PITTSBURGH — The firing of former Pirates’ manager Derek Shelton and the promotion of former bench coach Don Kelly to the manager’s position back on May 8 wasn’t expected to be a cure-all for everything that ailed the Pirates in the early part of this season, and it hasn’t been.

But what is evident is that the Pirates have shown noticeable improvement in the nearly eight weeks that Kelly has been at their helm.

The Pirates have played .500 baseball since then, after a woeful 12-26 start that left them trying dig out of last place in the National League Central Division standings.

Former Pirates second baseman Neil Walker – who incidentally, is Kelly’s brother-in-law — said on a recent post-game segment on Pittsburgh’s sports talk radio show The Fan (93.7 FM) — that the Pirates played hard under Shelton, and they’re continuing to do so under Kelly.

But Walker has also discerned that the Pirates are playing a clean game now, with an emphasis on the valuable nuances of the game like playing small ball, successfully bunting runners up a base, and moving runners ahead with productive outs, thereby giving the team increased scoring opportunities.

Relief pitcher Ryan Borucki said that Kelly, a former veteran Major League Baseball player, has been a steadying influence on the Pirates’ bench.

“It’s the vibe (that Kelly brings),” Borucki said. “He’s a great manager, and a great guy to play for. Obviously, he’s an ex major leaguer, so he’s been there. He’s very easy to talk to about various game situations, and he brings a positive mindset every day. He’s all about us getting better as a team, and that’s all it takes.”

It’s also helped that outfielder Tommy Pham and third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes have both been on recent hitting tears, fortifying the bottom of the Pirates’ batting order and setting the stage for the club’s recent eye-opening run production that included 30 runs scored in a recent three-game sweep of the New York Mets and seven runs scored in a series-opening win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Pham was diagnosed with the eye disease keratoconus back in 2008. Keratoconus is a progressive eye disease that affects the cornea — the clear front window of the eye — which gradually thins because of the disease and bulges into an irregular cone shape. This causes distorted vision, including blurred vision, nearsightedness, sensitivity to glare, and halos around the lights.

Pham has undergone several treatments to manage the condition, including wearing special contact lenses that are designed to help correct the shape of the cornea and improve his vision.

Pham, 37, a journeyman veteran who the Pirates acquired as a free agent last offseason, was mired in a woeful season-long batting slump until he made a recent adjustment with his contacts.

The result has been a night-and-day improvement at the plate for Pham, who has raised his batting average over 50 points and ended the month of June on a six-game tear in which he collected 11 hits in 23 plate appearances, with two homers and 11 RBIs.

Chronic back problems have been plaguing Hayes and had previously greatly affected his batting stance, but he has clearly made adjustments to deal with them and he closed the month of June with a nine-game hitting streak in which he collected 14 hits in 33 plate appearances (.424 average) with 10 RBIs.

Elsewhere:

n Young right-handed pitcher Braxton Ashcraft has provided a Swiss Army Knife type of versatility for the Pirates since being called up from Class AAA Indianapolis earlier this season, proving to be a valuable commodity out of the bullpen while also making one start.

Ashcraft, 25, made his major league debut on Memorial Day with three innings of scoreless relief against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Arizona’s Chase Field, and through his first nine mound appearances entering the month of July, Ashcraft is 2-0 with a 1.56 earned run average and 14 strikeouts in 17 1/3 innings pitched.

Ashcraft made his MLB starting debut on June 23 against the Brewers in Milwaukee, working three scoreless innings in an opener’s role and allowing just one hit.

Ashcraft is embracing a team-first attitude in his inaugural season in the big leagues.

“I think that anybody who comes into this game as a pitcher wants to be a starter,” said Ashcraft, who was chosen in the second round of the 2018 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft by the Pirates. “You want to have the first through the ninth (innings). I still see that as an attainable goal, but I’m willing to fill whatever role I can fill out of necessity for the team.”

The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Ashcraft possesses outstanding all-around athletic ability. A native of Waco, Tex., Ashcraft caught seven touchdown passes in a single game as a wideout on the football team at Robinson High School in the Lone Star state.

He said that he relishes the opportunity to contribute in whatever way possible with the Pirates.

“I’ve been excited about the challenge of throwing out of the bullpen and doing it all at the highest level,” Ashcraft said. “It’s been a really fun year so far, just picking up and putting out good quality innings and getting outs efficiently.”

n Closer David Bednar has regained his all-star form after a stint in the minor leagues at Class AAA Indianapolis earlier this season. A Pittsburgh hometown fan favorite and graduate of nearby Mars High School, Bednar has immersed himself in community service around the Pittsburgh area.

“Just giving back, I am so grateful,” said Bednar, who was a two-time National League All-Star, in 2022 and 2023. “I have so much pride in just being here and playing for the Pirates. I grew up here, and I just want to give back every chance that I can.”

One of Bednar’s favorite community endeavors is his work through Pirates Charities with the Lending Hearts organization, which helps youngsters and their families who have been impacted by cancer.

Bednar, 30 – who is married and who earlier this year became a first-time father himself — conducted a recent baseball clinic for the Lending Hearts kids at PNC Park.

“I’ve really liked working with them and seeing how much love that they spread throughout the community,” Bednar said. “Those kids are really tough. It’s really inspiring to see them come out to the ballpark, to break up their day-to-day routines, and to have some fun with their families.”

n The upcoming trade deadline on July 31 should be a very eventful one for the Pirates. Several names have already been bandied about in the early going with a month left for teams to wheel and deal.

Since they’re all but out of contention for the postseason barring an unforeseen set of circumstances, the Pirates should primarily be sellers. But in order to gear up for the 2026 season, they could also very well be looking to add a bat or two in the name(s) of a player(s) with controllable contract years.

Veteran right-handed pitcher Mitch Keller, who carries a hefty contract that the Pirates could unload in trade to give them more payroll flexibility, is a name that has been mentioned quite regularly on media outlets in recent weeks. The Chicago Cubs are reportedly very interested in Keller, with the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers also listed as possible trade candidates involving him.

The Red Sox have a heavy-hitting young outfielder in Wilyer Abreu, who has hit 16 home runs through the month of June, and would fill a void for the Bucs, who are very likely to be moving outfielder Pham before the trade deadline.

It’s often been proven, however, that the trades that generate the most speculation are most often the ones that never actually transpire.

Other than pitching ace Paul Skenes and franchise icon Andrew McCutchen, probably nobody else on the Pirates’ roster is considered untouchable for other teams that are pursuing a deal with the Bucs.

Young pitchers like Ashcraft and right-hander Mike Burrows could also be in the Pirates’ trade picture.

Players toe the company line when asked about the trade deadline every year, and Ashcraft did the same when the subject was broached to him.

“I don’t think anybody here really pays too much attention to that,” Ashcraft said. “We all have a job to do, and as long as we’re Pirates, we’re going to give this team everything that we have, and try to be as successful as we can for our organization.

“I don’t think that it does anybody any good to think about what could happen, or what might happen,” Ashcraft added. “We’re all focused on winning here in Pittsburgh.”

Hartsock can be reached at jhartsock@altoonamirror.com