Kevin Gorman stories, Page 8
‘It’s unbelievable’: Andrew McCutchen passes Pirates great Willie Stargell on MLB hits leaders
Andrew McCutchen didn’t windmill his bat or launch a blast into the upper deck but his base hit Monday night against the Detroit Tigers conjured memories of Willie Stargell anyway. When McCutchen dropped a bloop single to shallow center field in the fourth inning, he passed the Pittsburgh Pirates great...
Pirates sign trio of picks from draft class in 3B Murf Gray, RHP Jack Anker, SS Matt King
The Pittsburgh Pirates signed their first wave of draft picks Monday, adding three college players to their minor-league system. Third baseman Murf Gray and right-handed pitcher Jack Anker of Fresno State and shortstop Matt King of Arizona State became the first players from their draft class to sign with the...
Dealing with distraction of trade deadline rumors ‘not an easy time’ for last-place Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are well aware of the type of talk that surrounds a team sitting in last place in the National League Central in late July, knowing they will be sellers at the MLB trade deadline. The difference this year is the trade chips aren’t limited to just the...
Pirates hit rock bottom in another lopsided loss, as AL-worst White Sox sweep 3-game series
Before the Pittsburgh Pirates could put an end to their most embarrassing series, there were dark clouds hovering over PNC Park. If ever there was a symbolic moment for the Pirates’ season, it came just as they were being swept at home by the worst team in the American League...
GM Ben Cherington treating trade deadline as way to improve Pirates in 2026 ‘and beyond’
The MLB Draft was winding down, the Home Run Derby hadn’t started and trade-deadline talk already was heating up, Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said on his weekly radio show. Cherington said the calls started Monday night and expects them to continue until baseball’s trade deadline July 31. “Every...
White Sox spoil sellout, score in double digits again as Pirates’ bullpen blows early lead
The Pittsburgh Pirates had the perfect recipe for a breakout game: a sellout crowd, a starting pitcher who didn’t allow a hit through four-plus innings and the cushion of an early three-run lead. That they found a way to blow it is the story of this season. The Chicago White...
Pirates hoping Oneil Cruz turns Home Run Derby success into superstardom
Andrew McCutchen watched Oneil Cruz crush majestic moonshots in the Home Run Derby, absolutely stealing the show at the All-Star Game festivities in Atlanta, and allowed his mind to drift. If the Pittsburgh Pirates icon has one wish, it’s that the mercurial 6-foot-7, 240-pound center fielder can learn to tap...
Bucs Beat Q&A: Pitching to Oneil Cruz in Home Run Derby a ‘privilege’ for Stephen Morales
What was it like to pitch to Oneil Cruz in the Home Run Derby? It was amazing. First of all, it’s a privilege for me just to have the opportunity to be picked by him to have the opportunity to be the one throwing to him and help him out...
White Sox pound Pirates, who open 2nd half with 1 of most lopsided losses of the season
If there was optimism for the Pittsburgh Pirates to put a disappointing first half behind them, it was because they opened the second half against one of baseball’s worst teams: the Chicago White Sox. That didn’t prevent the Pirates from continuing their misery against American League opponents. They suffered one...
Pirates notebook: Liover Peguero returns with versatility; starting rotation resets after break
Liover Peguero has bounced back and forth between Triple-A Indianapolis and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Now that he’s back in the major leagues, look for him to bounce around the infield. Once a top-10 prospect, the 24-year-old has made 28 starts at shortstop, 22 appearances at third base, nine starts at...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Why the Pirates should ‘stay open-minded’ leading up to trade deadline
Ben Cherington wasted no time to address the Pittsburgh Pirates after a failure of a first half in which they fired the manager, tied a dubious major-league record and endured the pendulum swing of successive sweeps that involved back-to-back series with shutout wins and losses. On what is generally considered...
Pirates start 2nd day of MLB Draft by picking Puerto Rican shortstop, Arizona catcher
On the second day of the MLB Draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates loaded up on college hitters. The Pirates professed they picked the best players available Sunday night in a pair of right-handed prep pitchers from southern California in Seth Hernandez (No. 6) and Angel Cervantes (No. 50) and college sluggers...
MLB Draft Analysis: Pirates take best available with prep pitchers in 1st 2 picks, will address needs later
When the MLB Draft started with stunners for the first two selections, the Pittsburgh Pirates were prepared to pivot in a number of different directions with the No. 6 overall pick. They believed the odds were against Seth Hernandez slipping to them, so they were “super excited” to take the...
Pirates pick another California prep pitcher, add a pair of college hitters in draft
The Pittsburgh Pirates continued to stockpile starting pitching in the MLB Draft, selecting right-hander Angel Cervantes in the second round, but added a pair of college hitters to finish out the first day. A 6-foot-3, 195-pounder from Downey (Calif.) Warren High School, Cervantes is a UCLA commit who has a...
Pirates take top prep pitcher Seth Hernandez with No. 6 pick of 1st round in MLB Draft
The Pittsburgh Pirates have two of baseball’s top young starting pitchers in Paul Skenes and Jared Jones, but that didn’t stop them from selecting another right-hander from southern California in the first round of the MLB Draft. Seth Hernandez was considered the top right-handed pitching prospect in the draft, so...
Pirates ace Paul Skenes named All-Star starting pitcher for 2nd straight year
For the second consecutive year, Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes has been named the starting pitcher for the National League in the All-Star Game. The 6-foot-6, 260-pound right-hander received official word Saturday in a phone call from Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who asked for “one inning of domination.”...
Byron Buxton hits for cycle as Twins pound Pirates, who lose 8th consecutive game
In a game that had become a blowout, this was a day that belonged to Byron Buxton. The Minnesota Twins All-Star center fielder already had sandwiched two singles around a triple and a double when he came to bat with two outs in the seventh inning. When Buxton crushed Andrew...
Full Count: Despite uncertainty of MLB Draft, Pirates can’t afford to miss with No. 6 pick
The MLB Draft is deep in college pitching and prep shortstops, positions where the Pittsburgh Pirates hit home runs with their past two first-round picks in Paul Skenes and Konnor Griffin. It’s no wonder Pirates general manager Ben Cherington has vowed to take the best player available with the No....
Bucs Beat Q&A: Scouting Pirates’ potential No. 1 pick with MLB Pipeline writer Jonathan Mayo
Pirates GM Ben Cherington said they plan to take the best player available, so why did you project them to pick Oregon State shortstop Aiva Arquette in the MLB.com mock draft? I do think that they tend to take who they think the best player is. It could very well...
Pirates’ Nick Gonzales answering questions with his bat since return from ankle injury
Nick Gonzales understands there’s a dichotomy in how he is perceived, so the Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman has learned to embrace his reputation as an undersized overachiever and a bonus baby who comes with the high expectations of a top-10 pick. Gonzales is defying the odds this season, returning from...
Randy Arozarena homer lifts Mariners to 3rd shutout of Pirates despite Paul Skenes’ 10Ks
The Pittsburgh Pirates went scoreless in Seattle. In a sobering series for a red-hot team coming off three consecutive shutouts of the St. Louis Cardinals, the Pirates went ice cold and failed to score a run in three consecutive games against the Mariners. Mariners righty George Kirby matched Paul Skenes...
Paul Skenes becomes 1st Pirates pitcher to be selected to All-Star Game in 1st 2 seasons
Paul Skenes wasn’t “super surprised” to be selected to the All-Star Game for the second consecutive season, even if he became the first Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher to be chosen in each of his first two seasons. “Pretty cool. I’m looking forward to it,” Skenes said Sunday on the SportsNet Pittsburgh...
Pirates CF Oneil Cruz makes perfectly placed throw clocked at 105.2 mph on play at plate
It’s almost impossible for the Pittsburgh Pirates to overshadow Paul Skenes when he’s pitching, but a throw by center fielder Oneil Cruz against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday earned a salute from Skenes. Cruz made a perfectly placed one-hop throw to get J.P. Crawford out at home plate that was...
Luis Castillo tosses 7 scoreless innings as Mariners hand Pirates 2nd consecutive shutout
The offense that propelled the Pittsburgh Pirates to score 47 runs in a six-game homestand has gone scoreless in Seattle. Mariners starter Luis Castillo recorded eight strikeouts in seven shutout innings, as the Pirates failed to advance a runner past first base for the first time in four seasons. Jorge...
Bucs Beat Q&A: 3rd base coach Mike Rabelo aggressive ‘trying to score runs for the Pirates’
How much has your role changed since Don Kelly became manager? It’s really not that much different. Prior to the series, I’ll go in and talk to Donnie about what the (opponent) will do, what they have done, what to be on the lookout for, what do you think about...
