Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 152
Keller’s first MLB stay is brief as Pirates return top prospect to Triple-A
Mitch Keller’s development will continue in Indianapolis. A day after he allowed six runs in the first inning of his first major-league start, Keller was optioned to the Triple-A Indians on Tuesday. General manager Neal Huntington had been reluctant to use Keller, 23, before management considered him ready, and only...
Mitch Keller has company among Pirates who lost their debutsVideo
Pittsburgh Pirates management faced a dilemma after watching Mitch Keller’s major-league debut Monday in Cincinnati. What stretch of pitches by the 23-year-old Keller mattered most? The 41 he threw in the first inning when the Reds scored six runs? Or, the 44 he threw over his next — and final...
Pirates’ Ken Brett authors a near-perfect Memorial Day worth rememberingVideo
Back in the old days, when finances didn’t matter, MLB teams played doubleheaders on Sundays and holidays. That’s why it was such a surprise Monday when Pittsburgh Pirates play-by-play man Joe Block mentioned that the Memorial Day doubleheader with the Cincinnati Reds was the first between the two old National...
Pirates collapse under weight of Dodgers bats, suffer 3rd straight lossVideo
Chris Archer threw one pitch that bounced wildly to the backstop, then another the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Corey Seager deposited over the fence. Archer went to three balls on 10 batters while throwing 105 pitches in only five innings. Overall, 42 percent of them missed the strike zone. That was...
Pirates’ Huntington proposes rule change to help in concussion assessment
Neal Huntington hates to see any of his players injured, but catcher Francisco Cervelli is turning into a special case. “Every single time he takes a ball off the mask, you hold your breath,” the Pittsburgh Pirates general manager said Sunday. Added manager Clint Hurdle: “Unfortunately, in Francisco’s case, it’s...
Oliver Wendell Holmes, father of Clay, pleased to join Pirates’ dad’s trip
Oliver Wendell Holmes was thrilled when his son Clay, a relief pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, called last week to invite him to join the team in Cincinnati for the annual dad’s trip. Yet, he chastised Clay slightly. “I told him, ‘Why didn’t you give me more notice?’ ” he...
Jung Ho Kang scheduled for rehab assignment Monday in Indianapolis
Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Jung Ho Kang said his side strain is “completely fine,” and he is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment Monday with the team’s Triple-A Indianapolis farm club. Kang has been on the injured list since May 12 and was eligible to return to the Pirates’ roster...
Pirates’ pitching problems reach desperate stage in 10-2 loss to DodgersVideo
Two things were evident Friday night during the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 10-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers before a fireworks crowd of 32,388 at PNC Park. • The Dodgers (33-18) are good. • The Pirates (25-23) desperately need starting pitching. Management’s attempt to pull a relief pitcher out of the...
‘On stage’ with Dodgers, David Freese belts grand slam against Pirates
Nine months ago, David Freese wasn’t sure about his future, other than he was sure it didn’t include a fourth season with the Pittsburgh Pirates. But there he was Friday night at PNC Park, hammering a grand slam into the right-center bleachers to help his new team, the Los Angeles...
Injuries add up, but Pirates’ Francisco Cervelli insists: ‘I’m a catcher’
Foul balls continue to hit Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli in strange places. But that painful fact and even several concussions in his past haven’t dimmed his enthusiasm for playing the position. “Last two games, I’m getting hit in places normally a catcher doesn’t get hit,” he said before Friday’s...
Pirates ‘opener’ Michael Feliz allows five runs in first inningVideo
Michael Feliz never has started a game in the major leagues before Friday night. He looked like he was unaccustomed to the opportunity. Backed into a corner by injuries to two starters, Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle chose Feliz, a struggling relief pitcher, to open the game against the two-time...
Pirates’ Corey Dickerson takes rehab to Triple-A while Reynolds keeps average above .300
Already manned by two .300-plus hitters and everyday players Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco, the Pittsburgh Pirates outfield soon may get a fifth member. Corey Dickerson, who won a Gold Glove and hit .300 for the Pirates last year, is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment Friday night for Triple-A...
Pitt’s Jeff Capel offers up-close insight on NBA Draft
Jeff Capel’s interest in this year’s NBA Draft goes beyond that of most Pittsburghers, actually most people in general. Before he became Pitt’s coach, Capel was directly involved in recruiting Duke stars Zion Williamson, R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish. When the NBA Draft opens June 20, Williamson is the likely...
Pirates’ bats avoid collapse in 14-6 victory against Rockies
The margin of victory was the Pittsburgh Pirates’ largest of the season, but the 14-6 final score Thursday against the Colorado Rockies had opposite meanings for two of the most important members of the team. “The weather’s warming up. The bats are warming up. We’re in a good place with...
Pirates notebook: Elias Diaz, Kevin Newman fill holes at catcher, shortstop
The Pittsburgh Pirates have no plans to make permanent changes at shortstop and catcher, but Kevin Newman and Elias Diaz have been welcome replacements for two players struggling at the plate. With 33-year-old catcher Francisco Cervelli playing only five innings since May 15 because of his .185 batting average and...
Pirates pitching problems continue in 9-3 loss to Rockies
Montana DuRapau, a minor league relief pitcher who entered pro ball through the 32nd round of the draft, lasted only 27 pitches and two-thirds of the first inning in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 9-3 loss Wednesday night to the Colorado Rockies. Nick Kingham, who has struggled as a starter and reliever...
Pirates’ Josh Bell homers into Allegheny River again
For the second time in two weeks, Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Josh Bell launched a baseball into the Allegheny River on the fly Wednesday night at PNC Park in the Pirates’ 9-3 loss. Bell sent a pitch from the Colorado Rockies’ Jon Gray over the right-field bleachers, 454 feet from home...
Pirates’ Clint Hurdle reaches managerial milestone
Clint Hurdle reached a career plateau Wednesday night occupied by only 32 other managers in baseball history. He managed his 2,500th game. Hurdle, who will turn 62 on July 30, is third among active managers with 1,224 victories, trailing the San Francisco Giants’ Bruce Bochy (1,947) and the Cleveland Indians’...
Gregory Polanco returns to Pirates lineup, ignoring pain to shoulder, fingerVideo
Gregory Polanco felt pain Tuesday night when an injured middle finger on his left hand kept him out of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 5-0 loss to the Colorado Rockies. The pain wouldn’t permit him to grip a baseball or bat properly, so he had no choice. Truth be told, Polanco is...
Pitt adds graduate transfer linebacker Kylan Johnson to roster
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi added experience to his linebacker group Wednesday when graduate transfer Kylan Johnson officially joined the team from the University of Florida. Johnson earned three letters for the Gators, starting a total of nine games over three seasons (2016-18). His career totals include 83 tackles, 5 1/2...
Montana DuRapau again will get the call as the Pirates’ opener
The Pittsburgh Pirates have only three healthy starters remaining from the five who normally make up the rotation, but Clint Hurdle figures the best way to solve the problem for now is to turn to the bullpen. After the 5-0 loss to the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday, Hurdle said he...
Chris Archer’s struggles continue in Pirates’ 5-0 loss to Rockies
There are other ways Chris Archer could have reacted Tuesday night after the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 5-0 loss to the Colorado Rockies. Another man might have with put on a grim face and sullenly wondered what he needed to do to shake his three-game slump. Who could have blamed him if...
Francisco Cervelli singles, but leaves game after getting hit by foul tip
Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli recorded his first hit since May 12, but played only five innings Tuesday night against the Colorado Rockies in his first appearance in five games. In the top of the fifth, Cervelli was hit in the chest by a foul tip off the bat of...
Pirates’ Gregory Polanco misses game with finger discomfort
The Pirates were forced to deal with another injury-related absence Tuesday when right fielder Gregory Polanco was pulled from the starting lineup with finger discomfort in his left hand. Polanco suffered the injury Sunday when he jammed his hand in the game against the San Diego Padres. After announcing a...
Corey Dickerson encouraged after testing injured shoulder before game
Pittsburgh Pirates left fielder Corey Dickerson, who’s been on the injured list since April 4 with a shoulder strain, was encouraged by his throwing session before the game Tuesday that required him to throw to bases from the outfield. “I feel great,” Dickerson said after his workout. “I’m really happy...
