North Shore Nine: A Pittsburgh Pirates Podcast

The Pirates have played 84 games and now rank third in MLB in runs and RBI, second in OPS and OBP, and fourth in slugging. Jim and DiNardo break down how this offense has become one of the best in baseball and how sustainable these numbers might be. Brandon Lowe has already reached 20 home runs, while rookie Esmerlyn Valdez has made an immediate impact with five homers and a 1.001 OPS through his...

Esmerlyn Valdez and Tyler Callihan are giving the Pirates exactly what they need while Spencer Horwitz and Oneil Cruz are sidelined. Alex Stumpf breaks down the power both young hitters have shown, what stands out about their swings and why Pittsburgh’s depth finally looks different from a year ago. Ryan O’Hearn’s two-homer performance helped the Pirates avoid a sweep, but the bigger long-term que...

The Pirates blew an early four-run lead, failed to score during three separate bases-loaded opportunities and still walked away with a 9-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds. Esmerlyn Valdez homered for the third consecutive game, Tyler Callihan launched a three-run shot and Ryan O’Hearn went deep twice. The sixth, seventh and eighth hitters in the lineup combined to drive in all nine Pirates runs. Neil...

The Pittsburgh Pirates were one strike away from turning an entertaining, back-and-forth game into one of their best wins of the season. Instead, Gregory Soto allowed a three-run homer in the ninth inning, wasting Esmerlyn Valdez’s go-ahead pinch-hit homer and sending the Pirates to a brutal 9-7 loss against the Cincinnati Reds. Jim and Doug break down another failure from the Pirates bullpen, the...

Pirates pitching prospect Reinold Navarro possesses one of the most electric fastballs in the organization, and it may be one of the best pitches in all of Minor League Baseball. Jim and Anthony Murphy break down what makes the 19-year-old left-hander’s fastball so difficult to hit, the development of his slider and changeup, and the extreme strikeout numbers he has produced with Bradenton. There...

The Pirates fell back to .500 after another winnable Paul Skenes start slipped away in a 6-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Jim and Tyler break down Skenes’ concerning recent stretch, Konnor Griffin homering in his return from the injured list, big swings from Marcell Ozuna and Esmerlyn Valdez and another bullpen failure that leaves Pittsburgh at 41-41. Download our app! : https://apps.apple.com/us/...

Spencer Horwitz had become one of the Pirates’ most important hitters before a hamstring strain sent him to the injured list. Alex Stumpf breaks down just how much Horwitz has meant to the lineup, why Ryan O’Hearn gives Pittsburgh a capable replacement at first base, and whether Jake Mangum, Tyler Callihan and Esmerlyn Valdez can help make up the lost production. Plus, with Konnor Griffin nearing...

The Pittsburgh Pirates reached the halfway point at 41-40 and remain firmly in the National League Wild Card race, but their midseason report card is all over the place. Jim and Tyler grade every position group, the coaching staff and Ben Cherington’s front office. The outfield and revamped infield have carried the offense, while the bullpen, designated hitter spot and Marcell Ozuna signing receiv...

Cody and Doug breakdown today's 5-1 Pirates victory over Seattle! Henry Davis pled his case that he can still be valuable offensively, and Bubba Chandler continued to turn the corner as he works to become a solid rookie starter. Download our app! https://apps.apple.com/us/app/north-shore-nine/id6771171000 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.northshorenine.app Use Promo Code NS930 for...

The Pittsburgh Pirates have spent years cycling through temporary answers behind the plate. Alex Stumpf believes Endy Rodriguez may have finally ended that search. On today’s OffBeat, Alex traces the Pirates’ catching situation from Jacob Stallings through Henry Davis and Joey Bart before explaining how Endy has taken control of the position. His simpler swing, improved timing and patient approach...

The Pirates finally had one of those nights where everything actually looked easy. Tyler and Jim break down the 11-1 win over the Mariners, starting with Braxton Ashcraft and how much his curveball carried the outing. They talk through why this version of Ashcraft is so encouraging, what Ryan O’Hearn and Bryan Reynolds gave the lineup, Spencer Horwitz leaving the game, and another strong night fro...

The Pittsburgh Pirates had every chance to beat the Seattle Mariners and still walked away with a 3-2 loss. Pittsburgh collected nine hits, drew three walks and benefited from three Seattle errors, but stranded nine runners and repeatedly gave away scoring opportunities with poor execution and baserunning. Anthony DiNardo and Doug E. Fresh break down Nick Gonzales’ costly decision on the bases, Mi...

Don Kelly believes the Pirates are about to see a different Marcell Ozuna. Alex Stumpf remains far from convinced. Ozuna produced one of his better games of the season Tuesday, but his .598 OPS, continued swing-and-miss issues and lack of explosiveness still raise major concerns. Alex explains why a few productive at-bats do not prove Ozuna has turned a corner, what a legitimate turnaround would l...

Bryan Reynolds is riding a 12-game hitting streak, owns an OPS over 1.000 in June and has become the hitter the Pittsburgh Pirates need most with Oneil Cruz and Konnor Griffin injured. On today’s OffBeat, Alex Stumpf examines Reynolds’ legitimate All Star case, his production from both sides of the plate and why the Pirates may go only as far as their best hitter can take them until the lineup get...

Paul Skenes’ ERA is nearly a full run higher than it was last season, and people are beginning to wonder whether the Pirates ace is still the same pitcher. Jim and DiNardo dig into the underlying numbers, what has actually changed and how much Pittsburgh’s awful defense has hurt him. Then they turn their attention to a bullpen that remains one of the team’s biggest problems. The Pirates traded Joe...

The Pirates leave Colorado with a series loss that feels much bigger than two losses in the standings. Alex Stumpf breaks down the offensive struggles against left-handed pitching, costly defensive mistakes, bullpen concerns, and why this series could have long-term implications as Pittsburgh enters one of the toughest stretches of its schedule. Subscribe for daily Pirates coverage from North Shor...

The Pirates finally gave their pitching staff some support. After scoring just three runs over the first two games of the series, Pittsburgh broke through for eight runs and 13 hits in an 8-6 win over the Rockies to avoid a sweep in Colorado. Nick Gonzales got the offense rolling with a two-run homer, Bryan Reynolds continued his outstanding June with a three-run blast, and contributions came thro...

Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Brent Iredale joins Jim to rip a box of 2026 Bowman and talk about seeing his own First Bowman card for the first time. The Pirates’ 2025 seventh-round pick also explains why signing all those autographs took about 12 hours and which versions of his card he wants to collect. Iredale discusses growing up in Sydney, moving to New Mexico for junior college, playing at Arka...

The Pittsburgh Pirates wasted another winnable game at Coors Field, falling 2-1 to the Colorado Rockies after scoring only once and failing to bring home the tying run with the bases loaded in the ninth. Paul Skenes was not at his sharpest, but six innings and two runs should have been enough. DiNardo and Jim break down the game-ending interference call involving Billy Cook, another lifeless offen...

Wyatt Sanford entered the Pirates system as a glove-first shortstop with speed and questions about the bat. Less than two years later, his prospect profile looks completely different. Jim and Anthony Murphy break down the setup changes behind Sanford’s power surge at High-A Greensboro, where he hit 10 home runs and stole 21 bases through 48 games. They discuss his 112 mph maximum exit velocity, sm...

The Pirates looked dead offensively for most of the night before finally breaking through in the eighth inning against Colorado. Esmerlyn Valdez, Jared Triolo, Bryan Reynolds, and Nick Gonzales helped turn a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead, but the bullpen couldn't hold it. Tyler and Neil break down another frustrating loss, Bubba Chandler's strong outing, Don Kelly's bullpen decisions, the continued...

Braxton Ashcraft delivered the quality start the Pittsburgh Pirates desperately needed, helping them finally secure another series win. Now the rest of the rotation must follow his lead. Alex Stumpf explains why the Pirates cannot rely on their offense or struggling bullpen to carry them through the most difficult stretch of their schedule. Paul Skenes has not been as dominant, Mitch Keller contin...

FanGraphs prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen joins Jim, Tyler and DiNardo on WNS9+ for a complete breakdown of the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system. FanGraphs recently released its Pirates Top 50 prospect list, led by Konnor Griffin, Bubba Chandler, Seth Hernandez, Edward Florentino and Johan De Los Santos. Longenhagen also described Pittsburgh’s system as strong, with star talent at the top, near-re...

The Pittsburgh Pirates crushed the Athletics 12-4, secured another series victory and moved back above .500. Ryan O’Hearn drove in a career-high six runs, Braxton Ashcraft delivered another strong start and Bryan Reynolds continued his scorching month of June. Jim and Tyler break down the complete offensive performance, Ashcraft’s evolving pitch mix, Marcell Ozuna’s first home run in weeks and Den...

Mitch Keller turned in his best outing in weeks Tuesday night, but the results and underlying pitch mix still left Alex Stumpf with serious concerns. Keller allowed five runs, four earned, over 5⅓ innings with seven strikeouts, three walks and eight hard-hit balls. Alex breaks down why Keller’s disappearing sinker is hurting his sweeper, why a four-seam-heavy approach does not play the same at 92–...