North Shore Nine: A Pittsburgh Pirates Podcast

The Pittsburgh Pirates dropped a late-night game to the San Francisco Giants, and while the offense had its issues, the bigger concern once again came from the middle relief group. Carmen Mlodzinski gave the Pirates six innings and kept them in the game, even if it was not the cleanest or most convincing start. But once the game turned to the bullpen, Justin Lawrence struggled to execute and the G...

Nick Gonzales has quietly forced his way into a bigger role for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and suddenly third base is not as simple as Jared Triolo returning from the injured list and taking the job back. On today’s episode of OffBeat, Alex Stumpf looks at the Pirates’ third base situation, why Gonzales has earned real playing time, and why Triolo’s Gold Glove defense still matters for a team with se...

Tonight on NS9LIVE!, we’re starting with the NS9 Really Stupid Question before looking back at some Pirates takes we may need to apologize for. Ty Ty is ready to apologize for saying the Pirates wasted money on Gregory Soto, who has been lights out. DiNardo is walking back even entertaining the idea of trading Mitch Keller. And both are owning up to going under on Brandon Lowe’s season home run to...

The Pittsburgh Pirates took another series, beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-2 behind another strong start from Mitch Keller. DiNardo and Doug break down Keller’s continued reliability, the Pirates’ improved rotation, timely offense from Brandon Lowe and Spencer Horwitz, and why this team feels much different than past versions. The guys also discuss how the Pirates responded after a rough serie...

Jared Jones made his second rehab start with Indianapolis, and while the box score was not perfect, the bigger takeaway was clear: the power stuff is still there, the fastball touched 100 MPH, and he got through the outing healthy. Now the Pirates have a real decision coming. On today’s OffBeat, Alex Stumpf breaks down Jones’ rehab outing, why the bullpen conversation exists, and why moving him in...

Paul Skenes delivered another dominant performance for the Pittsburgh Pirates, throwing eight shutout innings with seven strikeouts and no walks in a 1-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Jim and Neil break down just how special Skenes has been, why this start was exactly what the Pirates needed after a rough loss, and how his historic numbers continue to stack up against some of the best pitcher...

Paul Skenes is still one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball, but Alex Stumpf thinks there may be an even better version hiding underneath the current results. In today’s OffBeat, Alex breaks down how Skenes’ pitch mix has evolved in 2026, why the changeup usage has exploded, where the curveball disappeared to, and whether the Pirates ace is relying too heavily on the fastball/changeup combi...

The Pittsburgh Pirates opened their series against the Arizona Diamondbacks with an ugly 9-0 loss, and this one got away early. Jim and Neil break down a rough first inning that featured defensive mistakes from the Pirates’ outfield, including more concern around Bryan Reynolds and Oneil Cruz playing together defensively. They also discuss Bubba Chandler’s strange outing, where he walked six but s...

Konnor Griffin is heating up, and this stretch feels like more than just a hot week at the plate. On today’s episode of OffBeat, Alex Stumpf breaks down Griffin’s strong series against the Reds, his recent 10-game surge, and the swing adjustments that may be helping the Pirates’ young shortstop settle into the major leagues. From simplifying his leg kick to quieting his hands and getting himself i...

On this episode of Bucco Brew, we’re diving into Konnor Griffin and the way he has started to heat up since turning 20. Is this just a hot stretch, or are we watching him begin to develop into the type of player the Pirates believed they were getting? We also talk through a massive bounce-back weekend for the Pirates. After getting swept in four games by the Cardinals, they responded by sweeping t...

What a difference a weekend makes. After getting swept by the Cardinals and losing five straight, the Pittsburgh Pirates badly needed a response. They got one in a big way, sweeping the Reds at PNC Park and flipping the entire tone around this team. On today’s episode of OffBeat, Alex Stumpf breaks down how the Pirates bounced back, why the Reds series felt bigger than a normal early-May matchup,...

The Pirates needed a response after a rough Cardinals series, and they got exactly that with a weekend sweep of the Cincinnati Reds. On this NS9 Postgame Show powered by Primanti Brothers, Tyler and Jim break down the Pirates’ 1-0 win, led by a career-best outing from Braxton Ashcraft. Ashcraft went 7.2 scoreless innings, leaned heavily on a dominant curveball, and continued making the case that h...

The Pittsburgh Pirates bounced back in a massive way, crushing the Cincinnati Reds in a 17-7 win on the NS9 Postgame Show powered by Primanti Bros. Anthony DiNardo and Neil break down one of the wildest offensive performances of the season as the Pirates put up 19 hits, drew 11 walks, scored five runs without putting a ball in play, and watched Cincinnati’s pitching staff completely unravel. The g...

Seth Hernandez is wasting no time showing why the Pirates were thrilled to land him in the first round. On this week’s Bucs On Deck, Jim and Anthony Murphy break down Hernandez’s electric start to his pro career, including his dominant numbers in the Florida State League, overpowering pitch mix, absurd whiff rates, and why his advanced command and changeup separate him from most high school arms....

Tyler and Jim are back on the NS9 Postgame Show after the Pirates finally snapped their five-game losing streak with a 9-1 beatdown of the first-place Cincinnati Reds. Mitch Keller delivered exactly what Pittsburgh needed with seven strong innings, Bryan Reynolds set the tone early, Henry Davis launched two home runs, and Marcell Ozuna finally got one to leave the yard as the offense broke out in...

The Pittsburgh Pirates ended April with a five-game losing streak, a sweep at home against the St. Louis Cardinals, and a lot more questions than they had just one week ago. On this episode of OffBeat, Alex Stumpf breaks down how the Pirates went from 16-11 and right in the thick of the NL Central race to 16-16 and last place in the division. Paul Skenes struggled against the Cardinals again, the...

The Pittsburgh Pirates just got swept at home by the St. Louis Cardinals, dropped five straight games, and fell back to 16-16 after what had been a promising April. So now the question is simple: are the Pirates actually in trouble? On this episode of NS9LIVE!, DiNardo, Tyler, and Jim each bring one reason why Pirates fans should not be overly concerned and one reason why the sky might actually be...

The Pirates drop their 5th straight game as they fall to the Cardinals 10-5. Cody and Doug breakdown the action and vent some frustration. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Pirates dropped their fourth straight game with a 5-4 loss to the Cardinals, putting a rough finish on what had been a promising month of April. Alex Stumpf breaks down the key late-game at-bats, why Marcelo Ozuna’s struggles are becoming harder to dismiss, and how his lack of production in the middle of the order is impacting an offense that has become too top-heavy. With Paul Skenes set to t...

The Pittsburgh Pirates dropped their fourth straight game, falling 5-4 to the St. Louis Cardinals in another frustrating loss that felt there for the taking. Tyler and Doug break down Bubba Chandler’s uneven start, Don Kelly’s bullpen management, the decision to go to Evan Sisk and Chris Devenski in a tight game, and why the Pirates’ lack of urgency stood out during a rough stretch against the NL...

The Pirates dropped their third straight game, falling to the Cardinals again as their first real losing streak of the season begins to take shape. Alex Stumpf breaks down Braxton Ashcraft’s rough outing after being activated from the bereavement list, Hunter Barco eating 4.2 innings after a brutal travel day, and why the Pirates badly needed someone to save a depleted bullpen. There were at least...

The Pittsburgh Pirates dropped their third straight game in an 11-7 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, wasting a night where the offense hit three home runs and put up enough runs to win most games. Jim and Doug break down Braxton Ashcraft’s rough start coming off the bereavement list, Hunter Barco being forced to wear nearly five innings out of the bullpen, and why the Pirates’ middle relief situat...

The Pittsburgh Pirates had a chance to turn Monday night into one of the best feel-good wins of the season. Instead, it became another frustrating loss that slipped away late. Alex Stumpf breaks down the Pirates’ 4-2 loss to the Cardinals, where Mason Montgomery, Justin Lawrence, and Wilber Dotel helped carry a near-perfect bullpen game into the seventh inning. Dotel, in particular, looked outstan...

The Pittsburgh Pirates were cruising toward another strong NL Central win before everything unraveled in the 9th inning against the St. Louis Cardinals. Neil and DiNardo break down a brutal late-game collapse, Dennis Santana’s rare meltdown, the decision-making around the bullpen game, whether Don Kelly deserves blame, and why pulling Wilber Dotel after four strong innings became a major talking p...

The Pittsburgh Pirates just took two out of three from the Milwaukee Brewers, and now their biggest week of the season is here. On today’s Bucco Brew, we break down why this seven-game homestand against the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds could be a real early-season measuring stick in the NL Central. The Pirates have been stacking series wins, playing better baseball, and now have a chanc...