the Pirates have a .638 OPS and a 75 wRC+.
Pittsburgh has gone from the second-best lineup in baseball to the second-worst in a matter of weeks, and that just simply isn’t a recipe for success.
Aug 22, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA;Pittsburgh Pirates manager Don Kelly (12) walks to the dugout after a pitching change against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn ImagesStarting Pitching No Longer Pittsburgh’s Strength
Paul Skenes has faced a lot of criticism this season for his inconsistencies on the mound as of late. While some of that criticism has been valid, he’s far from the only pitcher struggling to find consistency in Pittsburgh’s rotation.
The starting rotation as a whole has been far from Pittsburgh’s strength this year, especially in the second half.
As a group, the Pirates have a 4.61 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP since the All-Star break, both of which rank in the back half of the league. Perhaps the most concerning stat is the Pirates' hard-hit rate of 42.8 percent over this stretch; it certainly looks like opposing teams have started to figure out this young group.
The rotation has long been Pittsburgh’s main strength as a team, but not during the second half of 2026.
Pittsburgh’s Mounting Injuries
Every team faces injuries over a 162-game season; it’s inevitable. The Pirates are not alone in this
Konnor Griffin, Ryan O’Hearn, Mitch Keller, and Endy Rodriguez have all spent a long chunk of the second half of the season on the injured list. Those are some key players that Pittsburgh relied on to come up with big moments, but they just haven’t been available.
In the long term, each of these issues can be fixed, but time is running out for the Pirates to right the ship in 2026.
