Pirates/MLB category, Page 111

After suffering a second consecutive sweep that stretched their losing streak to seven games, the Pittsburgh Pirates can take comfort in one thing: At least they don’t play in the American League East. The Toronto Blue Jays followed the Tampa Bay Rays in sweeping a three-game series over the Pirates,...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 14-17) clobbered Toledo (Tigers), 9-1. LF Cal Mitchell (.233) went 3 for 5 with a double and his third home run. 1B Ryan Vilade (.288) went 3 for 5 with his second homer, three RBIs and three runs scored. RF Canaan Smith-Njigba (.182) went 2 for 5. 2B...

From the very first pitch, when George Springer belted Johan Oviedo’s 96 mph fastball for a single, the Toronto Blue Jays showed they arrived ready to hit. It took the Pittsburgh Pirates five innings to answer. The Blue Jays jumped out to a seven-run lead and pounded 14 hits to...

Bryan Reynolds doesn’t have an explanation for how he was riding a 10-game hitting streak while the rest of the Pittsburgh Pirates were scuffling at the plate, especially during their five-game losing streak. “I think hitting can be contagious both ways,” Reynolds said. “It’s hard to hit when nobody else...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 13-17) doubled up Toledo (Tigers), 6-3. C Endy Rodriguez (.279) went 3 for 4 with two runs scored and two stolen bases, his first of the season. 2B Nick Gonzales (.273) went 3 for 5 and stole his first base. CF Josh Palacios (.432) went 3 for 4...

Andrew McCutchen was going through his normal pregame routine of taking fly balls in the outfield when he went to plant his foot and felt it give, then slipped and awkwardly twisted his left ankle. The Pittsburgh Pirates made an 11th-hour decision to scratch McCutchen from the starting lineup, where...

The Pittsburgh Pirates got off to a strong start this season on the strength of their speed and aggressive baserunning. Against Toronto, the Pirates ran into outs. Pirates runners were thrown out twice at third base and once at home plate. As a result, they came up empty as the...

When the Pittsburgh Pirates placed Vince Velasquez on the 15-day injured list Friday, it marked the second time they were forced to replace a starting pitcher this season. The first was an easy decision: Johan Oviedo took the spot of JT Brubaker, who underwent Tommy John surgery. The second one...

The Pittsburgh Pirates placed right-handed pitcher Vince Velasquez on the 15-day injured list with right elbow discomfort, one day after he was removed following the third inning of Thursday’s 3-2 loss at Tampa Bay. The Pirates also ended the rehabilitation assignment for right-handed reliever Chase De Jong, who was activated...

Now that the Pittsburgh Pirates don’t stink for the first time in a while, it’s time to discuss them like a real baseball team. Weak links can be questioned and dissected. Is third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes a weak link? Hayes will keep playing even if that’s the case. He signed...

You can call the Pittsburgh Pirates’ three-game series in Tampa whatever you want. A reality check. A step back. A wake-up call. A litmus test. However you want to phrase it, one thing is definitely true: It was a giant disappointment. The Pirates were swept by the Rays in their...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 12-17) beat Toledo (Tigers) 5-2. RHP Quinn Priester (2-3, 5.96) threw six shutout innings and allowed just two hits while striking out four. RHP Eli Villalobos (11.57) did not record an out in the eighth and allowed two runs on two hits and walked two. RHP Colin Selby...

Colin Holderman hates to lose, so the Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed reliever brought some anger to the mound while trailing the Tampa Bay Rays in the bottom of the seventh inning. “I’ll tell you what, I was pretty mad going into it,” Holderman said on the AT&T SportsNet postgame show. “I...

Not much was going right for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the best team in baseball. They lost starting pitcher Vince Velasquez to right elbow discomfort. They surrendered three solo home runs. And the home-plate umpire had an expanded strike zone. In the ninth inning, the Pirates finally caught some breaks...

When Vince Velasquez clutched his right elbow in the third inning Thursday afternoon, it was a sign something wasn’t right for the Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed pitcher. Velasquez retired the side, but when he walked off the mound he told Pirates manager Derek Shelton he was having right elbow discomfort and...

OK, so maybe we took the Steelers’ draft-night conspiracies a little far. I don’t think so. But some of you do. Maybe, just maybe, we started talking up the Pirates too much before the Rays stomped them down. And perhaps the NHL playoffs have degenerated into “West Side Story” gang...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 11-17) split a doubleheader with Toledo (Tigers). Indianapolis dropped the first game, 4-3. CF Josh Palacios and 2B Aaron Shackelford (.246) each went 1 for 3 with a triple and an RBI. LHP Kent Emanuel (8.74) started and allowed two runs on one hit and one walk in...

Derek Shelton started the day by having a discussion with MLB about how the pitch clock was handled by the umpire crew. He finished it watching the Pittsburgh Pirates play the Tampa Bay Rays in his office. Shelton was ejected in the top of the fourth inning of Wednesday’s 8-1...

Whether it was manager Derek Shelton getting ejected or middle infielders Rodolfo Castro and Ji Hwan Bae committing costly errors, the Pittsburgh Pirates repeatedly lost their composure Wednesday night. The Tampa Bay Rays took full advantage. The Rays scored four unearned runs early and got a pair of solo home...

It was a bad night for the Pittsburgh Pirates to endure a few bad breaks. A lot has gone right for manager Derek Shelton’s team in 2023. But that wasn’t the case Tuesday in Tampa Bay. The Pirates lost Game 1 of their much anticipated three-game showdown against the American...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 10-16) and Toledo (Tigers) were rained out. The game will be made up as apart of a doubleheader Wednesday. Next: Wednesday at Toledo (Tigers), doubleheader, 11:05 a.m. ALTOONA (Double-A, 10-10) lost to Richmond (Giants), 6-2. RHP Kyle Nicolas (1-3, 5.32) surrendered five runs on eight hits, including a...

Austin Hedges was angry. Probably not as much as his manager, Derek Shelton. Yes, it looked like Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Ryan Thompson committed a balk in, perhaps, the most crucial moment of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 4-1 loss Tuesday night at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. Down 3-1, runners...

It’s the interleague showdown everyone around Major League Baseball has been eagerly anticipating since … well … maybe the third week of April. Sure, Pittsburgh Pirates versus Tampa Bay Rays in Florida starting Tuesday probably wasn’t circled on a lot of calendars to start the season. It’s getting lots of...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 10-16) and Columbus (Guardians) were rained out. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on June 21. Next: Tuesday at Toledo (Tigers), 6:05 p.m. ALTOONA (Double-A, 10-9) and Reading (Phillies) were rained out and canceled. Next: Tuesday at Richmond (Giants), 6:35 p.m. GREENSBORO (High-A,...