Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 146
Anatomy of a losing streak: How did the Pirates get this bad this fast?
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ losing streak is not singularly about Josh Bell or the trade of Jordan Lyles or pitchers who don’t belong in the big leagues or the inability to win close games. It’s about all of that. Let’s start with Bell. • The guy knows how to throw a...
To contend in 2020, Pirates can’t trade just for minor league prospects
A year ago, Neal Huntington approached the trade deadline with the hope of pushing the Pittsburgh Pirates toward the postseason. They paid a steep price, including first-round draft choices Austin Meadows and Shane Baz, for experience and talent, adding Chris Archer to the starting rotation and Keone Kela to the...
Pirates trade Jordan Lyles to Brewers for Double-A relief pitcher
The Pittsburgh Pirates began the business of reshaping their starting rotation Monday when they traded Jordan Lyles, who was scheduled to start Monday night in Cincinnati, to the Milwaukee Brewers for minor league pitcher Cody Ponce. The 25-year-old Ponce, a 6-foot-6, 240-pound right-hander, had been a starter until becoming exclusively...
With playoff hopes all but gone, what’s next for Pirates?
Except for a few notable exceptions earlier this decade, interest in baseball wanes among area sports fans the day the Pittsburgh Steelers report to training camp. This year, it was remarkable how the two events coincided. The last-place Pirates fell to 2-11 since the All-Star break on Thursday while the...
Cardinals ride another wave of home runs to beat Pirates, sweep seriesVideo
Since the Pittsburgh Pirates fooled everyone and looked like playoff contenders at the All-Star break, problems, question marks and a string of defeats have emerged. The losing streak reached five in a row (11 of 13) on Thursday after a 6-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park....
Pirates’ Gregory Polanco, Jameson Taillon deal with injuries, uncertainty
Before the season, a good case could have been made that Gregory Polanco and Jameson Taillon were the two most important players on the Pittsburgh Pirates roster. Given, of course, a sound shoulder in Polanco’s case and a pain-free forearm for Taillon. Polanco has hit 62 home runs in the...
Pirates pitch position players Jose Osuna, Jacob Stallings to save bullpen
When Jose Osuna was a 15-year-old prospect in Venezuela, he was a pitcher of some note. So, when the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 14-8 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals was getting out of hand Wednesday night and Clint Hurdle was looking to save his bullpen some unnecessary wear and tear, someone...
Pirates’ losing streak hits 4 in a row in blowout loss to CardinalsVideo
Jordan Lyles chose his words carefully, but in the end, there was only one way to say it. “I didn’t do my team any service,” said Lyles, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ starting pitcher Wednesday night in a 14-8 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. “I stunk it up.” The result was...
Keone Kela declines to confirm or deny reported altercation with Pirates officialVideo
Keone Kela looked relaxed, comfortable, even happy, as he sat in front of his locker Wednesday afternoon in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ clubhouse. Certainly not like a player who had spent the past two games on the Pirates’ suspended list. There was a report from Yahoo Sports on Tuesday night that...
Pirates notebook: Jameson Taillon suffers setback during rehab
Pitcher Jameson Taillon received bad news in his attempt to return from an elbow strain. While throwing from 90 feet in the past four days, Taillon experienced a recurrence of his right forearm discomfort that has kept him on the Pittsburgh Pirates injured list since May 4. The next step...
Pirates’ Keone Kela reportedly suspended because of altercation with team employee
Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Keone Kela was suspended as a result of an altercation in the clubhouse with a team employee, Yahoo! Sports reported Tuesday night. According to sources, Pirates reliever Keone Kela was suspended by the club due to an altercation with Hector Morales, team’s director, cultural readiness and...
Pirates bats go down meekly in 4-3 loss to Cardinals
No one in the Pittsburgh Pirates clubhouse Tuesday night was willing to say the season has reached a critical point. But Clint Hurdle came close after the 4-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in front of a crowd of 15,778 at PNC Park. It was the Pirates’ third in...
Pirates notebook: Keone Kela, Kyle Crick could boost bullpen
Not surprisingly, Clint Hurdle declined to talk about relief pitcher Keone Kela’s two-game suspension that ended Tuesday night. But the Pittsburgh Pirates manager said the team intends to activate Kela on Wednesday. “We may look for a non-leverage situation, first and foremost out of the gate,” Hurdle said. “Obviously, we...
Even in bad times, Pirates’ Clint Hurdle knows how to create balance in life
The Pittsburgh Pirates reached the 100-game mark Tuesday night at PNC Park with playoff hopes disappearing. While the season gets shorter, so do opportunities to reverse their current losing trend (eight losses in the first 10 games after the All-Star break). Of course, what happens next is that it becomes...
Pitt cross country teams to hold home meet at Carrie Blast Furnace
For the first time in more than 20 years, Pitt’s men’s and women’s cross country teams will be hosts for a home meet this season. The Pitt Panther Opener will be held Aug. 30 at the Carrie Blast Furnace in Swissvale. The historic Carrie Blast Furnace operated for nearly 100...
Pitt return ace Maurice Ffrench, 13 Clemson players named to preseason All-ACC team
Defending national champion Clemson placed 13 players on the 27-man preseason All-ACC team while Pitt, the team that lost to the Tigers in the conference championship game last year, settled for one. The team was chosen by a vote of 173 media members. Pitt is represented by senior return man...
Pirates’ wild rally in 10th comes up short as post All-Star break slide continues
From the moment the baseball left Jacob Stallings’ bat in the bottom of the 10th inning at almost 92 mph, Kevin Newman’s mind raced while he carried the potential tying run Monday night: Score. Tie the game. Don’t let someone else decide the outcome. Pittsburgh Pirates third-base coach Joey Cora...
Pirates’ Joe Musgrove puts his athleticism on display in many ways
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Joe Musgrove was on his way to becoming a first-round draft choice in 2011. So it’s no surprise he wisely, but reluctantly, gave up football and basketball before his senior season at Grossmont (Calif.) High School. But he believes it’s best for young people to play as...
Pirates’ Clint Hurdle recalls time ‘Kissing Bandit’ ignored him
Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said he was pleased no one was injured Sunday when a 24-year-old man casually strolled onto the field and attempted to shake the hand of the Philadelphia Phillies’ Brad Miller. “It was weird,” Hurdle said. “I’ve never seen that before.” The unidentified man’s casual gait might...
Pirates’ problem may be that hitting slumps can be contagious
Don’t try to convince Josh Bell participating in the Home Run Derby has contributed to the hitting slump he carried into the Pittsburgh Pirates’ four-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night. He was struggling at the plate before he sold out for home runs July 8 at...
Pirates suspend relief pitcher Keone Kela for 2 games
The Pittsburgh Pirates suspended relief pitcher Keone Kela for two games because of an unspecified violation of his Uniform Player’s Contract. The suspension occurs simultaneously with his reinstatement from the 60-day injured list. He hasn’t pitched since May 4 while recovering from shoulder inflammation. The team announced it will have...
Pitt picked to finish 4th in ACC Coastal; opening-night opponent Virginia ranks 1st
If a poll of 173 media members is to be believed, Pitt’s opener against Virginia on Aug. 31 at Heinz Field will be one of its most difficult games of the season. Virginia received 82 votes to win the ACC Coastal in a poll conducted last week at the ACC...
Pitt extends football, basketball broadcast deals with 93.7 FM
Pitt’s athletic department has entered into a multi-year broadcast partnership with Entercom, a media and entertainment company, that will keep the university’s football and basketball games on 93.7 FM for the 10th consecutive season. The station has provided play-by-play for both teams since the 2010-11 seasons, but for the first...
Former Pirates infielder Dale Berra reflects on ‘unique’ childhood
Dale Berra was a first-round draft choice in 1975, reached the big leagues at age 20 and won a World Series ring with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1979. But all of those events — spawned through his athletic gifts and hard work — can’t compare to the one of which...
Joe Musgrove dominates with arm, bat, legs as Pirates top Phillies
Joe Musgrove had plenty to be happy about Saturday night when he pitched the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 5-1 victory against the Philadelphia Phillies at PNC Park. His head-first slide carried the first run across the plate after his double ignited a three-run rally in the third inning in front...
