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Lowe went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, a walk and two runs scored in Tuesday's 5-4 loss to the Nationals.
Lowe entered play Tuesday batting .105 with zero extra-base hits and a 0:6 BB:K across 19 plate appearances against left-handed pitching. Lefty PJ Poulin served as the opener for the Nationals, and Lowe took him deep on a 78 mph sweeper on the seventh pitch of the at-bat in the bottom of the first inning. It was Lowe's seventh homer of the season and fourth in the last three games. Lowe later walked and scored in his second plate appearance but was pinch-hit for in the bottom of the seventh with the bases loaded and left-hander Mitchell Parker on the mound for Washington. Nick Yorke promptly grounded into an inning-ending double play. Perhaps Lowe's first-inning long ball off the lefty will get him more chances to face southpaws moving forward. Lowe is slashing .268/.397/.679 with seven homers, 15 RBI, 11 runs scored and an 11:14 BB:K across 68 plate appearances.
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Pirates' Mitch Keller: Tagged for five runs in loss
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Keller (1-1) took the loss Monday against the Nationals, allowing five runs on six hits and four walks with three strikeouts across four innings.
Keller had turned in three straight six-inning quality starts to begin the season, so Tuesday was his first hiccup of the 2026 campaign. The Nationals attacked Keller early and often in this one, as the first five batters of the game reached base to push across three runs. CJ Abrams then swatted a solo home run off Keller in the third frame. Keller generated just seven whiffs on 90 pitches and walked four batters for the second time in four starts. The right-hander now owns a 2.86 ERA and 14:9 K:BB across 22 innings. He's slated to face the Rays at home Sunday in his next start.
Montgomery will serve as Pittsburgh's opening pitcher in Wednesday's game against the Nationals, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.
Montgomery got off to a rough start this season, giving up four earned runs over his first 3.1 innings, but he has since given up one run in 4.1 frames. The Pirates will now trust him with the first three batters of Wednesday's contest before handing the game over to Carmen Mlodzinski, who will work in bulk relief.
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Pirates' Nick Yorke: Sitting down Tuesday
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Yorke isn't in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Nationals.
Yorke will get a day off Tuesday after going 0-for-9 with three strikeouts over his last two games. Nick Gonzales will pick up a start at third base as a result and will bat sixth.
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Pirates' Henry Davis: Resting Tuesday
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Davis isn't in the lineup for Tuesday's game against Washington.
Davis will retreat to the bench Tuesday after going 2-for-4 with a walk, three runs scored and a steal in Monday's series opener. Joey Bart will handle catching duties instead and bat ninth.
Pirates' Mason Montgomery: Missing bats, rounding into form
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Montgomery has earned one win and three holds while posting a 7.11 ERA, 2.05 WHIP and 14:5 K:BB over 6.1 innings in seven appearances for the Pirates this season.
The ratios look ugly, but Montgomery has been better lately, allowing just one run with an 8:1 K:BB over his last four appearances. Acquired from Tampa Bay in the Brandon Lowe trade, Montgomery brings the heat from the left side (98.5 mph average fastball) and his breaking pitches all have whiff rates of 42 percent or higher. With manager Don Kelly keeping roles fluid at the back end of the bullpen, the door is open for Montgomery to eventually pick up some saves for Pittsburgh.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Stays scorching hot in rout
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Cruz went 2-for-3 with two walks, a stolen base, three RBI and three runs scored in Monday's 16-5 win over the Nationals.
Cruz continued his hot start, extending his hitting streak to 12 games while stuffing the stat sheet in another dominant performance. The 27-year-old's biggest swing came in Pittsburgh's 10-run sixth inning, when he ripped a 114.1 mph single off the right-field wall to drive in two runs. The dynamic shortstop has been one of baseball's most productive players early on, ranking among the league leaders in hits (22), home runs (5), RBI (16), batting average (.355), slugging percentage (.645) and OPS (1.074), while also sitting tied atop the NL in stolen bases (7). Through 16 games, Cruz looks every bit like the breakout star many expected and will look to continue his dominance at the plate as the season progresses.
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Pirates' Bryan Reynolds: Drives in four in three hit game
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Reynolds went 3-for-4 with a triple, a hit-by-pitch, a run scored and four RBI in Monday's 16-5 win over the Nationals.
In his second three-hit performance of the season, Reynolds helped spark Pittsburgh's massive sixth inning, ripping a bases-clearing triple off Jackson Rutledge -- his first of the season -- to jumpstart the club's 10-run frame. The 31-year-old has now hit safely in 11 of his first 16 games, including five multi-hit efforts. Through 72 plate appearances, Reynolds is slashing .290/.375/.484 with three home runs, 12 RBI, 12 runs and one stolen base.
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Pirates' Brandon Lowe: Continues power surge vs. Nats
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Lowe went 3-for-5 with a home run, a walk, five RBI and two runs scored in Monday's 16-5 win over the Nationals.
Lowe powered Pittsburgh's offense again Monday, driving in five runs and capping the club's 10-run sixth inning with his sixth homer of the season, a three-run shot off Brad Lord. It was the veteran second baseman's second hit of the frame and moved him into a tie for second in MLB in home runs. Lowe has been on an absolute tear with three homers and 10 RBI over his last two games, becoming the first player in Pirates history to record five RBI in back-to-back games. Through 65 plate appearances in 2026, the 31-year-old is slashing .278/.400/.678 with 14 RBI and a 186 wRC+, looking every bit like one of the league's most productive bats.
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Pirates' Paul Skenes: Dominates against Washington
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Skenes (3-1) earned the win Monday against the Nationals, allowing one run on one hit and one walk while striking out six over six innings.
After beginning the outing with back-to-back punchouts, the 23-year-old surrendered a solo homer to CJ Abrams in the first inning, but was nearly untouchable from that point forward. Skenes retired 16 of the next 17 batters and leaned heavily on his changeup, throwing a career-high 32 of them among his 88 pitches Monday. After a disastrous Opening Day outing in which he failed to escape the first, Skenes has responded emphatically, stringing together three consecutive starts with just one run allowed in each while winning all three. The right-hander looks to have rebounded back to the Cy Young-caliber form fantasy managers have come to expect, lowering his ERA to 4.00 while posting a 0.94 WHIP and 18:7 K:BB across 18 innings.
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Pirates' Anthony Solometo: Lands on MiLB IL
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Solometo (undisclosed) was placed on the 7-day injured list Friday, Anthony Murphy of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.
The nature of Solometo's injury is unclear at this time, though he'll miss at least the seven-day minimum while on the mend. He appeared in two games at Double-A Altoona before being placed on the injured list.
Pirates' Jared Jones: Uses full arsenal in live BP
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Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said that Jones (elbow) made use of all of his pitches during his most recent live batting practice session April 6, MLB.com reports.
Jones has been conducting his rehab from UCL surgery at the Pirates' facility in Florida, but he has returned to Pittsburgh this week and is scheduled to throw a side session in front of the coaching and medical staffs Tuesday, per Chris Halicke of DKPittsburghSports.com. The Pirates haven't revealed a timeline for when Jones might be cleared for a minor-league rehab assignment, but he could be ready to take that step soon since he's been able to face hitters in live BP for nearly two months. Jones won't be eligible for activation from the 60-day injured list until late May and will likely need close to the entire 30-day window to build up his pitch count during his rehab assignment.
Pirates' Marcell Ozuna: Sliding back to bench Monday
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Ozuna is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Nationals.
After a recent two-game benching, Ozuna returned to the starting nine for all three contests of the Pirates' series versus the Cubs over the weekend but went just 1-for-12 with a walk and four strikeouts. Now sitting on a lowly .070/.167/.070 slash line over 48 plate appearances on the season, Ozuna could be in line for a part-time role at designated hitter until he turns a corner at the dish.
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Pirates' Evan Sisk: Receives call from Triple-A
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The Pirates recalled Sisk from Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Sisk will be joining the big-league bullpen as a replacement for fellow lefty Hunter Barco, who had struggled with his control through his first four appearances and was unlikely to be available for Monday's game against the Nationals after tossing 1.2 innings the day before. The 28-year-old Sisk reached the majors for the first time in 2025, compiling a 3.57 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 25:10 K:BB In 17.2 innings over 19 appearances between stints with Kansas City and Pittsburgh.
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Pirates' Hunter Barco: Optioned to Indianapolis
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The Pirates optioned Barco to Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Barco cracked the Opening Day roster as a long reliever, but he was used sparingly and didn't pitch well on those occasions, allowing seven runs (five earned) with a 5:7 K:BB over seven innings of work. The southpaw will likely join the rotation at Indianapolis, where he can get stretched back out and wait for another opportunity in the majors.
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Pirates' Seth Hernandez: Dominant start to pro career
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Hernandez has a 1.29 ERA, 0.57 WHIP and 15:1 K:BB in seven innings through his first two starts for Single-A Bradenton.
He has a comical 56.0 K-BB% and shouldn't be at Single-A much longer. Hernandez looks the part of a future ace, he just needs to stay healthy on what could be a relatively quick path to the majors, relative to other prep pitchers. Already 19 and turning 20 in June, Hernandez is on track to reach High-A and Double-A before the end of his first pro season.
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