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Santana threw a scoreless seventh inning while walking one to earn a hold Thursday against the Diamondbacks.
Santana blew a save and allowed four earned runs on April 27 and has not gotten a save chance in three appearances since. Meanwhile, Gregory Soto has earned two saves in that span, both of which have come in Pittsburgh's last two games. While the closer situation has been fluid between Soto and Santana early on this season, Santana has allowed at least one run in four of his last 10 appearances and has only a 5.4 K/9 across 16.2 innings on the campaign.
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Pirates' Brandon Lowe: Homers again Thursday
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Lowe went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional run scored against the Diamondbacks in a 4-2 victory Thursday.
Lowe didn't take long to make an impact, drilling a 436-foot homer to right field in the first inning. He went on to add a pair of singles, notching his second straight multi-hit game and extending his on-base streak to 11 contests. Lowe has homered in each of his past two games and now has 10 long balls on the campaign. His first season with the Pirates is off to a great start -- through 32 contests he has a .941 OPS, which is on pace to be a career-best mark.
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Pirates' Joey Bart: Clubs second homer
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Bart went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a 4-2 win over Arizona on Thursday.
Bart produced the final run of the game with a solo blast to left-center field in the sixth inning. That marked his first long ball and first RBI since he went deep against Washington on April 14. Bart has played behind Henry Davis for most of the campaign, but he may be making inroads toward more playing time. Bart has started behind the plate in three of Pittsburgh's past four contests and has gone 3-for-9 over that span.
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Pirates' Gregory Soto: Nabs second save in as many days
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Soto earned a save against the Diamondbacks on Thursday, striking out one batter in a perfect inning of work.
Soto entered in the ninth frame with Pittsburgh up 4-2 and kept things that way, retiring the side in order on 14 pitches (11 strikes). It was the second straight day on which Soto notched a save after picking up just one save over his first 17 outings. Meanwhile, Dennis Santana, who recorded two saves in April but has given up six runs over his past three appearances spanning 2.2 frames, hasn't been used either of the past two days. It's probably still a fluid closer situation, but for the moment it seems like Soto has jumped ahead of Santana in the pecking order.
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Pirates' Mitch Keller: Tosses another strong outing
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Keller (4-1) earned the win over Arizona on Thursday, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out four batters over six innings.
Keller trailed 2-1 after three innings, but he finished his outing with a trio of scoreless frames. As usual this season, the right-hander wasn't overpowering -- he managed a modest eight whiffs and four punchouts -- but that didn't prevent him from picking up his fourth victory and sixth quality start through eight outings. Keller's advanced metrics don't pop off the page, but he's getting the job done with a 2.87 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 35:14 K:BB across 47 frames on the season. He'll draw a promising matchup in what's scheduled to be a home matchup versus Colorado his next time out.
Mangum was scratched from Thursday's lineup against the Diamondbacks due to left hamstring discomfort, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Mangum was scratched just before first pitch, so he might have tweaked something pregame. The Pirates could have more on his status after the game.
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Pirates' Jake Mangum: Late scratch from lineup
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Mangum was a late scratch from the lineup for Thursday's game in Arizona, Jose Negron of DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.
There's no word yet on the reason for Mangum being pulled from the lineup, but the Pirates should have an update shortly. Billy Cook took over in center field in Mangum's stead.
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Pirates' Cam Sanders: Officially recalled
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The Pirates recalled Sanders from Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday.
Sanders joined the Pirates' taxi squad ahead of Wednesday's contest, and he'll now grab a spot on the active roster to make up for the loss of Chris Devenski (illness). Sanders will likely be limited to low-leverage work after allowing four runs in three MLB innings this year and logging a 5.19 ERA and 2.44 WHIP at Indianapolis.
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Pirates' Chris Devenski: Placed on IL
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The Pirates placed Devenski on the 15-day injured list Thursday due to an illness.
Devenski would have been eligible to return from his two-game suspension Thursday, but he'll instead spend the next couple of weeks on the injured list due to an undisclosed illness. Cam Sanders was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis in a corresponding move.
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Pirates' Marcell Ozuna: Riding pine Thursday
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Ozuna isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against Arizona.
Ozuna will get a breather after making five consecutive starts, during which he went 6-for-19 with a homer, five RBI and four runs scored. Oneil Cruz will serve as Pittsburgh's designated hitter in Ozuna's place, opening up center field for Jake Mangum.
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Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Sitting down Thursday
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Gonzales isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game versus Arizona.
Gonzales will get a day to reset after going 0-for-10 with three strikeouts across his last three games. His absence will allow Jared Triolo to start at the hot corner and bat seventh.
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Pirates' Henry Davis: Idle Thursday
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Davis isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Diamondbacks.
Davis will step out of the starting nine Thursday after going 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout in Wednesday's contest. Joey Bart will do the catching for starter Mitch Keller.
Griffin went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Wednesday's 1-0 win over the Diamondbacks.
Griffin's knock extended his hitting streak to eight games, a span in which he's gone 12-for-29 (.414) with five extra-base hits and two steals. The shortstop hasn't shown a ton of power yet, but everything else has looked pretty good so far. He's batting .266 with a .735 OPS, two home runs, 16 RBI, 13 runs scored, eight steals, five doubles and two triples across 31 contests. Griffin is striking out at a 28.1 percent clip, which could make him prone to some slumps during his rookie year, but it's not all that concerning given his overall body of work.
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Pirates' Bryan Reynolds: Posts steal Wednesday
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Reynolds went 2-for-4 with a stolen base in Wednesday's 1-0 win over the Diamondbacks.
Reynolds has been dealing in extremes lately with five multi-hit efforts and five hitless games over his last 10 contests. He's batting .294 (10-for-34) in that span, though he's made up for some of the inconsistency with the bat by drawing 10 walks. The outfielder continues to be steady in the heart of the Pirates' lineup, batting .260 with an .822 OPS, four home runs, two steals, 22 RBI, 26 runs scored, five doubles and two triples across 37 contests.
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Pirates' Brandon Lowe: Provides lone run in win
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Lowe went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 1-0 win over the Diamondbacks.
Lowe's first-inning homer was all the scoring for either team in this contest, as it gave Paul Skenes all the help he needed. This was the second homer in Lowe's last five contests. The infielder has gone 5-for-17 (.294) in that span, lifting his average for the season to .252 through 31 games. He's added nine homers, 22 RBI, 20 runs scored, eight doubles and no stolen bases. Lowe has topped the 30-homer mark twice in his career, though staying healthy will be the biggest factor in him taking a run at that mark in 2026.
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Pirates' Gregory Soto: Picks up second save
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Soto walked one and struck out one in a scoreless and hitless inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 1-0 win over the Diamondbacks.
Soto has primarily worked as a setup man this season, but he converted the save chance Wednesday after Paul Skenes spun eight shutout innings. Dennis Santana pitched in Tuesday's contest, while Soto hadn't been utilized since Sunday. The winds may be changing in the Pirates' bullpen, as Santana hasn't gotten a save chance since blowing one April 27 versus the Cardinals. Soto is at a 1.50 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and 24:7 K:BB through 18 innings, and he's added two saves and six holds across 18 appearances. Soto hasn't worked as a primary closer since 2022 with the Tigers, when he converted 30 of 33 opportunities, but he's certainly gaining momentum with his work early this year, which has made him the most reliable reliever on the team, regardless of role.
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Pirates' Paul Skenes: In peak form for win
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Skenes (5-2) allowed two hits and struck out seven without walking a batter over eight shutout innings to earn the win Wednesday against the Diamondbacks.
Skenes got all the run support he needed with Brandon Lowe's solo shot in the first inning. From there, it was all Skenes as he delivered his longest outing of the season. This was the sixth time in eight starts he's allowed one or zero runs, and it's the third instance he's limited an opponent to two or fewer baserunners. The 23-year-old has an excellent 2.36 ERA, 0.71 WHIP and 46:7 K:BB across 42 innings this season. Skenes' next start is projected to be at home versus the Rockies, which could be the first outing of a two-start week.
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