Kevin Gorman stories, Page 28
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...
Pirates promote controversial pitcher Domingo German, who threw perfect game last season
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected the contract of controversial right-handed pitcher Domingo German – who produced the most recent perfect game in major league history – before Friday’s game at the Los Angeles Dodgers. German had a 31-28 record with a 4.41 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 112 games (89 starts)...
With season spiraling, Pirates count on starting pitching to serve as stoppers of losing streak
As the Pittsburgh Pirates attempt to put a disastrous homestand that ended with getting swept by the San Diego Padres in their rearview, they turn to their most reliable pitcher to serve as a stopper. Mitch Keller’s streak of 49 consecutive starts of pitching at least five innings ended against...
David Bednar blows another lead, as Padres score 3 runs in 9th to sweep reeling Pirates
David Bednar was booed off the field by the home crowd after blowing another one-run lead in the ninth inning against the San Diego Padres, and the Pittsburgh Pirates closer offered no defense. Instead, Bednar swallowed hard and accepted the blame for failing to finish as the Pirates continued their...
Pirates place struggling reliever Colin Holderman on 15-day IL, DFA Edward Olivares
The Pittsburgh Pirates made a series of roster moves before Thursday’s game against the San Diego Padres, with the most prominent affecting a struggling high-leverage reliever. The Pirates placed right-hander Colin Holderman, who has a 16.62 ERA in his past five appearances, on the 15-day injured list with a sprained...
Pirates lefty Aroldis Chapman ties record for fastest recorded strikeout pitch at 104.7 mph
When Aroldis Chapman painted the inside corner with a sinker for a called third strike, all San Diego Padres star Manny Machado could do was stare back at the Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander in stunned silence. Chapman stood on the mound in his statuesque staredown pose before cracking a smile when...
Padres score 3 runs in 10th, hold on to hand Pirates their 3rd consecutive loss
Just after the Pittsburgh Pirates gave up the lead, Andrew McCutchen launched a home run to tie the score in the fourth inning, then added a two-run single in the sixth for the lead. With two runners in scoring position and the Pirates clinging to a one-run advantage, Aroldis Chapman...
‘An ocean in the warning track’: How Pirates-Padres came to play after lengthy rain delay
The only things that came down faster than the rainstorm that interrupted the game at PNC Park on Tuesday night were the hyperbolic reactions from the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres. When a flash flood clogged the drainage system with dirt and flooded the outfield, players and coaches likened...
After lengthy rain delay, Pirates to reward fans for their patience with 2 complimentary tickets
After a rainstorm flooded the warning track Tuesday night at PNC Park, the Pittsburgh Pirates are issuing two complimentary tickets to fans who endured the two-hour, 40-minute delay. “We appreciate the patience of our fans,” Pirates senior vice president of communications Brian Warecki said in a statement. “We will be...
Pirates manager Derek Shelton gets taste of practice intensity at Steelers training camp
Derek Shelton got his first taste of a Pittsburgh Steelers training camp at Saint Vincent College on Tuesday, and the Pirates manager was more fascinated by their coach than the old-fashioned campus setting. After an off day Monday, Shelton and general manager Ben Cherington accepted an invitation from Steelers coach...
After struggling at plate, Michael A. Taylor hoping to finish season strong for Pirates
As contradictory as it sounds, Michael A. Taylor found that when he stopped focusing on his results he delivered better outcomes for the Pittsburgh Pirates. That was easier said than done for Taylor, who got off to a red-hot start in the first week only to watch his batting average...
Pirates bullpen blows 4-run lead, as Diamondbacks rally to win 3-game series
The Pittsburgh Pirates want to be a playoff contender, and they got a taste of what it’s like to be in a wild-card race Sunday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. After blowing a four-run lead by giving up a three-run homer to Joc Pederson and a solo shot to Ketel Marte,...
Homers by Joey Bart, Bryan Reynolds propel Pirates past Diamondbacks to tie series
Derek Shelton’s anxiety was running high during a rain delay Saturday night, as the Pittsburgh Pirates manager sat in his office and watched the downpour and the clock as it ticked past the one-hour mark. Shelton realized that the longer the delay lasted, the less chance he would be able...
Isiah Kiner-Falefa took winding road from rehab assignment to being activated by Pirates
Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s return from a rehabilitation assignment to the major leagues was a winding road, one that involved a trade and required multiple crossings of the Canadian border. Kiner-Falefa was traveling back and forth from Toronto to Triple-A Buffalo while recovering from a left knee sprain, then took a flight...
‘Built like a big leaguer,’ Pirates 1st-rounder Konnor Griffin looks the part in batting practice
When Konnor Griffin walked into the home clubhouse with a duffle bag and found his nameplate above a temporary locker, it was evident he was about to get the royal treatment from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Two days after signing for an above-slot $6.3 million bonus, the No. 9 overall pick...
