Pirates/MLB category, Page 109

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 21-24) saw a ninth-inning rally fall short in a 6-5 loss to Columbus (Guardians). LF Canaan Smith-Njigba (.222) hit a solo home run, his third, and walked. C Endy Rodríguez (.248) doubled twice, walked and scored a run. DH Aaron Shackelford (.255) hit an RBI double, and 3B...

Even though the Pittsburgh Pirates struggled from the start against the Texas Rangers, Rich Hill wasn’t in the mood to make excuses or shift blame to anyone or anything else. On a night the 43-year-old left-hander recorded nine strikeouts, Hill took full responsibility for the three-run sixth inning that allowed...

Austin Hedges learned a long time ago that a catcher’s best friend is often the pitcher he’s entrusted to shepherd through a game. The relationship works both ways, of course, but for Hedges learning to build trust with the pitchers is one way to enter the starting lineup. “Some of...

Luis Ortiz had been hit-or-miss in his first two starts for the Pittsburgh Pirates, so to change it up the 24-year-old rookie right-hander turned to the newest addition to his pitch repertoire against the hottest-hitting team in baseball. Ortiz used a changeup to complement his fastball/slider combination against the Texas...

Tucupita Marcano came to bat with two runners on base in the fifth inning but got behind in the count after swinging at a slider and fouling off a changeup against Arizona’s Merrill Kelly. Marcano worked a full count then smacked a tying, two-run double to the right-field corner for...

The Pittsburgh Pirates lost two out of three games to the Arizona Diamondbacks this weekend. They have played six series this month and have lost five. The only series they didn’t lose was splitting a two-game road trip to Detroit last Tuesday and Wednesday. The team’s 20-8 start has been...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 21-23) beat Iowa (Cubs), 5-1. RHP Quinn Priester (5-3, 4.12) tossed five shutout innings, allowing five hits with two walks and two strikeouts to earn his fourth straight win this month. He threw 84 pitches, including 58 strikes. 1B Malcom Nunez (.244) was 2 for 3 with a...

Whether it was wild pitches or errant throws, the Pittsburgh Pirates were off the mark against the Arizona Diamondbacks, and it cost them a chance at a series win. Five wild pitches and a trio of throwing errors were the most prominent mistakes to doom the Pirates in an 8-3...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 19-23) dropped both ends of a doubleheader to Iowa (Cubs), managing a total of one run. In the opener, a 2-1 loss, RHP Vince Velasquez (0.00), rehabbing an elbow injury, started and went 4.2 innings, allowing four hits and one walk, striking out two. LHP Daniel Zamora (3.78)...

The decision backfired almost immediately. With the Pittsburgh Pirates up a run on Arizona, manager Derek Shelton opted to end Mitch Keller’s Saturday afternoon start at PNC Park after six innings and 84 pitches. Turning to reliever Robert Stephenson to handle the seventh, the Diamondbacks quickly plated the game’s decisive...

Carlos Santana doesn’t want to hear about his age, scoffing at suggestions that, at 37, he’s too old to be an everyday player or that he’s nearing the end of his major-league career. The Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman is proving naysayers wrong this season, as he ranks at the top...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 19-21) and Iowa (Cubs) were rained out. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader Saturday. Next: Saturday vs. Iowa (Cubs), doubleheader, 6:15 p.m. ALTOONA (Double-A, 17-18) was no-hit in a 4-0 loss to Bowie (Orioles). Bowie RHP Chayce McDermott started, struck out four and...

When the Pittsburgh Pirates last played at PNC Park, they scored a grand total of nine runs over a six-game homestand against the Toronto Blue Jays and Colorado Rockies. This time, the Bucs brought their bats. Behind a seven-run fourth inning and Bryan Reynolds’ three-run homer in the fifth, the...

The last player to make the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Opening Day roster out of spring training, reliever Rob Zastryzny was excited to get going this season. Unfortunately for him, his campaign was disrupted soon after it got underway, with Zastryzny placed on the 15-day injured list April 16 because of left...

Amid the clamoring for the Pittsburgh Pirates to promote top prospects Endy Rodriguez or Henry Davis, backup catcher Jason Delay has quietly proven to be more productive than anticipated. Where starting catcher Austin Hedges is hitting .143, Delay has a team-best .339 batting average (19 for 56) in 21 games...

After the Pittsburgh Pirates won in Detroit 8-0 on Wednesday, there’s some hope that perhaps their bats are finally heating up. And right now, there may be no pitcher in baseball hotter than current Bucs ace Mitch Keller. Both trends will have to continue this weekend as the Pirates welcome...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 19-21) defeated Iowa (Cubs), 10-5. 3B Malcom Nuñez (.233) hit two singles, a double and finished with three RBIs. Endy Rodríguez (.245) slapped an RBI double and added a triple. SS Vinny Capra (.202) smacked an RBI double. LF Cal Mitchell (.261) and 2B Nick Gonzales (.276) each...

Dauri Moreta put an exclamation point on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ win Wednesday afternoon in Detroit by striking out the side in the bottom of the ninth. He followed Robert Stephenson and Jose Hernandez — who pitched a scoreless inning each and struck out a pair — in the 8-0 win...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 19-21) was edged out by Iowa (Cubs), 5-4. 1B Aaron Shackelford (.277) went 2 for 3 with two RBIs and hit his fourth home run. C Endy Rodriguez (.237) and SS Nick Gonzales (.277) each went 0 for 3 with two walks. LF Cal Mitchell went 1 for...

For nearly three weeks, the Pittsburgh Pirates had been aiming to play the kind of game they managed Wednesday in Detroit. In beating the Tigers, 8-0, at Comerica Park, the Pirates had no shortage of hits (14) and runs. They were also bolstered by a quality start courtesy of Rich...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 19-20) rolled to a 9-1 victory against Iowa (Cubs). C Endy Rodríguez (.245) crushed a solo home run, his fourth. SS Nick Gonzales (.284) hit his third home run of the year and drove in two runs with a double. LF Canaan Smith-Njigba (.225) also hit a solo...

Derek Shelton became the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates partially because of his success as a hitting coach. But if he has anything in mind to fix what’s wrong with the hitters currently under his command, he wasn’t ready to talk about them Tuesday night after the Pirates’ 4-0 loss...

The baseball experience at PNC Park will now come with a taste of tequila after the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday announced a three-year partnership with Real Azul, a tequila brand imported from Jalisco, Mexico. The agreement includes naming rights to the premium club on PNC Park’s suite level, formerly known...

Mitch Keller became the second Pittsburgh Pirates player this season named National League Player of the Week, joining outfielder Bryan Reynolds, who was so honored last month. Keller is the first Pirates pitcher named NL Player of the Week since Jameson Taillon in April 2018. Keller, 27, won both starts...