Kevin Gorman stories, Page 27
Cubs crank out 21 hits to pound Pirates for 18 runs in series opener
When the Chicago Cubs weren’t hitting for extra bases off Mitch Keller, they were stealing them off Yasmani Grandal. The Cubs had five doubles off the Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed starter and just as many stolen bases against the 35-year-old catcher through the first four innings while clinging to a one-run...
Pirates activate 2B Nick Gonzales, recall C Henry Davis, place Joey Bart on 10-day IL
Three of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ most promising young players were in the clubhouse Monday, when the club made a flurry of roster moves that were overshadowed by Oneil Cruz’s position switch to center field. Second baseman Nick Gonzales was activated from the 10-day injured list and in the starting lineup...
Pirates moving Oneil Cruz to center field after defensive struggles at shortstop
The Pittsburgh Pirates dropped a bombshell Monday afternoon by revealing Oneil Cruz will be moving from shortstop to center field, a position switch that could be permanent. It’s an eyebrow-raising move for the 6-foot-7 Cruz, the tallest starting shortstop in major-league history. But the Pirates believe moving the 25-year-old now...
Pirates veteran catcher Yasmani Grandal finally finds footing, gets in a groove at the plateVideo
There was a heightened level of concern for Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton when Yasmani Grandal came to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning against Cincinnati Reds closer Alexis Diaz. With Joey Bart leaving the game in the first inning with left hamstring discomfort, Shelton had no choice...
Yasmani Grandal honors son’s request with 2-run walk-off homer to lift Pirates past Reds
Yasmani Grandal has received repeated requests from the youngest of his three children, son Ryatt, and has answered with the same result. “My 3-year-old keeps telling me to hit homers,” Grandal said with a smile. “Every time he’s said that, I’ve hit a homer, so he needs to keep telling...
After long road, the left-handed Brady Feigl finally finds way to majors with Pirates
As Brady Feigl got familiar with his locker in the Pittsburgh Pirates clubhouse, the 33-year-old left-handed reliever couldn’t explain how his journey finally brought him to the major leagues. Feigl is famous for having a namesake who looks nearly identical but is more of a mirror image. They are almost...
Entering Pirates Hall of Fame together made it ‘extra special’ for Barry Bonds, Jim Leyland
Being inducted into the Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame with Barry Bonds made it “extra special” for Jim Leyland, even if their roles were reversed Saturday at PNC Park. Where the brash Bonds was humbled by the honor, the low-key Leyland got to gloat about another accolade after the former...
Isiah Kiner-Falefa pulls off ‘bucket list’ baserunning play to spark Pirates’ 6-run inning
After Isiah Kiner-Falefa was hit by a pitch to load the bases in the fifth inning, Pittsburgh Pirates first base coach Tarrik Brock whispered a reminder that this was the perfect time to run a play on his bucket list. So when Bryan Reynolds hit a sharp grounder up the...
For Andrew McCutchen, watching Pirates Hall of Famer Barry Bonds ‘was like watching a superhero’
Barry Bonds was must-watch viewing for a young Andrew McCutchen, who would be glued to the television when regularly scheduled programming was interrupted to show the chase for the home run record. McCutchen was but a teenager, four years from becoming a Pittsburgh Pirates first-round pick, when Bonds broke the...
Paul Skenes dominates, Bryan De La Cruz has breakout game as Pirates blank Reds
Paul Skenes and Nick Lodolo had combined for 18 strikeouts through four-plus innings when the least likely suspect helped the Pittsburgh Pirates break the game wide open against the Cincinnati Reds. After a ground-rule double in the fourth — his first extra-base hit in 17 games for the Pirates —...
After swing adjustment, Pirates 3B Jared Triolo was ready for return to starting role
When the Pittsburgh Pirates placed third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes on the 10-day injured list with low back inflammation, it thrust Jared Triolo back into a starting role against the Texas Rangers. This time, Triolo was ready. After swinging and missing at Dane Dunning’s first knuckle-curveball, low and away, Triolo connected...
Luis Ortiz strikes out 7 but Corey Seager homers twice to lead Rangers past Pirates
Luis Ortiz matched his career best with seven strikeouts, but Corey Seager made the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander pay for leaving a pair of pitches over the middle of the plate. Seager hit a two home runs, a solo shot and a three-run blast, to lead the Texas Rangers to a...
Pirates place 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes on IL again, add OF/1B Billy McKinney, RHP Hunter Stratton
The Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday placed third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes on the 10-day injured list with low back inflammation, marking the second time this season and fifth time in the past three years that the Gold Glove winner’s bothersome back has required a stay on the IL. Hayes, 27, is...
Cruz control: Pirates weigh what to do on defense with error-prone shortstop Oneil Cruz
Oneil Cruz already has surpassed every statistical mark from his rookie season and is one shy of tying the franchise record for home runs by a shortstop, set 91 years ago by Hall of Famer Arky Vaughan. Although Cruz leads the Pittsburgh Pirates with 27 doubles and ranks among the...
Mariners pound Pirates, prevent 1st series sweep at home
After ending a 10-game losing streak, the Pittsburgh Pirates took the first two games of their series against the Seattle Mariners and were seeking their third sweep of the season and first at home. But the Pirates’ inability to finish off opponents persisted. Cal Raleigh, Josh Rojas and Dominic Canzone...
Pirates GM Ben Cherington takes responsibility for ‘difficult stretch,’ says goals won’t change
Ben Cherington accepted responsibility for the 10-game losing streak that derailed the Pittsburgh Pirates’ postseason hopes but said it hasn’t changed the team’s goals. The Pirates general manager said Sunday afternoon on his weekly radio show that, after a 14-game jump in their win total last year, the expectation remains...
‘You can’t replace Cutch’: How the Pirates will deal with losing DH Andrew McCutchen to IL
Wearing a black brace to stabilize his inflamed left knee, Andrew McCutchen received pats on his back from teammates Saturday morning as he limped near his locker in the Pittsburgh Pirates clubhouse. McCutchen knew he more than likely was headed to the 10-day injured list, which meant the Pirates had...
Pirates get timely hitting, quality start from Paul Skenes to end losing streak
The Pittsburgh Pirates had hit rock bottom, so it only made sense that the bottom of their batting order provided the spark in ending their 10-game losing streak. Yasmani Grandal hit a solo home run, and Michael A. Taylor’s baserunning put him in position to score the go-ahead run on...
Andrew McCutchen sends message to Pirates by grinding through injury to produce homers
It wasn’t a smile on Andrew McCutchen’s face so much as it was a grimace, the Pittsburgh Pirates designated hitter gritting his teeth as he labored around the basepaths after hitting a pair of home runs. McCutchen has been dealing with tightness in his left quad, an injury that kept...
Teoscar Hernandez hits walk-off single as Dodgers sweep Pirates, who lose 7th straight
As soon as Andrew McCutchen made contact, he nonchalantly dropped his bat and started to shrug his shoulders in celebration. It was that obvious that the Pittsburgh Pirates designated hitter had homered again. McCutchen sparked the Pirates to rally from a four-run deficit with a pair of two-run homers, including...
Despite 6-game skid, Pirates GM Ben Cherington believes playoff push is possible
That the Pittsburgh Pirates were riding a six-game losing streak into Sunday’s series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers did little to damper Ben Cherington’s belief that the postseason is a possibility. The Pirates general manager said sitting 10 ½ games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central...
With disastrous outings on his mind, Pirates reliever Ben Heller escapes bases-loaded jam
When Ben Heller loaded the bases against the first three Los Angeles Dodgers he faced, the right-handed reliever couldn’t help but have flashbacks to his previous outings for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 33-year-old Heller allowed 11 earned runs on nine hits, one walk and four hit batsmen in a pair...
Dodgers score early against Paul Skenes as Pirates suffer 6th consecutive loss
Paul Skenes won the big-on-big matchups against Los Angeles Dodgers stars Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman. It was Teoscar Hernandez and Gavin Lux who gave the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie phenom fits. Hernandez became the first player to hit Skenes’ signature splinker for a home run in a three-hit game, and...
With Hall of Famer in family, Isiah Kiner-Falefa embraces Pirates’ identity
Every time Isiah Kiner-Falefa visited PNC Park, he would make a point to look up at Ralph Kiner’s retired No. 4 or visit the bronze bust of his hands holding a Louisville Slugger bat. They share more than a surname. Kiner-Falefa’s maternal grandfather is Ralph’s cousin who attended the University...
Dodgers tag Mitch Keller for 5 runs in 3rd inning, hand Pirates 5th consecutive loss
The Pittsburgh Pirates were hoping that Mitch Keller could stop their losing skid. Instead, the anchor of their pitching staff delivered his worst start of the season. Keller surrendered a two-run home run to Shohei Ohtani in a five-run third inning and gave up seven runs in a 9-5 loss...
