Pirates Preview: Can Bucs Salvage Series for First Win on Road Trip?

Danny Demilio |

Jul 9, 2025

The Pittsburgh Pirates were walked off 4-3 by Nick Loftin and the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night at Kaufman Stadium.

Oneil Cruz and Nick Gonzales homered, while Mitch Keller delivered a quality start, but none of it was enough in their fifth-straight loss.

The Pirates (38-55) will try and salvage their series against the Royals (45-48) and snap their losing streak on Wednesday night.

First pitch is set for 7:40 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast on SportsNet Pittsburgh and 93.7 The Fan.

Weather

Hot and sunny with temperatures around 90 degrees for first pitch. Winds S at 7-8 mph.

LHP Bailey Falter (6-4, 3.69 ERA) Will Start For the Pirates

Falter last pitched against the Seattle Mariners on the Fourth of July and allowed four runs (three earned) on three home runs in 5.2 innings pitched.

Falter took the loss in the start, which snapped a personal five-game win streak. The last time he had taken a loss came on Apr. 27 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

After a dominant May, it’s been a struggle for Falter since the calendar flipped to June. In six starts since the start of last month, he has a 5.06 ERA.

Wednesday will be his first start against the Royals, one of just three teams he has yet to face along with the Minnesota Twins and Tampa Bay Rays.

LHP Kris Bubic (7-6, 2.36 ERA) Will Start For the Royals

Bubic matched a season-high by completing seven innings and allowed three runs against the Arizona Diamondbacks in his last start.

Bubic, who had only allowed multiple runs in three of his first 12 starts of the season, has given up at least two runs in each of his last five starts. He has a 4.88 ERA over that span.

Despite some shakiness of late, the left-hander still ranks seventh among MLB starters in ERA and is third among southpaws

In two previous appearances against the Pirates, Bubic is 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA.

Royals Hitters vs. Falter

Jonathan India: 4 for 17, two doubles, one walk
Luke Maile: 1 for 4, two strikeouts

Pirates Hitters vs. Bubic

Isiah Kiner-Falefa: 0 for 6, one strikeout
Tommy Pham: 2 for 5, one double, one RBI, one strikeout
Adam Frazier: 0 for 4, one strikeout
Ke’Bryan Hayes: 2 for 3
Bryan Reynolds: 0 for 3, one strikeout

Tidbits

The Pirates have lost seven straight road games and 10 of their last 12 away from PNC Park. Their last road win game against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 23.
Oneil Cruz’s 458-foot home run on Tuesday snapped an 0-for-14 slump. He now has three home runs over his last eight games after hitting just one in his previous 24.
Bryan Reynolds enters Wednesday’s game one hit shy of 900 in his career. He will become the 37th player in team history to reach the milestone.