The Pittsburgh Pirates return home to PNC Park on Friday, July 18, to host the struggling Chicago White Sox in the opener of a three-game interleague series, bringing with them a renewed sense of confidence after a promising stretch of performances in front of their home crowd. Sitting at 45–52, the Pirates remain outside the immediate playoff picture, but a recent upswing in form—particularly at home, where they’ve gone 5–2 ATS in their last seven games—has helped stabilize what had been an inconsistent first half. Manager Derek Shelton continues to maximize the value of a balanced roster that mixes veteran steadiness with youthful upside, and that blend has translated into more composed, fundamentally sound baseball. Leading the charge on the mound Friday will be Bailey Falter, a left-hander with a 7–6 record and a 4.44 ERA across 19 starts, who has provided the rotation with dependable innings and flashed strong command of his fastball-changeup combo. Falter has allowed three earned runs or fewer in six of his last eight outings and has generally excelled at keeping the ball in the yard—an essential trait when pitching at the hitter-neutral confines of PNC Park. The Pirates’ offense, though not overwhelming, has quietly become one of the more efficient contact-based lineups in the league when playing at home, batting .265 with a .340 on-base percentage in their last 15 games at PNC. Jack Suwinski and Ke’Bryan Hayes continue to anchor the middle of the order, while rookie second baseman Nick Gonzales has emerged as a consistent producer in high-leverage situations, giving Pittsburgh multiple ways to manufacture runs even without relying heavily on the long ball.

The Pirates’ defense has also contributed to their improvement, with one of the best team fielding percentages in the National League and multiple above-average infield gloves helping convert outs and limit rallies. Perhaps their most notable advantage on Friday lies in bullpen reliability—closer David Bednar has converted 21 of 24 save opportunities, while setup men Carmen Mlodzinski and Aroldis Chapman have held opposing hitters to a collective .197 batting average since June 1. In tight games, this unit has demonstrated the ability to shut things down quickly and protect narrow leads, something the White Sox have lacked all season. With Chicago sending rookie Jonathan Cannon to the mound, the Pirates will likely adopt an aggressive offensive strategy early, looking to test the young righty’s command and composure through a mix of small-ball tactics and patient, extended at-bats. Pittsburgh’s betting edge is also worth noting—they are 33–15 ATS this season when favored by 1.5 runs or less and have cashed overs and unders consistently based on matchup-specific dynamics. With the over/under set near 8 runs and two lineups that don’t profile as power-heavy, this game leans toward a low-scoring affair, provided Falter executes and Cannon avoids early implosion. For Pittsburgh, a win on Friday not only strengthens their home dominance but also provides an opportunity to chip away at the standings in a wide-open NL Wild Card race. If they follow their blueprint—solid starting pitching, clean defense, timely hitting, and a shutdown bullpen—they have all the tools needed to handle a rebuilding Chicago team and continue building momentum in front of their fans.