Pirates Respond in Big Way Following Manager’s Remarks

Don Kelly made his thoughts on what he's seen from his Pittsburgh Pirates crystal clear after their loss to the Miami Marlins on Wednesday evening.  Pittsburgh's skipper talked about how his team must "compete" and can't look sorry for themselves on the field, despite winning just three of their last 11 games and falling further out of the National League Wild Card race. Kelly's comments where honest, but in some ways harsh, too.  It's always a mystery how a team could respond to their manager making remarks like these to the media. Will it give them an edge, or could it make a dire situation worse? For the Pirates, at least in this scenario, it apparently lit a fire under them, as Pittsburgh bounced back in a big way with a 13-1 victory over the Marlins in the series finale.  Pittsburgh's offense exploded for 16 hits and hit .444 (4-for-9) with runners in scoring position.  Not only did the lineup come alive, but Brandon Ashcraft also tossed an 85-pitch complete game to give Pittsburgh's bullpen a much-needed, unexpected day off. Thursday's game was as complete a team as the Pirates have looked all season long, and certainly since the All-Star Break. Aug 13, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Nick Gonzales (3) completes a double play in the fifth inning as the Miami Marlins’ Griffin Conine (18) slides into second base at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images After the win, Kelly said he was proud of the entire team for how they bounced back from two tough games to start the series. "Just proud of them. We fought all year," Kelly said postgame.
 "I think that the thing that stands out is, we just have to keep going. It's not; can't feel sorry for ourselves. We just got to keep competing like we have a whole year and we've done it all year. Continue to fight, regardless of what's going on and that's the expectation through the end of the season." It would have been easy for the Pirates to put their heads down and set their sights on the homestand, which starts on Friday. However, Pittsburgh coming out with a performance such as this one after a long and disappointing road trip is proof that this team still has some fight left in them. As Kelly alluded to, though, the Pirates can't stop now. As nice a win as this was, it was still about avoiding a sweep by the Marlins, not about winning the three-game set.  The real test will be how Pittsburgh performs from this point until the end of the regular season.