PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Pirates have another series they must win, and it begins with their starting pitching.
The Pirates host the Los Angeles Angels at PNC Park this weekend, Sept. 4-6, the final series of their six-game homestand.
Pittsburgh will have its best starting pitchers for this series, with Jared Jones taking the mound in the series opener on Sept. 4, Braxton Ashcraft starting on Sept. 5 and then Paul Skenes closing it out in the series finale on Sept. 6.
Los Angeles will have right-handed pitchers, Ryan Johnson for the series opener and Walbrecht Urea, plus left-handed pitcher Yusei Kukuchi for the series finale.
The Pirates moved Jones' start back a day, as he was originally set for the series finale vs. the San Francisco Giants at PNC Park on Sept. 3, but the coaching staff gave him some extra rest instead.
Pittsburgh went with a bullpen game against the Giants instead, which worked out, holding them them to just two hits in the 5-2 win, with five pitchers combining for nine innings in the victory, including three innings for rookie right-hander Khristian Curtis.
Sep 3, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Khristian Curtis (64) pitches against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Jones is coming off an August where he struggled , posting a 0-4 record in five starts, a 7.40 ERA over 20.2 innings pitched, 25 strikeouts to 12 walks, a .318 batting average allowed and a 1.94 WHIP.
He finished as one of the worst pitchers in the month , with at least 20 innings pitched, tied for the second-highest WHIP, fourth-highest BAA and the sixth-highest ERA.
Jones last started vs. the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on Aug. 28, where he posted six strikeouts, but also gave up seven hits, three runs and a two-run home run in the 4-1 defeat.
This extra day of rest should give Jones what he needs to fix his issues on the mound and start a strong final month.
The best starting pitcher for the Pirates in August was Ashcraft and it wasn't particularly close either.
Ashcraft posted a 4-1 record in six starts, a 2.13 ERA over 38.0 innings pitched, 29 strikeouts to five walks, a .176 BAA and a 0.74 WHIP.
Aug 24, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Braxton Ashcraft (35) delivers during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
He was one of the best MLB pitchers in August, with the second-most innings pitched, tied for the third-most wins, fifth-lowest BB/9 (1.18), 10th-best K/BB (5.88) and the 15th-lowest ERA.
Ashcraft threw a complete game against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park on Aug. 13 and almost did the same vs. the Detroit Tigers at PNC Park on Aug. 18, finishing just short at eight innings.
He was close to another great start his last time out against the Cardinals on Aug. 30, before giving up a few hits and two runs in the fifth inning, but he still got the win in the 5-4 victory.
Ashcraft is well beyond his career-high in innings pitched, 160.1, 14th-most in baseball this season.
The Pirates are keeping his injury history in mind, but with how well he's pitched , it's hard for them to take him off the mound in most starts.
It's Skenes' first start against the Angels, who he grew up rooting for in Lake Forest, Calif., marking one of the last teams he's not faced in his career.
The only teams that Skenes hasn't pitched against are the Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers, all American League teams.
Sep 1, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) delivers a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Skenes is coming off his last start vs. the San Francisco Giants at PNC Park on Sept. 1, where he gave up five runs in the second inning, including a three-run home run to Rafael Devers.
He lasted just 4.2 innings, throwing 95 pitches, giving up eight hits and three walks and struggled with command throughout.
Skenes didn't take the start too hard, noting he didn't find that command early on, but he also couldn't locate his four-seam fastball, which the Giants took advantage of.
It looked like Skenes turned it around after throwing six scoreless innings vs. the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Aug. 25, but his almost four-month slump continues.
The Angels are one of the worst-hitting teams in baseball, with Skenes having a good opportunity to forget his start vs. the Giants and pitch the way the Pirates know he can .
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/pirates/onsi as Pirates Starting Pitchers Have Big Opportunity Against Angels .
