Kevin Gorman stories, Page 12
Pirates lose Jared Jones, Enmanuel Valdez for the rest of season after undergoing surgery
Jared Jones underwent surgery on his right elbow Wednesday and will miss the remainder of the season, though the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander opted for a primary repair procedure instead of Tommy John surgery that is expected to shorten his recovery and return him to full competition within a year. Pirates...
Pirates option Carmen Mlodzinski, recall Mike Burrows in starting rotation shuffle
The Pittsburgh Pirates are shuffling their starting rotation, optioning right-hander reliever-turned-starter Carmen Mlodzinski to Triple-A Indianapolis and recalling Mike Burrows on Wednesday. Burrows, a 6-foot, 200-pound right-hander, is 2-1 with a 2.51 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 41 strikeouts against 11 walks in 32 1/3 innings over eight appearances (seven starts)...
David Bednar bounces back from rough outing to earn 1st save for Pirates since April 30
One night after David Bednar allowed two runs on three hits against the top of the Cincinnati Reds order and didn’t finish the eighth inning, Pittsburgh Pirates manager Don Kelly didn’t hesitate to send the right-hander out for the ninth inning while clinging to a one-run lead. It provided a...
Don Kelly wants Pirates to ‘play aggressively,’ so new manager willing to live with mistakes
If Don Kelly is going to put his personal stamp on the Pittsburgh Pirates as manager, he wants it to be with an aggressive attitude. That’s why Kelly is willing to live with the defensive mishaps that proved costly for the Pirates in a 7-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds...
Reds take advantage of defensive mishaps to hand Pirates their 4th consecutive defeat
The Pittsburgh Pirates haven’t scored more than four runs in two dozen games, a streak that has magnified every mistake and minimized the effectiveness of their starting pitching. Mitch Keller became the latest Pirate to provide a quality start and receive little support offensively or defensively, which has become a...
Pirates wasting Paul Skenes’ quality starts by failing to provide run support
Andrew McCutchen was in awe of what Paul Skenes accomplished last season, when the 22-year-old right-hander started for the National League in the All-Star Game, won rookie of the year honors and finished third in Cy Young voting in a historic campaign. But McCutchen warned that it was important for...
Pirates pitcher Jared Jones to visit orthopedic surgeon for examination of right elbow sprain
Jared Jones will visit orthopedic surgeon Dr. Keith Meister on Tuesday for an examination on the ulnar collateral ligament sprain in his right elbow that has sidelined the Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher since spring training, a source confirmed to TribLive. There is a possibility Jones could undergo Tommy John surgery,...
Mick Abel outduels Paul Skenes in MLB debut as Phillies shut out Pirates to sweep series
Paul Skenes performed a master class in pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates, striking out nine Philadelphia Phillies while giving up three hits and one walk over eight innings in his first career complete game. But Skenes allowed one thing that his counterpart didn’t: a run. Mick Abel became only the...
Pirates assistant GM: Don Kelly ‘pouring everything he’s got’ into managerial duties
The Pittsburgh Pirates are taking an unconventional approach to replacing a manager midseason, relying instead on the collective to fill a void when Don Kelly was promoted from bench coach. Assistant general manager Kevan Graves, filling in for Ben Cherington on his weekly radio show, said Sunday on 93.7 FM...
Pirates’ Bryan Reynolds snaps out of funk with homer, but Zack Wheeler pitches Phillies to win
The Pittsburgh Pirates unveiled a reconfigured batting order against the Philadelphia Phillies, moving Bryan Reynolds down to the third spot in hopes of getting his bat back on track. But Zack Wheeler set the tone by striking out the first two batters he faced and letting the Pirates know that...
Pirates activate 1B Spencer Horwitz, option 1B/OF Matt Gorski to Indianapolis
The biggest offseason acquisition for the Pittsburgh Pirates has finally joined the active roster, as first baseman Spencer Horwitz was reinstated from the injured list after ending his rehabilitation assignment. To make room on the roster, the Pirates optioned first baseman/outfielder Matt Gorski to Indianapolis. Gorski batted .195 (8 for...
Full Count: Reinforcements on the way but Pirates need bold move to salvage the season
After a self-described “long-winded explanation” for his vision in building a Pittsburgh Pirates team that played poorly enough to get its manager fired May 8, general manager Ben Cherington offered some optimism about salvaging the season. “I don’t believe you have to squint too hard to see a better team...
Bucs Beat Q&A: Pirates utility player Jared Triolo adds another Gold Glove to trophy case
Pirates utility player Jared Triolo received his 2024 Gold Glove Award on May 11, at PNC Park. He talked with TribLive reporter Kevin Gorman for this week’s Bucs Beat Q&A: What’s it like to be playing a new position (shortstop) when you were presented the Gold Glove trophy as the...
Phillies take advantage of free passes in 4-run 7th inning to beat Pirates in series opener
It looked promising for the Pittsburgh Pirates when they robbed the Philadelphia Phillies of a home run, took a commanding lead with a three-run blast and escaped a bases-loaded situation. Only to give it away. The Phillies took advantage of five free passes — four walks and a hit batter...
Pirates add Triple-A’s hottest bat in IF/OF Nick Solak, option Ji Hwan Bae to Indianapolis
The Pittsburgh Pirates promoted one of their hottest hitters in the minor leagues Friday, selecting the contract of infielder/outfielder Nick Solak from Triple-A Indianapolis. Solak led all Triple-A hitters in batting (.393), ranked fourth in on-base percentage (.452) and OPS (1.077) and fifth in slugging (.625). The 5-foot-10, 185-pounder batted...
Pirates 2B Nick Gonzales ready to get back to playing baseball on rehabilitation assignment
After being sidelined since Opening Day with a non-displaced fracture of his left ankle, Nick Gonzales was readying himself to round the bases one more time at PNC Park. Proving he could make cuts and handle turns was the final step for the Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman to be cleared...
Carmen Mlodzinski’s strong start, Joey Bart’s single lift Pirates to walk-off win over Braves
Carmen Mlodzinski pounded his fist into his glove as he walked off the mound with two outs in the sixth inning, an auto-response to his best performance as a starting pitcher in the major leagues. The Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander was one out shy of the first career quality start. That...
Pirates GM still searching for replacement for Don Kelly as bench coach, gives injury updates
Finding Derek Shelton’s replacement was an easy call for Ben Cherington, as Don Kelly made such a strong impression that the general manager expressed his confidence in Kelly and called him “absolutely the right person to manage this team right now.” “This is personal for him,” Cherington said of Kelly,...
Full Count: Jim Leyland’s Hall-of-Fame advice to new Pirates manager: ‘Just be Donnie Kelly’
To Jim Leyland, Don Kelly was a manager’s dream. So, of course, the Hall of Famer was watching Kelly’s debut in his dream job as Pittsburgh Pirates manager Friday night, rooting for his protégé to get his first victory, a 3-2 win over the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park. “Donnie,...
Bucs Beat Q&A: As new Pirates manager, Don Kelly knows ‘the ultimate decision is mine’
How much do you weigh following a script versus making gut decisions? I don’t think you can ever fully script a baseball game. When you’re sitting there and you’re in the heat of the moment, just trying to figure out, for me there are touch points. There’s stuff that can...
‘Yes, it was a dream’: Don Kelly embraces challenge of managing his hometown Pirates
Don Kelly lived out his childhood fantasy by playing in the major leagues, so he couldn’t help but dare to dream about managing his hometown team while serving as Pittsburgh Pirates bench coach. Kelly’s mind couldn’t help but drift to the times he walked onto the field as he left...
‘Unfortunately, I wasn’t shocked’: Pirates react to the firing of Derek Shelton as manager
Pittsburgh Pirates players reacted Friday to the firing of Derek Shelton with more of a sympathetic shrug than surprise, knowing that their poor start to the season had a lot to do with the managerial move. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t shocked,” said Pirates right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes, the 2024 National League...
‘It certainly starts with me’: Despite firing Derek Shelton, Pirates GM takes responsibility
Ben Cherington has delivered his share of double talk as general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and his explanation for firing manager Derek Shelton on Thursday was no exception. While severing ties with Shelton, Cherington accepted accountability and responsibility for a 12-26 start and seven-game losing streak that has the...
Pirates fire Derek Shelton, promote bench coach Don Kelly to manager for rest of 2025
Sitting in last place in the NL Central and with their season spiraling, the Pittsburgh Pirates fired manager Derek Shelton on Thursday and named bench coach Don Kelly his successor for the remainder of the 2025 season. Shelton was relieved of his duties following a 5-0 loss to the St....
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Pirates manager Derek Shelton has no answers for 7-game losing skid
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a sinking ship whose skipper Derek Shelton seems at a loss when asked for answers about how to reverse course for their offensive ineptitude as they approach the quarter pole. Shelton didn’t even have a message to share with his team. “Right now, that’s what we’re...

