Kevin Gorman stories, Page 92
Pirates’ Derek Shelton celebrates Roberto Clemente’s legacy
Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton returned to his office in the clubhouse after Tuesday night’s game against the Cincinnati Reds to find a No. 21 jersey hanging in his locker. That’s when it hit Shelton that the Pirates would be honoring the Hall of Fame right fielder by wearing his...
Pirates not optimistic about David Bednar, JT Brubaker returning this year
The Pittsburgh Pirates already shut down left-handed starter Steven Brault and righty reliever Duane Underwood Jr. for the season by transferring them to the 60-day injured list. Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk didn’t sound overly optimistic righty starter JT Brubaker and reliever David Bednar will return by the...
To Pirates catcher Michael Perez, wearing No. 21 ‘very special’
Michael Perez listened to his grandfather tells stories about watching Roberto Clemente play for the Pittsburgh Pirates, so the idea of wearing No. 21 for the same organization was unimaginable. As the lone Puerto Rican player on the Pirates, the 28-year-old catcher savored the opportunity to don the number on...
Dillon Peters tosses 5 scoreless innings as Pirates hold on to beat Reds
The Cincinnati Reds had pummeled the Pittsburgh Pirates nine times in 10 meetings this season, scoring double-digit runs in half of them, so Derek Shelton was well aware that their lineup had some punch. With the Pirates facing the top of the Reds’ order in the bottom of the ninth...
Wearing No. 21 as Roberto Clemente Award nominee holds ‘extra significance’ for Jacob StallingsVideo
Jacob Stallings already viewed the opportunity to wear No. 21 with his Pittsburgh Pirates teammates in celebration of Roberto Clemente Day as “one of the coolest days in Major League Baseball.” When Stallings wears that number on the back of his jersey against the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night at...
Pirates place reliever David Bednar on 10-day IL, recall RHP Enyel De Los Santos
The Pittsburgh Pirates placed reliever David Bednar on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a right oblique strain and recalled right-hander Enyel De Los Santos to take his spot on the 28-man active roster. Bednar (3-1, 2.18 ERA,) a Mars graduate, hasn’t pitched since he tossed a scoreless eighth inning...
ESPN: MLB to allow Pirates, Puerto Rican players, award nominees to wear No. 21 on Roberto Clemente DayVideo
MLB has granted permission to the 30 Roberto Clemente Award nominees and six active past winners, along with the Pittsburgh Pirates and all Puerto Rican players, to wear No. 21 on the 20th Roberto Clemente Day, according to ESPN. ESPN also reported that Sept. 15 will be announced as the...
Pirates SS Oneil Cruz cracks top 20 in Baseball America’s updated top 100 prospect rankings
After Pittsburgh Pirates rookie third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes graduated from prospect status, Oneil Cruz assumed the top prospect ranking in the club’s minor league system. Now, Cruz is one of the game’s top 20 prospects. When Baseball America updated its top 100 prospects on Monday, Cruz moved up 10 spots...
Pirates place LHP Steven Brault on 60-day IL, claim reliever Enyel De Los Santos from Phillies
Steven Brault’s season is over for the Pittsburgh Pirates, who transferred the left-hander to the 60-day injured list Monday and claimed right-handed reliever Enyel De Los Santos off waivers from Philadelphia. Brault (0-3, 5.86 ERA in seven starts) was removed after the second inning Friday against Washington after experiencing tightness....
With David Bednar unavailable, Pirates bullpen suffers another blow
Just when David Bednar looked like he was positioned to become the closer for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Derek Shelton didn’t call his number late in any of the three games against the Washington Nationals. Shelton said Sunday that Bednar wasn’t a consideration. “Right now, he is not available,” Shelton said....
Nationals blast 3 home runs off Bryse Wilson to beat Pirates, prevent series sweep
The Pittsburgh Pirates were searching for a sweep at home. The Washington Nationals were swinging for home runs. Luis Garcia and Alex Avila hit solo shots and Lane Thomas a three-run homer off Bryse Wilson to lead the Nationals to a 6-2 win over the Pirates on Sunday afternoon before...
Propelled by a pair of home runs, Pirates use patience at plate to top Nationals
Derek Shelton wants his hitters to be aggressive at the plate, but when their swings were leading to quick outs the Pittsburgh Pirates manager asked for a different approach. The Pirates’ patience paid off. After rallying to tie the game with a pair of fifth inning home runs, the Pirates...
Pirates place LHP Steven Brault on 10-day IL, recall RHP Connor Overton from Indianapolis
The Pittsburgh Pirates placed left-handed pitcher Steven Brault on the 10-day injured list with a recurrent left lat strain and recalled right-hander Connor Overton from Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday. Brault (0-3, 5.86 ERA) was out from spring training until Aug. 4, and he made his seventh start and pitched two...
Pirates GM Ben Cherington: ‘Unlikely’ new hitting coach will be hired until after season
Ben Cherington said it’s “unlikely” that interviews for a new hitting coach will begin until after the conclusion of the season, though the Pittsburgh Pirates general manager has an idea of what he wants. The Pirates fired hitting coach Rick Eckstein after three seasons on Aug. 30, when they ranked...
‘Baseball is in my blood’: Francisco Cervelli enjoying retirement, eyes next phase of lifeVideo
Francisco Cervelli was back in a major-league ballpark for the first time in a year and, after visiting the broadcast booth for a guest appearance, the former Pittsburgh Pirates catcher was impressed by a new viewpoint of PNC Park after five years of seeing it from behind home plate. A...
Miguel Cabrera serves as catalyst for Tigers, who prevent Pirates from series sweep
Mitch Keller remains an enigma for the Pittsburgh Pirates, as the right-hander followed his best start of this rollercoaster season by surrendering double-digit hits to the Detroit Tigers. There is no mystery to Miguel Cabrera. On the day of the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony, the Detroit Tigers first...
Pirates shut down JT Brubaker from throwing for 5-7 days with shoulder impingement
The Pittsburgh Pirates shut down pitcher JT Brubaker from throwing for five to seven days after team doctors determined he has right shoulder impingement that caused discomfort. Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Brubaker “has some soreness with certain range of motion” but called the prognosis “very encouraging.”...
David Bednar’s new high-leverage relief role for the Pirates comes with a curveball
After giving up a leadoff double to Miguel Cabrera in the eighth inning, David Bednar returned to what fast has become a go-to pitch. After blowing hitters away with a 97-mph four-seam fastball that can touch triple digits, the Pittsburgh Pirates reliever has spent the summer cultivating a curveball. The...
Ben Gamel’s big plays in 6th inning propel Pirates past Tigers
If there was a ringing in Ben Gamel’s ears after the Pittsburgh Pirates left fielder chased down a fly ball before crashing into the corner wall, it wasn’t the words of his father. “My dad always tells me, ‘Live to see another day,’” Gamel said of Frank Gamel, who was...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Pirates farm director John Baker discusses ‘What’s Important Now’
John Baker was dressed in casual attire, wearing a green blazer over a Roberto Clemente T-shirt and tapered khakis, as he sat on the home dugout bench at PNC Park. He looked and sounded more like a professor giving a lecture than the Pittsburgh Pirates farm director talking baseball. When...
Pirates notebook: Kevin Newman makes ‘incredible play’ as Derek Shelton credits defense
Kevin Newman chased Jeimer Candelario’s pop fly with his back to the diamond, the Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop turning and running into shallow left field before making an over-the-shoulder catch for the final out in the top of the third inning of their 6-3 win over the Detroit Tigers. “Off the...
Ke’Bryan Hayes finds groove atop the order, as Pirates top Tigers to snap 6-game losing streak
Since trading Adam Frazier to San Diego on July 26, the Pittsburgh Pirates had tried eight players in their search for a leadoff hitter before Derek Shelton approached Ke’Bryan Hayes. The revolving door at the top of the order had coincided with the rookie third baseman’s batting average dropping from...
Pirates recall RHP Cody Ponce, claim RHP Conner Overton off waivers from Blue Jays
The Pittsburgh Pirates made some moves Monday to bolster a pitching staff that has become a revolving door because of injuries. With starter JT Brubaker and reliever Duane Underwood Jr. placed on the injured list Sunday – both with right shoulder inflammation – the Pirates recalled right-hander Cody Ponce (0-3,...
Grand plans: Pirates prospect Nick Gonzales opens eyes with slams in back-to-back games
The Greensboro Grasshoppers had the bases loaded and were trailing by two runs when Nick Gonzales came to bat with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but no one could have predicted what came next. Not even after what Gonzales had done two days earlier. Gonzales hit three...
Cubs rally for 3 runs in 9th, beating Pirates on Frank Schwindel’s headfirst slide at 1st base
The Pittsburgh Pirates were one out away from a win when their latest defensive debacles against the Chicago Cubs came down to a dropped fly ball in right field and a headfirst slide to beat the tag at first base. Frank Schwindel hit a grounder deep to shortstop and slid...
