Kevin Gorman stories, Page 99
Pirates waste Wil Crowe’s strong start, get swept by Brewers for 7th straight loss
Wil Crowe was cruising through the Milwaukee Brewers lineup, retiring 15 consecutive batters in the first five innings when the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander took the mound for the sixth. Tim Lopes fouled off five pitches before drawing a 10-pitch walk, putting the tying run on base for the Brewers. That’s...
Pirates blow four-run lead, as Brewers take advantage of Chad Kuhl’s control issues
On the day the Pittsburgh Pirates sent a starting pitcher to the minors to work on his command, Chad Kuhl had control issues of his own. For this, he blamed the baseballs. Kuhl walked four batters and hit another to allow the Milwaukee Brewers to rally from a four-run deficit...
Pirates option struggling pitcher Mitch Keller to Triple-A
When Mitch Keller struggled with everything from fastball command to visible frustration on the mound, the Pittsburgh Pirates reached a point where they decided he needed a break from facing major league hitters. Pirates manager Derek Shelton announced Saturday that Keller was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis, a stunning demotion for...
Healthy Phillip Evans ready to bounce around the field to play multiple positions for Pirates
Upon returning to the Pittsburgh Pirates active roster after a stint on the injured list, Phillip Evans wore a smile almost as big as the new sunglasses that became a necessary accessory. Evans learned the hard way how to dress to play the outfield after losing a Luis Arraez routine...
Pirates’ Mitch Keller shows frustration as command issues continue against Dodgers
After another start in which he struggled with fastball command, Mitch Keller was in no mood to make excuses just because the Pittsburgh Pirates were playing the reigning World Series champions. The right-hander’s frustration level with the recurring theme of his season was palpable following a 6-3 rain-shortened loss to...
After 60 games, the Pirates can compare this season to last while focusing on the future
When the Pittsburgh Pirates reached 60 games last year, it was with relief. They had completed baseball’s shortened season amid the coronavirus pandemic — even if it went down as one of the worst in franchise history. “I think last year was such an unknown; we were hoping to get...
Justin Turner homers twice off Tyler Anderson to lead Dodgers past Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates found ways to get runners in scoring position against the Los Angeles Dodgers, as eight of their first 12 batters reached base. What they couldn’t do was bring them home. Justin Turner outdid them in two swings. The red-bearded third baseman hit a pair of solo home...
Pirates pitching prospect Jose Soriano could need 2nd Tommy John surgery
When the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Jose Soriano with the top pick in the Rule 5 Draft in December, they took a risk on a 22-year-old right-hander who still was recovering from Tommy John surgery. When Soriano dealt with discomfort in his right elbow, team physicians found a significant setback: new...
Pirates rookie Ke’Bryan Hayes, on home run being erased: ‘I just thought I hit the base’
When Ke’Bryan Hayes hit the ball, he had no idea that he didn’t touch ‘em all. A day after Pittsburgh Pirates rookie third baseman and top prospect had a home run erased after he missed the bag while rounding first base in the first inning of a 5-3 loss to...
After Ke’Bryan Hayes home run erased, Dodgers pounce on Pirates
It was the home run trot that was not, a play that started with fireworks but ended with a blank. How a Ke’Bryan Hayes homer was officially scored as a putout became the inexplicable storyline for the Pittsburgh Pirates after the rookie third baseman failed to touch first as he...
Pirates rookie Ke’Bryan Hayes has 1st-inning homer wiped out when he misses 1st base
Maybe Lloyd McClendon had the right idea when the former Pittsburgh Pirates manager marched off with first base in protest of a call 20 years ago this month. Eleven days after rookie first baseman Will Craig made an epic error by chasing Javier Baez of the Chicago Cubs in a...
Pirates activate IF/OF Phillip Evans, reinstate RHP Mitch Keller from IL for Dodgers series
The Pittsburgh Pirates have activated infielder/outfielder Phillip Evans to the major league roster and reinstated right-hander Mitch Keller from the injured list, manager Derek Shelton announced Tuesday afternoon. “It’s nice,” Shelton said. “Anytime you add guys back that are part of your regular group, it’s important.” To make room on...
Pirates reliever Clay Holmes finds confidence in pitch repertoire, scoreless streak
When Garth Brooks spent two weeks in spring training with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2019, Jameson Taillon teased the country music star for taking live batting practice against Clay Holmes. It’s not just that Holmes strikes an imposing presence on the mound but that the right-hander has nasty stuff. The...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Pirates are almost back to Opening Day lineup, so what’s next?
Derek Shelton had to be delighted the Pittsburgh Pirates finally had Adam Frazier, Ke’Bryan Hayes, Bryan Reynolds and Colin Moran back at the top of their batting order and Chad Kuhl on the mound. Just like Opening Day at Wrigley Field. Since then, Hayes missed two months with a left...
Pirates welcome back Colin Moran, but Marlins take advantage of error to avoid series sweep
The Pittsburgh Pirates welcomed Colin Moran back with open arms, inserting him into the starting lineup at first base and in the cleanup spot of the batting order after a 28-day absence. And Moran made an immediate impact, fielding a pair of grounders in the top of the first inning...
GM Ben Cherington: Expect Pirates to reach 85% vaccination threshold by end of the week
The Pittsburgh Pirates soon will be allowed to take off their masks in the dugout and bullpen and loosen road restrictions, as they are expected to reach the 85% vaccination threshold by the end of the week. Pirates general manager Ben Cherington revealed the vaccination update Sunday afternoon on his...
Pirates activate Colin Moran, place Mitch Keller on covid-IL
The Pittsburgh Pirates have their starting infield back together again but lost a starting pitcher to the covid-injured list. Pirates manager Derek Shelton announced Sunday morning that first baseman Colin Moran will be activated from the injured list, but right-hander Mitch Keller will go on the covid-IL. Keller was removed...
Pirates score season-high 9 runs to pound Marlins, as Mitch Keller leaves with ‘heat illness’
For the first two months of the season, the storyline for the Pittsburgh Pirates was an anemic offense that struggled to produce runs and ranked among baseball’s worst in several categories. There was hope that the return of Ke’Bryan Hayes to the lineup would reverse that trend, providing a boost...
Bryan Reynolds is back to barreling balls for the Pirates, who see CF as ‘major component’
In what now sounds like a game of telephone, where something gets lost in translation, Bryan Reynolds wanted to clarify a conversation he had with Jacob Stallings about only hitting home runs. Stallings joked about it after Reynolds hit his fourth home run in seven games Thursday night against Miami....
Jacob Stallings delivers 3-run double in 8th as Pirates rally to beat Marlins
When Ke’Bryan Hayes was introduced before his first home game of the season, the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie third baseman heard something that was missing when he made his debut last September at PNC Park. Applause. The biggest cheers, however, were directed at Jacob Stallings after he hit a bases-clearing double...
‘We’re happy to have him back’: Pirates rookie 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes returns from 2-month injuryVideo
When Ke’Bryan Hayes fouled off a 2-1 Jake Arrieta pitch up and in April 3, the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie third baseman felt a jolt between the ring finger and middle finger in his left hand that ran across his wrist. The feeling was similar to something Hayes experienced near the...
Pirates ready for return of Ke’Bryan Hayes to be a big boost to their sagging season
The proximity from where the Pittsburgh Pirates were starting their road trip to where Ke’Bryan Hayes was finishing his allowed for the rookie third baseman to join the major league club Monday. With the Indianapolis Indians finishing a six-game series at Omaha, the Pirates had Hayes accompany them for their...
Chad Kuhl solid in return to mound but Royals run their way to a win
When Chad Kuhl returned to the major league mound, Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton wanted to see the right-hander attack hitters and show fastball command. Kuhl struggled with both in the second inning, when he hit the first batter he faced and gave up a pair of RBI hits, but...
Chase De Jong savors start for Pirates, shows he’s a ‘completely different pitcher’
When Chase De Jong came out in the sixth inning, he took a deep breath and soaked in the chance to start a game again in the major leagues. It was a moment the 27-year-old right-hander didn’t take for granted. Despite allowing one run on five hits and two walks...
Rockies rally behind Charlie Blackmon as Pirates’ bullpen blows late-inning lead
A bullpen that has been the backbone of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ pitching staff was bound to blow a game, and it was their most reliable reliever who gave up the tying and go-ahead runs in the ninth inning. Richard Rodriguez had been the Pirates’ catalyst as the closer until Charlie...
