Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 158
Pirates notebook: Jason Martin puts ‘crazy’ days behind him
Jason Martin described his first three days with the Pittsburgh Pirates as “crazy,” but he got down to a business Sunday at PNC Park in a game marred by a benches-clearing dustup in the fourth inning. He singled, doubled and recorded his first major league RBI in his second consecutive...
Benches clear, 5 ejected after Pirates’ Chris Archer throws behind Reds’ Derek Dietrich
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ two most valuable relief pitchers, Keone Kela and Felipe Vazquez, were ejected in the top of the fourth inning Sunday after Pirates and Cincinnati Reds players rushed onto the field when Pirates starter Chris Archer threw behind Derek Dietrich. Also ejected were Reds manager David Bell, right...
Pirates’ Clint Hurdle still heeds former Braves’ manager Bobby Cox’s advice on newspapersVideo
Clint Hurdle said Sunday he refuses to read newspaper articles concerning the Pittsburgh Pirates. He gets along well with reporters covering the team, speaking with them twice a day during the season and even engaging them in the offseason. But he prefers to develop his own opinions about his team...
Florida defensive end Sam Williams is first to commit to Pitt
Pat Narduzzi had a busy Saturday, leading his team through its 11th practice of the spring – a scrimmage at Heinz Field – and getting his first verbal commitment from the class of 2020. While visiting the university and after watching the scrimmage, defensive end Sam Williams announced on his...
Air Narduzzi at Pitt? Maybe not, but passing game undergoes transformation
When Pitt’s coach was questioned about the perceived notion of “Air Narduzzi” that is flying around spring ball, he smiled and quickly cleared up any confusion. “Don’t believe Air Narduzzi,” Pat Narduzzi said. “We’re going to run the ball. Don’t forget that.” Yet, it was a fair question because two...
Pirates shut out Reds for the third time, 2-0
His fastball deserted him for a time. His teammates struggled to offer the run support every pitcher needs. But Joe Musgrove had two good friends on his side: Catcher Francisco Cervelli and his slider. They were more than enough to help the Pittsburgh Pirates (3-3) defeat the Cincinnati Reds (1-6)...
Pirates notebook: Starting pitchers keeping games close
Keeping in mind the early-season sample size, Pittsburgh Pirates starters were just short of dominant through the first five games. After Jameson Taillon allowed four runs in the opener in Cincinnati, Taillon, Trevor Williams and Jordan Lyles surrendered only one run in 23 innings. Overall, the four starters have a...
Jason Martin arrives from Triple-A as Kyle Crick goes on Pirates’ injury list
Many thoughts went through Jason Martin’s head when he was called up to the Pittsburgh Pirates before he even played one game for Triple-A Indianapolis this season. He made several phone calls, and his parents reacted quickly, flying from California with his sister and fiancée to be in the PNC...
Pitt’s Carter Warren stakes claim to starting job at tackleVideo
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi is constantly searching for good offensive linemen, and he’s not shy about finding them on another school’s roster. Nothing wrong with that. Aside from quarterback, it’s probably the toughest position to master, and it’s difficult to find big guys who have the agility to move laterally...
Pat Narduzzi likes to experiment during Pitt spring drills
With no immediate need to prepare for an opponent, Pat Narduzzi can do almost anything with his roster during Pitt spring drills. To that end, he’s not afraid to use players on both sides of the ball, even if it’s just as a temporary experiment. Redshirt freshman Kaymar Mimes, still...
Pirates again fall to Cardinals in extra innings
Jameson Taillon admitted it was “a tough question.” Perhaps answering it was more difficult than anything the St. Louis Cardinals threw at him Wednesday night at PNC Park. But, in the end, he said he was “cool” with Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle’s decision to pull him from the game...
Pirates’ Josh Bell still working on transition from outfield
A right fielder most of his baseball life, Josh Bell never played first base until he joined the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League. That was 2014. He was 22 years old. By 2017, he was playing 147 games at first base for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and this season,...
Pirates’ left fielder Corey Dickerson sits with shoulder soreness
JB Shuck, who was hitless in seven plate appearances over the first three games, made his second start of the season Wednesday when left fielder Corey Dickerson was rested with right shoulder soreness. Shuck started in center field Thursday in Cincinnati when Starling Marte complained of a migraine. Dickerson had...
Jordan Lyles hopes to validate Pirates’ faith in him
Jordan Lyles wasn’t out of work long when he tested the open market after last season. He signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates only six weeks after becoming a free agent, coming to terms on a one-year, $2.05 million contract. “It was pretty easy to work with Neal (Huntington),” he said....
Small details in Pitt’s passing game could help the big picture
When wide receivers Aaron Mathews and Taysir Mack enrolled at Pitt, they figured they would be expected to catch the football when it’s within reach, run crisp routes and block. They never figured on Chris Beatty throwing another mandate into the mix. When the daily meeting in Beatty’s office is...
Pat Narduzzi says NFL scouts are ‘awful happy’ to visit PittVideo
After practice Tuesday, Pat Narduzzi defended Pitt’s treatment of NFL scouts in light of a Sports Illustrated story that mentioned Pitt among schools that “aren’t always easy to visit.” The story, written by SI senior writer Andy Staples, used information from anonymous scouts because they weren’t authorized by their teams...
Pirates’ Josh Bell has plenty to prove to SI, himself
For several days, Josh Bell was so focused on the Cincinnati Reds and the first series of the season, he didn’t even know about the criticism leveled against him by an anonymous scout in Sports Illustrated. The words were more than critical, however. Some might call them hurtful. Pittsburgh Pirates...
Pirates lose home opener on an 11th-inning passed ball
Nick Kingham is 27 years old and has played baseball at many levels for most of that time. But what happened in the 11th inning of the Pirates’ home opener Monday at PNC Park is something that rarely has occurred to him in any of his games. And after it...
Colin Moran, Pablo Reyes inserted into Pirates starting lineup for home openerVideo
Clint Hurdle juggled his lineup for the home opener and third game of the season Monday when the Pittsburgh Pirates meet the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park. After right fielder Melky Cabrera had two hits against the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday, he will sit Monday in favor of rookie...
Cold temps, clear skies set stage for Pirates’ home opener
Clear skies and bright sunshine greeted fans arriving at PNC Park on Monday morning for the Pittsburgh Pirates’ home season. Yet, the temperature was 28 degrees at 8:30 a.m., with reports of it climbing no higher than 36 by first pitch at 1:05 p.m. Who didn’t scrape ice off their...
Melky Cabrera looks good batting seventh for Pirates
No season-long determinations can be — or should be — made after the Pittsburgh Pirates’ first two games. But maybe keeping Starling Marte healthy and batting second in the lineup and Melky Cabrera seventh while he mans right field in Gregory Polanco’s absence is the way to go for now....
Last home match for Pitt tennis a big draw in Wexford
Alex Santos could handle the difficult logistics surrounding his team, even if he had to drive 30 minutes for home matches. Pitt’s women’s tennis coach didn’t complain publicly. He just rolled up his sleeves and went to work, trying and often succeeding to find players on four continents to build...
Pitt linebackers coach looks for leaders
Please, don’t ask Rob Harley to name the three linebackers he plans to insert in Pitt’s starting defense this season. Even if he knows – and he probably has a preliminary idea he prefers not to share at this time — the opener against Virginia is five months away, and...
Pitt’s Jared Wilson-Frame will shoot for $100,000 in national 3-man championship
Jared Wilson-Frame, one of the most prolific 3-point shooters in Pitt history, will be in Minneapolis, site of the Final Four, starting Friday while representing the ACC at the second annual Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship. Teams are comprised of four seniors from the same conference who have exhausted their...
Here’s what Opening Day taught us about the Pirates
Unless you expected the Pittsburgh Pirates to post a 162-0 record this season and Jameson Taillon to throw a no-hitter on Opening Day, you should not judge the team harshly after its two-run loss to the Cincinnati Reds. After all, they were one extra-base hit by Corey Dickerson and a...
