PITTSBURGH — Five straight.

Eighty wins.

And now just two victories stand between the Pittsburgh Pirates and something this franchise hasn't experienced since 2018.

A winning season.

Jared Jones was absolutely dominant Tuesday night at PNC Park, carrying a perfect game into the sixth inning and allowing only one hit over seven scoreless frames as the Pirates opened their final home series of the season with a 2-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Jones struck out nine.

He didn't walk anybody.

He retired the first 16 hitters he faced.

And after he finally surrendered a hit?

The Cardinals never got another one.

Luke Weaver dominated the eighth.

Gregory Soto closed the ninth.

Pirates 2. Cardinals 0.

Pittsburgh is 80-77.

Jared Jones Was Locked In

You knew pretty quickly that Jones had something special working.

He struck out two in a perfect first inning.

Then another clean inning.

Then another.

St. Louis couldn't square him up.

They couldn't draw a walk.

They couldn't even put a runner on base.

Jones retired the first 16 Cardinals hitters of the night.

Five perfect innings.

One out in the sixth.

And suddenly everyone at PNC Park understood what was happening.

Jared Jones had a perfect game going.

One Bloop Ends the Perfect Game

Baseball can be cruel.

Especially when history is sitting right in front of you.

With one out in the sixth, Nathan Church lifted a blooper into shallow left field.

Third baseman Jacob Gonzalez raced after it.

He stretched out.

He couldn't quite get there.

The ball dropped.

Church raced into second with a double.

Perfect game gone.

No-hitter gone.

But Jones didn't let the disappointment turn into anything more.

Masyn Winn lined out.

Jones struck out J.J. Wetherholt.

Inning over.

Threat over.

The Final Line Says It All

Jones threw 86 pitches, including 63 strikes.

He tied his season high with nine strikeouts.

And perhaps most impressively?

Zero walks.

Jones improved to 5-6 and lowered his season ERA to 3.87.

His September has been even better.

Jones is now 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA in four September starts.

That's not simply finishing the season strong.

That's making a statement heading into 2027.

Pallante Refuses to Blink

The only problem with Jones pitching like an ace?

St. Louis starter Andre Pallante was nearly as good.

Pittsburgh had opportunities.

Spencer Horwitz doubled in the third and reached third base with one out.

He didn't score.

The Pirates loaded the bases in the fourth.

Ronny Simon grounded out.

Nothing.

Konnor Griffin tripled with two outs in the fifth.

Brandon Lowe grounded out.

Still nothing.

Five innings.

Pirates 0. Cardinals 0.

Jones was giving Pittsburgh everything it could ask for.

The offense just needed to give him something back.

Ryan O'Hearn Finally Breaks Through

The breakthrough finally came in the sixth.

Oneil Cruz drew a one-out walk.

Rafael Flores Jr. followed with a ground ball that moved Cruz into scoring position.

Two outs.

Ryan O'Hearn stepped to the plate.

O'Hearn ripped a single into left field.

Cruz came around.

Pirates 1. Cardinals 0.

On a night when Jones was nearly untouchable, one run felt enormous.

Pittsburgh Adds Insurance

The Pirates added another run in the seventh without needing a hit to bring it home.

Spencer Horwitz reached base and eventually advanced to third.

Cardinals reliever Cade Winquest uncorked a wild pitch.

Horwitz raced home.

Pirates 2. Cardinals 0.

It wasn't flashy.

It didn't need to be.

With the way Pittsburgh was pitching, two runs felt like twenty.

Luke Weaver Was Filthy

Jones' night ended after seven.

If St. Louis thought that meant an opportunity was coming?

Luke Weaver had other plans.

Weaver entered for the eighth.

Three batters came to the plate.

Three batters struck out.

Weaver needed one inning to make sure the Cardinals never gained any momentum after Jones left.

Pittsburgh pitching had recorded 12 strikeouts through eight innings.

St. Louis still had only one hit.

Soto Finishes It

Gregory Soto got the ninth.

It wasn't completely stress-free.

Soto walked the leadoff hitter.

But he didn't allow the inning to unravel.

Soto recorded two strikeouts and retired the Cardinals without allowing the tying run to score.

Ballgame.

Soto earned his 16th save.

More importantly, he completed one of Pittsburgh's best pitching performances of the season.

One Hit. Fourteen Strikeouts.

That's what Pittsburgh's pitching staff allowed Tuesday night.

One hit.

Jones struck out nine.

Weaver struck out three.

Soto struck out two.

Fourteen strikeouts.

The Cardinals didn't record a hit until the sixth.

They didn't record another one afterward.

Pittsburgh's offense wasn't explosive.

It didn't matter.

The pitching staff made two runs feel like more than enough.

Steel Tahn Sports Player of the Game

Turning Point

Don't Forget About Konnor Griffin

The box score won't make Griffin the headline.

Jones took care of that.

But Konnor Griffin continued to look comfortable in the majors.

Griffin collected two of Pittsburgh's five hits.

One was a triple into the right-center-field gap.

Every game provides another glimpse of why Pittsburgh is so excited about its young shortstop.

And as the Pirates push toward a winning record, Griffin isn't simply along for the ride.

He's contributing.

Bryan Reynolds Reaches 40

Bryan Reynolds added another milestone Tuesday.

Reynolds collected his 40th double of the season.

That total leads Major League Baseball.

Reynolds' season hasn't necessarily generated the same attention as some of Pittsburgh's younger players or Lowe's home-run surge.

But 40 doubles are 40 doubles.

And that's another significant offensive accomplishment in a lineup beginning to show more depth than it had earlier in the season.

Five Straight

This streak started with Pittsburgh trying to avoid a sweep.

Now look at them.

Milwaukee: W, 7-4.

Kansas City: W, 8-5.

Kansas City: W, 6-5.

Kansas City: W, 4-3.

St. Louis: W, 2-0.

Five straight victories.

And look at the different ways Pittsburgh has won them.

A five-run rally.

A comeback from four runs down.

Brandon Lowe playing hero.

Rafael Flores Jr. playing hero.

And now Jared Jones completely shutting down an opponent.

That's what good baseball teams do.

80 Wins

Pittsburgh is now 80-77.

Five games remain.

The math has become incredibly simple.

Two more.

Two victories guarantee Pittsburgh finishes at least 82-80.

That would give the Pirates their first winning season since going 82-79 in 2018.

Go 2-3.

That's it.

After everything this franchise has been through since 2018, Pittsburgh has put itself in position to finally clear that bar.

The Bigger Story Is Jared Jones

The winning streak matters.

Reaching 80 wins matters.

Finishing above .500 matters.

But Jones might be the most important story coming out of Tuesday night.

Remember what he's coming back from.

Tommy John surgery.

Jones didn't return until late May.

There were always going to be questions about what he'd look like.

How quickly would the velocity return?

What would the command look like?

Could he become the pitcher Pittsburgh believed it had before the injury?

Tuesday night provided a pretty convincing answer.

Yes.

Jones has a 1.13 ERA in September.

He just retired 16 consecutive major-league hitters.

He didn't walk anyone.

He struck out nine.

Put a healthy Jones next to Paul Skenes heading into 2027?

Now that's something Pirates fans can get excited about.

The Bottom Line

Pittsburgh didn't need a dramatic comeback this time.

It didn't need an eighth-inning home run.

It didn't need 15 hits.

It needed Jared Jones.

And Jones gave the Pirates seven of the best innings they've received from a starter all season.

Seven innings.

One hit.

Nine strikeouts.

Zero runs.

Weaver and Soto finished the job.

O'Hearn provided the run Jones needed.

Pirates 2. Cardinals 0.

80-77.

Five straight wins.

Five games remaining.

Two more wins.

That's all Pittsburgh needs.

Finish the job.

What's Next?

The Pirates and Cardinals continue their three-game series Wednesday night at PNC Park.

St. Louis is scheduled to send left-hander Matthew Liberatore to the mound.

Liberatore enters at 5-14 with a 5.36 ERA.

Pittsburgh had not announced a traditional starter immediately following Tuesday's game, with another bullpen game potentially on the table.

The Pirates don't need to worry about winning five more.

They don't even need three.

They need two.