Pirates’ Brandon Lowe gets Cardinals rubber match started with inside-the-park homer

After splitting their last two game, the Pittsburgh Pirates entered Thursday looking to win their series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Second baseman Brandon Lowe made sure the Pirates got an early lead.

On the 10th pitch of the game, Lowe drove a Dustin May fastball to left field. It hit off of the wall and bounced past Jose Fermin, who attempted to leap for it. The ball ended up in no man’s land and before any Cardinals outfielder could get to it, Lowe crossed the plate.

Brandon Lowe INSIDE-THE-PARK HOME RUN! pic.twitter.com/zqOJJrP5m6

— MLB (@MLB) May 21, 2026

The Pirates acquired Lowe in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays in an effort to give their lineup an extra spark. Thus far, he has done exactly that. Just usually his home runs are getting over the outfield wall.

Heading into Thursday’s matchup, Lowe was hitting .250 with 12 home runs and 31 RBIs through this first 43 games in Pittsburgh. He leads the Pirates in home runs and ranks second in RBIs. Furthermore, his 1.9 WAR is the highest on the team.

It also matches the mark Lowe put up in an All-Star campaign with the Rays in 2025. His eight years with the team, which included two All-Star nominations, a .247 batting average, 157 home runs and 446 RBIs, clearly attracted the Pirates to the second baseman. Set to be a free agent after the season, Pittsburgh must decide whether or not to offer him a contract extension.

But throughout the 2026 campaign, barring a trade, Lowe will be one of the more premier sources of run production in Pittsburgh’s lineup. At 25-24 on the season, the Pirates will hope he can lead them to greater heights.

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