Jared Jones leads Pirates to fifth consecutive win

Colin Beazley, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Sep 22, 2026

Published in Baseball

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PITTSBURGH — Jared Jones got a standing ovation as he left the field in the seventh. It’s a sight he seems to be getting used to.

Jones allowed one baserunner — a softly hit double in the sixth — in seven shutout innings on Tuesday night, leading the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 2-0 win against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park. Luke Weaver and Gregory Soto finished off the one-hitter.

It’s the third time this season that Jones has taken a no-hit bid into the sixth inning or later. He has a 1.13 ERA in four September starts.

The Pirates have won five in a row. They’re now 80-77.

It was a cool September night, a matchup of two eliminated teams. But for five-plus innings, it felt as if something unforgettable could happen. Jones was dominant from the start, striking out the first two hitters of the game and throwing just 59 pitches across the first five innings.

The lone blemish, if you could call it that, came in the sixth. Jones threw an 0-2 fastball inside to Cardinals left fielder Nathan Church, well out of the strike zone. Church swung and was jammed, blooping a 53.7 mph hit up the third base line. Jacob Gonzalez was playing well off the line with a left-handed hitter up, sprinted, then dove, but could not reach the ball just off the infield dirt.

And that was the lone baserunner Jones allowed. He struck out nine, throwing 86 pitches and 63 strikes. He racked up 18 whiffs, including 11 on his four-seam fastball.

The Pirates finally gave him some support in the sixth. Cardinals right-hander Andre Pallante had allowed just two hits in five innings: a Spencer Horwitz double in the third and Konnor Griffin’s triple in the fifth.

Oneil Cruz drew a one-out walk against Pallante in the sixth, moved to second on a groundout, then scored on Ryan O’Hearn’s opposite-field, two-out single.

Another walk bit the Cardinals in the seventh. Lefty Justin Bruihl walked Horwitz to start the frame, then Griffin singled him to second and a Brandon Lowe flyout was deep enough for Horwitz to advance to third. When right-hander Cade Winquest came in and spiked a two-strike curveball for a wild pitch, Horwitz scored easily.

It was over when …

Soto made things interesting in the ninth, but recorded his 16th save. He threw six consecutive balls to start the inning, allowing just the second baserunner of the night for St. Louis, but struck out JJ Wetherholt and Ivan Herrera before an Alec Burleson flyout.

Mason Montgomery, who is currently on a streak of 24 consecutive scoreless appearances, has been used heavily of late. He has appeared 12 times in the last 24 days and had noticeably decreased fastball velocity in his last outing.

On the mound

Jones leaned heavily on his fastball, but it seemed all four pitches were working. He threw his four-seamer 60% of the time.

Seven of nine strikeouts came on the pitch, with Jones also drawing a strikeout on the curveball and slider.

After a shaky August, Jones has been excellent in September. Three of his four starts have been scoreless, all spanning more than six innings, and he’s racked up 34 strikeouts in 24 innings. He is expected to make one final start on the season’s final day in Detroit.

Weaver struck out three batters in the eighth, working around a two-out walk.

At the plate

Jones and Pallante combined to retire the first 17 batters of the game, with Horwitz the first baserunner in the third. His double was his first extra-base hit since Aug. 3.

The Pirates loaded the bases in the fourth without a hit. Bryan Reynolds reached on a catcher’s interference, followed by a Rafael Flores Jr. walk and O’Hearn reaching on an error.

O’Hearn’s grounder seemed to hit third baseman Thomas Saggese in the chest, and while Saggese fielded it, he tried to tag Reynolds running to third instead of throwing to first for the easy out.

Ronny Simon grounded into a fielder’s choice for the final out.

Bucs bites

— Reynolds doubled in the eighth inning, his league-high 40th of the season.

— The win gave the Pirates their 12th shutout victory of the season.

Up next

The Pirates and Cardinals will continue their three-game series on Wednesday at 6:40 p.m. ET. The Pirates have not yet announced who will open a bullpen game against St. Louis lefty Matthew Liberatore (5-14, 5.36 ERA).

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