PITTSBURGH – In his young Major League career, Jared Jones has shown an incredible knack for getting whiffs and strikeouts on ugly swings.

And Monday, he may have unleashed his season’s masterpiece.

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Facing Brice Turang of the Brewers in the third inning Monday at PNC Park, the Pirates' No. 3 prospect fired a slider that Turang initially started to offer at but quickly tried to hold back on; however, his momentum took him so far that he swung and fell on his backside.

That strikeout was already Jones’ fifth of the afternoon; he finished with seven while guiding the Bucs to a 4-2 win over the Crew.

He also upped his whiff total to 86 through the third inning Monday, giving him the most for a pitcher over their first five starts in the pitch tracking era (since 2008).

Jones is about as serious as they come on the mound, rarely cracking a smile. But after putting a hitter on their rear for the first time?

"I was laughing on the inside,” Jones said with a smile postgame.