After an offseason in which the Pirates made a handful of moves to beef up a roster that went 71-91 in 2025, Pittsburgh saw an up-and-down first half. They now come to the Bronx for their only series of the season against the Yankees, looking to make up some ground in the tight NL Central race. Outside of the last-place Reds, every team in their division is above the .500 mark, including the Bucs, who are 52-48 and 10.5 games out of first but in possession of a Wild Card spot. They have the second-longest playoff drought in baseball, as they haven\u2019t made it to October since getting blanked by the Cubs in the 2015 NL Wild Card Game.<\/p>\n
While the Yankees split a doubleheader against the Los Angeles Dodgers to finish out their series, Pirates ace Paul Skenes posted a strong seven innings with eight strikeouts and only one earned run on seven hits in a 7-1 victory against Cleveland. And while Yankees fans won\u2019t be able to see Skenes in person this season, they\u2019ll still get plenty of exciting action against a Pirates team that\u2019s looking to continue its fight toward the postseason.<\/p>\n
So let\u2019s take a look at what\u2019s in store.<\/p>\n
Monday – Ryan Weathers vs. Braxton Ashcraft (7:05 pm Eastern)<\/p>\n
Following a relatively decent start to the season, it feels as if Ryan Weathers has fallen back down to Earth. He will take the mound in the opener of the three-game set against the Pirates, hoping to get back on track after seeing his team lose in three of his last games pitched. His last outing against the Nationals was a step in the right direction, as he pitched 5.1 innings and, despite allowing six hits, he only allowed one run. He also registered six strikeouts on 91 pitches.<\/p>\n
Weathers sits with a 3-7 record and a 4.15 ERA, just slightly worse than the Yankees pitcher taking the mound the next night (which we\u2019ll talk about in a moment), but against a Pirates team that has struggled against left-handed pitchers on the road, he may have the chance to get back to the level he wants to be at now that the second-half of the season is underway.<\/p>\n
On the other side of the equation is Braxton Ashcraft, who made headlines around the Pirates and MLB for his first career All-Star appearance this year in Philadelphia for the NL. He replaced Skenes after the ace was voted to the team, but was unable to pitch following an outing against the Brewers the Sunday before the All-Star festivities. The 2018 second-round prep pick has earned recognition in his own right, though.<\/p>\n
Playing in his first full MLB season, Ashcraft, 26, has started 19 games and has pitched 113.1 innings. Along with his 128 strikeouts, he has a 9-3 record entering his first start following his appearance in Philadelphia and a 3.49 ERA. And although his last start at Milwaukee ended in a no-decision, the four prior to that were all wins for the Bucs. Monday will be the first time Ashcraft will face the Yankees in his career, and it\u2019s surely a relief to not have to face Aaron Judge or Giancarlo Stanton in the process.<\/p>\n
Tuesday \u2014 Will Warren vs. Bubba Chandler (7:05 pm Eastern)<\/p>\n
Will Warren and Weathers have been somewhat indistinguishable at the back end of the rotation. However, both of them continue to be as important now as ever, with the Yankees waiting on the return of the two star left-handers, Max Fried and Carlos Rod\u00f3n.<\/p>\n
Like Weathers, the last five outings for Warren have been underwhelming. Three of them have been losses, and the other two were no-decisions. In fact, the last time Warren walked away from a game with a win to his name was all the way back on May 31st after six strong innings against the A\u2019s (the same day as the 13-run inning<\/a>). He went 4-1 in May, and that was his third win in a row, butit\u2019s been downhill since June, with the Yankees going 3-4 in his last seven games.<\/p>\n Additionally, the last time Warren went six or more innings was that game against the A\u2019s. The closest he got was in two straight starts \u2014 the first against Cincinnati and the second against the Red Sox \u2014 where he pitched 5.2 innings across 90 pitches each. But the start of the second half gives Warren a chance to begin somewhat anew and improve on his first-half numbers. However, he\u2019ll have his work cut out for him on the other side of the equation.<\/p>\n The Pirates are going to throw out another one of their young guns who can throw absolute heat: Bubba Chandler. The 23-year-old right-hander averages 98.6 mph on his fastball, and he has another five pitches that he uses occasionally, but it\u2019s more like a three-pitch mix than anything. The next-highest after his fastball, which sits at 47.9-percent usage, is his slider at 18.7 percent, and his changeup at just 16.9 percent. Chandler also has a sinker, a sweeper, and a curveball.<\/p>\n However, while he has the arsenal and the arm talent, Chandler\u2019s first full MLB season hasn\u2019t gone to plan. He has a 3-8 record, a 4.77 ERA, and 85 strikeouts over 94.1 innings pitched, good for a 92 ERA+. A huge problem for him has been walks, as he leads the entire league with 55 issued. So for the Yankees, if they want to help their starter out, discipline will be the key in the batter\u2019s box.<\/p>\n Wednesday \u2014 Gerrit Cole vs. Mitch Keller (12:35 pm Eastern)<\/p>\n