Jones 'super grateful' for return despite early bumps
Jared Jones’ long-awaited return tonight to the Pirates’ starting rotation offered a little bit of everything: triple-digit velocity, swing-and-miss stuff, traffic on the bases and a reminder of how thin the margin can be for a power arm still settling back into the major leagues.
In the Pirates’ 6-5 win over the Twins here tonight at PNC Park, Jones flashed the premium arsenal that made him such an important part of Pittsburgh’s plans, even as an uneven line underscored the work still ahead in his first big-league start since Sept. 27, 2024.
"The homer came too quick to soak anything in, but yeah, it was really cool being back out there, being on the team," Jones said. "Super grateful for being here."
Jones worked 4 1/3 innings and threw 53 of 77 pitches for strikes. He allowed seven hits, walked two, struck out six, surrendered two home runs and was charged with five earned runs. He got ahead with 15 first-pitch strikes to 21 batters and generated 15 whiffs on 41 swings, evidence that the raw life of his stuff remains intact, even if his command wasn't sharp.
"I thought I threw some pretty good pitches, thought I threw some bad ones," Jones said. "First one back in over 600 days or whatever it is, figure it out soon."
The outing offered both encouragement and correction points. Jones’ four-seam fastball averaged 99 mph and routinely overpowered hitters at the top of the zone, while his slider averaged 89 mph. He mixed all four pitches, throwing 27 fastballs (35%), 19 sliders (25%), 16 changeups (21%) and 15 curveballs (19%). The shape of the arsenal was promising, especially for a pitcher returning from a long layoff, but several misses in damaging spots kept him from turning that stuff into a cleaner debut.
"He was electric tonight," BryanReynolds said. "It’s been a really long time since he’s been on a big-league mound. Handled himself well. He’s a bulldog out there."
There were moments when Jones looked exactly like the pitcher the Pirates had waited so long to get back. He opened the game by blowing three straight triple-digit fastballs past Byron Buxton for a strikeout, an electric sequence that immediately reintroduced his heater to the major-league stage.
"It felt normal," Jones said. "It felt like I didn't really miss a beat feelings-wise, but yeah, felt normal."
But the danger of trying to live in too fine of a window with that velocity appeared quickly. Later in the inning, Jones missed his location inside with a 101-mph fastball to Kody Clemens, who pulled it to right field for a solo home run with a 100-mph exit velocity.
The second inning became the clearest example of the unevenness that defined the start. Jones allowed a single to Trevor Larnach, then walked Austin Martin and Victor Caratini to load the bases. After striking out Luke Keaschall, he appeared close to escaping the jam, but Tristan Gray lined a two-run single to tie the game at 3-3. Jones avoided a bigger inning by getting Buxton to ground into an inning-ending double play started by Nick Gonzales, a brief recovery that kept the game within reach.
Jones settled briefly in the third, striking out Brooks Lee and getting Clemens to fly to left. But after Josh Bell singled, Larnach drove a 107-mph home run to right field that put the Twins back in front, 5-3. The blast also became the 86th home-run ball to reach the Allegheny River:
MIN - Trevor Larnach 2-run HR (3)
📏 424 ft | 💨 107.7 mph | 📐 28° ⚾️ 98.1 mph four-seam fastball (PIT - RHP Jared Jones) 🏟️ Out in 30/30 parks 💣
Jones returned for the fifth and allowed a single to Lee before striking out Clemens, ending his night at 4 1/3 innings when Evan Sisk entered from the bullpen.
“I don’t know what the fastest one was, but he was dialed in," DonKelly said. "It was really cool. They got to some fastballs, obviously, but he was able to lock it in with the changeup and the breaking balls to get some swing-and-miss and just continue to get better.”
For Jones and the Pirates, Friday’s takeaway was more layered than the final line. The return did not unfold cleanly, but it showed the essential pieces are still there: Upper-end velocity, enough swing-and-miss to challenge hitters and the competitive edge to pitch out of trouble when innings threatened to unravel.
What the Pirates need next is refinement, not reinvention. If Jones can turn an uneven first outing into a more efficient second one, his return may still begin to look like an important boost to a rotation that has been waiting a long time to get him back.
THE ASYLUM
Jones 'super grateful' for return despite early bumps
Jared Jones’ long-awaited return tonight to the Pirates’ starting rotation offered a little bit of everything: triple-digit velocity, swing-and-miss stuff, traffic on the bases and a reminder of how thin the margin can be for a power arm still settling back into the major leagues.
In the Pirates’ 6-5 win over the Twins here tonight at PNC Park, Jones flashed the premium arsenal that made him such an important part of Pittsburgh’s plans, even as an uneven line underscored the work still ahead in his first big-league start since Sept. 27, 2024.
"The homer came too quick to soak anything in, but yeah, it was really cool being back out there, being on the team," Jones said. "Super grateful for being here."
Jones worked 4 1/3 innings and threw 53 of 77 pitches for strikes. He allowed seven hits, walked two, struck out six, surrendered two home runs and was charged with five earned runs. He got ahead with 15 first-pitch strikes to 21 batters and generated 15 whiffs on 41 swings, evidence that the raw life of his stuff remains intact, even if his command wasn't sharp.
"I thought I threw some pretty good pitches, thought I threw some bad ones," Jones said. "First one back in over 600 days or whatever it is, figure it out soon."
The outing offered both encouragement and correction points. Jones’ four-seam fastball averaged 99 mph and routinely overpowered hitters at the top of the zone, while his slider averaged 89 mph. He mixed all four pitches, throwing 27 fastballs (35%), 19 sliders (25%), 16 changeups (21%) and 15 curveballs (19%). The shape of the arsenal was promising, especially for a pitcher returning from a long layoff, but several misses in damaging spots kept him from turning that stuff into a cleaner debut.
"He was electric tonight," Bryan Reynolds said. "It’s been a really long time since he’s been on a big-league mound. Handled himself well. He’s a bulldog out there."
There were moments when Jones looked exactly like the pitcher the Pirates had waited so long to get back. He opened the game by blowing three straight triple-digit fastballs past Byron Buxton for a strikeout, an electric sequence that immediately reintroduced his heater to the major-league stage.
"It felt normal," Jones said. "It felt like I didn't really miss a beat feelings-wise, but yeah, felt normal."
But the danger of trying to live in too fine of a window with that velocity appeared quickly. Later in the inning, Jones missed his location inside with a 101-mph fastball to Kody Clemens, who pulled it to right field for a solo home run with a 100-mph exit velocity.
The second inning became the clearest example of the unevenness that defined the start. Jones allowed a single to Trevor Larnach, then walked Austin Martin and Victor Caratini to load the bases. After striking out Luke Keaschall, he appeared close to escaping the jam, but Tristan Gray lined a two-run single to tie the game at 3-3. Jones avoided a bigger inning by getting Buxton to ground into an inning-ending double play started by Nick Gonzales, a brief recovery that kept the game within reach.
Jones settled briefly in the third, striking out Brooks Lee and getting Clemens to fly to left. But after Josh Bell singled, Larnach drove a 107-mph home run to right field that put the Twins back in front, 5-3. The blast also became the 86th home-run ball to reach the Allegheny River:
Jones returned for the fifth and allowed a single to Lee before striking out Clemens, ending his night at 4 1/3 innings when Evan Sisk entered from the bullpen.
“I don’t know what the fastest one was, but he was dialed in," Don Kelly said. "It was really cool. They got to some fastballs, obviously, but he was able to lock it in with the changeup and the breaking balls to get some swing-and-miss and just continue to get better.”
For Jones and the Pirates, Friday’s takeaway was more layered than the final line. The return did not unfold cleanly, but it showed the essential pieces are still there: Upper-end velocity, enough swing-and-miss to challenge hitters and the competitive edge to pitch out of trouble when innings threatened to unravel.
What the Pirates need next is refinement, not reinvention. If Jones can turn an uneven first outing into a more efficient second one, his return may still begin to look like an important boost to a rotation that has been waiting a long time to get him back.
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