Pirates/MLB category, Page 111
David Bednar earns 1st save in a month as Pirates’ bullpen puts Giants on lockdown
It had been a month since his last save opportunity, so David Bednar couldn’t wait to run to the mound at Oracle Park and close the door on the San Francisco Giants. One problem: The Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star closer couldn’t figure out how to open the door to exit the...
Bullpen comes up big for Pirates in close win over Giants
The San Francisco Giants used an opener, and it backfired. The Pittsburgh Pirates turned to their closer, and he fired back. Connor Joe homered off John Brebbia in the first inning, Rodolfo Castro scored the winning run on a wild pitch, and All-Star closer David Bednar earned his first save...
Pirates farm report for May 30, 2023: Rough night for Henry Davis in Altoona loss
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 24-27) was idle. Next: Wednesday vs. Toledo (Tigers), 6:35 p.m. ALTOONA (Double-A, 22-22) was knocked around by Binghamton (Mets), 10-3. RF Henry Davis (.293) went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts. RHP Aaron Shortridge (3-3. 5.36) started and allowed six runs, four earned, on six hits with three...
Pirates OF Jack Suwinski makes a splash by hitting 2 home runs into McCovey Cove
When Jack Suwinski smacked Anthony DeSclafani’s changeup over the right-field bleachers at Oracle Park, the Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder had no idea the ball had a splash landing in McCovey Cove. “I wasn’t aware of that,” Suwinski said on the AT&T SportsNet postgame show. “I think I found out in the...
Pirates farm report for May 29, 2023: Endy Rodriguez smacks 4 hits as Indy tops Mud Hens
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 24-27) beat Toledo (Tigers), 12-6. C Endy Rodriguez (.234) was 4 for 5 with an RBI. 3B Nick Gonzales (.252) was 2 for 5 with a pair of doubles and two RBIs. RF Cal Mitchell (.267) was 2 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. LF...
Giants pound 18 hits in blowout win over Pirates, who drop below .500
The Pittsburgh Pirates ran into the hottest team in baseball, and the San Francisco Giants pounded them into submission. Five players had three-hit games for the Giants, who compiled 18 hits and did the majority of their damage in the second and seventh innings in a 14-4 win Monday afternoon...
Ji Hwan Bae rewards Pirates’ trust in center field with spectacular catches in Seattle
When the ball came off J.P. Crawford’s bat at an exit velocity of 99.9 mph, Ji Hwan Bae turned and chased it toward the center-field wall but had trouble tracking it with the sun directly overhead. Bae glanced at the wall straight ahead, then realized the ball had veered to...
Pirates farm report for May 28, 2023: Connor Scott’s 6 RBIs help Curve top Yard Goats
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 23-27) dropped a 5-4 decision to Columbus (Guardians). 1B Miguel Andujar (.300) was 2 for 4 with three RBIs, including a solo home run. LF Cal Mitchell (.261) also knocked in a run. DH Nick Gonzales (.247) was 0 for 5 in the leadoff spot. C Endy Rodriguez...
Eugenio Suarez hits 3-run home run in 10th inning to boost Mariners past Pirates
After rallying to force extra innings, the Pittsburgh Pirates could only watch when Eugenio Suarez launched a Robert Stephenson slider that sailed over the left-field fence for a walk-off win. Suarez’s three-run blast in the bottom of the 10th, Seattle’s third homer of the game, boosted the Mariners to a...
Pirates place Vince Velasquez on 15-day IL, recall righty reliever Cody Bolton for bullpen
The Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday placed right-handed starter Vince Velasquez on the 15-day injured list with right elbow discomfort and recalled righty reliever Cody Bolton from Triple-A Indianapolis. Velasquez was removed from Saturday’s 5-0 loss at Seattle after allowing four runs on seven hits and one walk in two innings....
Pirates farm report for May 27, 2023: Indy’s Aaron Shackelford homers in 3rd straight game
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 23-26) saw a comeback bid fall short in a 10-9 loss to Columbus (Guardians). Indianapolis trailed 8-0 after two innings but rallied to tie the score before Columbus added the decisive two runs in the bottom of the eighth. RHP Quinn Priester (4.96) was touched up for eight...
Vince Velasquez leaves with elbow discomfort, as Pirates strike out in Seattle shutout
Vince Velasquez’s return to the starting rotation for the Pittsburgh Pirates didn’t last long, as the right-hander pitched only two innings against the Seattle Mariners before being removed. The Pirates later announced that Velasquez left the game with right elbow discomfort, the same issue that kept him out since leaving...
‘Years in the making:’ After struggles as starter, Pirates’ Mitch Keller evolves into ace
When Mitch Keller hears his name mentioned as a potential All-Star and Cy Young candidate after the first two months of the season, the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander can’t suppress his smile. Then Keller makes it clear he’s in no way satisfied with the early success. What Keller really wants is...
Pirates activate RHP Vince Velasquez to start Saturday, DFA RHP Duane Underwood Jr.
As expected, the Pittsburgh Pirates activated right-hander Vince Velasquez from the 15-day injured list Saturday so he can return to the starting rotation. The corresponding move, however, was unexpected. To make room on the 26-man active roster, the Pirates designated right-handed reliever Duane Underwood Jr. for assignment. Velasquez (4-3, 3.06...
Pirates match franchise record with 7 homers, top Mariners
With their ace, Mitch Keller, on the mound Friday night at T-Mobile Park to begin a three-game series in Seattle, the Pittsburgh Pirates probably weren’t aiming to do anything out of the ordinary offensively. But by game’s end, having tied a modern-day franchise record with seven home runs, the Pirates...
Pirates farm report for May 26, 2023: Cal Mitchell homers in Indy win
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 23-25) gave Columbus (Guardians) a pretty good beating, 7-3. LF Cal Mitchell (.261) went 1 for 2 with his fifth homer and three walks. 1B Aaron Shackelford (.270) went 1 for 3 with a two-run homer, his seventh, and three RBIs. RF Canaan Smith-Njigba (.235) went 1 for...
Grand Canyon’s Jacob Wilson, son of former Pirates shortstop, has 12 strikeouts in last 478 plate appearances
Jacob Wilson came of age in baseball when the dictates of analytics removed the shame of striking out if it meant hitting more home runs. The Grand Canyon shortstop considers himself a throwback to the time when striking out equated to failure. “Striking out,” he said, “is not OK.” His...
Carlos Santana’s return to Seattle with Pirates stirs good memories
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ winning record will be in jeopardy during the team’s six-game road trip that began Friday in Seattle before turning south to San Francisco for the Memorial Day holiday. The Pirates have won more games than they’ve lost since defeating the Boston Red Sox in Fenway Park on...
Pirates farm report for May 25, 2023: Andreas Alvarez homers twice in Altoona blowout win
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 22-25) gave up two in the bottom of the ninth and lost 5-4 to Columbus (Guardians). 1B Aaron Shackelford (.268) went 2 for 2 with two homers, his fifth and sixth of the season, and three RBIs. Indiananpolis had only four other hits, all singles. LF Canaan Smith-Njigba...
First Call: Steelers Pat Freiermuth deemed ‘underappreciated’; Patriots punished; Lamar Jackson on Ravens’ new offense
Thursday’s “First Call” shines a spotlight on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ most “underappreciated” player. The sleepy Pirates bats have a difficult wake-up call out west. The New England Patriots are in trouble with the NFL again. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is discussing his new offense. And America’s red-hot hockey team looks...
‘Those home runs will come’: Homerless streak doesn’t faze Pirates 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes
From the sound of the ball off his bat, Ke’Bryan Hayes thought he had a chance. The Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman watched it sail over Arizona right fielder Pavin Smith and off the Clemente Wall at PNC Park. “Off the bat, I felt like I stayed through it good,” Hayes...
Pirates farm report for May 24, 2023: Henry Davis drives in 4 runs in Curve victory
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 22-24) took care of Columbus (Guardians), 12-9.2B Nick Gonzalez (.263) went 1 for 5 and hit a two-run homer, his fourth. 1B Miguel Andujar (.293) went 2 for 4 with his fourth homer. RF Mark Mathias (.246) was 1 for 3 with his second homer and three RBIs....
Pirates leave bases loaded in 8th, lose series to Rangers
Johan Oviedo was immaculate in the fourth inning and anything but in the first, when he surrendered a leadoff home run and gave up three runs to the Texas Rangers. It proved to be a deficit the Pittsburgh Pirates couldn’t overcome. The Pirates had their chances late in the game,...
Johan Oviedo throws immaculate inning, becoming 2nd Pirates pitcher to do so in May
The Pittsburgh Pirates went 2,495 days between their pitchers throwing an immaculate innings, then needed only 20 days to do it again. Johan Oviedo completed the feat by striking out three batters on nine pitches in the fourth inning Wednesday afternoon against the Texas Rangers. It was the second immaculate...
Pirates RHP Vince Velasquez nears end of IL stint, expected to make next start
Vince Velasquez was back in the Pittsburgh Pirates clubhouse Wednesday morning, repacking his suitcase in preparation for a road trip that should include his first start in three weeks. The 30-year-old right-hander is expected to return to the rotation perhaps as soon as this weekend when the Pirates visit the...
