Pirates/MLB category, Page 150
Pirates farm report for June 10, 2022: Aaron Shackelford hits 8th homer but Curve fall short
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 29-27) edged Columbus (Guardians), 5-4. C Carter Bins (.196) smacked two doubles and had two RBIs. LF Oneil Cruz (.227) was 1 for 3 with an RBI. RF Canaan Smith-Njigba (.269) had an RBI triple. 3B Hoy Park (.214) also went 1 for 3 with an RBI double....
Spencer Strider shines as Braves win 9th consecutive, hand Pirates 4th straight loss
It’s not often that Roansy Contreras isn’t topping the Statcast pitch velocity chart, as the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie right-hander throws a four-seam fastball that sits at 96 mph and hits the high 90s. The top five velocities Friday night, however, all belonged to Spencer Strider. The Atlanta Braves rookie right-hander...
Pirates bats go silent, but Bryan Reynolds, Jack Suwinski, Travis Swaggerty have their moments
The first single left Bryan Reynolds’ bat at 77.7 mph, but it counts just as much in the box score as if the cover flew off the baseball. The second also was a mere one-bagger, but it was much weaker (50 mph in the infield). The third was legit, a...
Pirates farm report for June 9, 2022: Quinn Priester, 3 relievers throw no-hitter for Bradenton
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 28-27) stole one against Columbus (Guardians), 6-5. After Indianapolis allowed Columbus to tie the score in the top of the ninth, CF Jared Oliva (.220) doubled in the bottom of the inning, went to second on a SS Oneil Cruz (.225) ground out and stole home to give...
JT Brubaker goes 7 innings, but Pirates show no support in loss to Braves
Derek Shelton wanted to see the look in JT Brubaker’s eyes. He also hoped to hear those words every manager wants to hear: “Yeah, I got him.” The seventh inning at Atlanta’s Truist Field provided an instructive moment for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Shelton and Brubaker on Thursday night. Too bad...
After ‘trials and tribulations,’ Travis Swaggerty finds perfect timing for Pirates debut
Amid the hoopla surrounding his arrival with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Travis Swaggerty took time Sunday afternoon in the home dugout at PNC Park to reflect on his road to the major leagues. In that moment, Swaggerty thought about what he calls the “trials and tribulations” of his professional baseball career...
U mad, bro: Pirates fans are pouting; Steelers fans sour over Stephon Tuitt’s retirement; Pens fans pontificate
Pittsburgh Steelers minicamp is done. The 2021-22 Penguins season has long since ended. So it’s time for the Pirates to resume their rightful place. Atop the heap of your fan complaints in our weekly “U mad, bro?” post. That’s not to say the Steelers and Penguins escaped unscathed, though. Do...
Pirates farm report for June 8, 2022: Mike Burrows throws 5 scoreless for Curve
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 27-27) was humbled by Columbus (Guardians), 11-3. RHP Miguel Yajure (0-1, 5.79) started and gave up one run on two hits in two innings. RHO Osvaldo Bido (4.61) gave up five runs, none of them earned, on two hits and five walks in 1.2 innings. SS Ji-hwan Bae...
Mitch Keller makes strong start but Tigers score 2 runs off bullpen to beat Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates got what they needed from Mitch Keller, even if the right-hander didn’t get what he wanted. Despite making a second consecutive strong start, Keller left a tied game after six innings and didn’t get a decision when a Pirates victory would have marked the first back-to-back wins...
Pirates pitcher Max Kranick out 14-16 months after Tommy John surgery
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Max Kranick underwent surgery last week to repair the UCL in his right elbow and will be out 14 to 16 months, team director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday. Kranick was shut down during the offseason with forearm soreness and reaggravated the injury after pitching...
Josh VanMeter’s fractured finger has Pirates experimenting with padding
The first thing Todd Tomczyk wanted to know when he saw the fractured ring fielder on Josh VanMeter’s hand was who threw the ball and what the velocity was. The Pittsburgh Pirates director of sports medicine was amazed at the damage the throw — believed to be from third baseman...
With the help of baseball’s analytics, Tyler Heineman catching on with Pirates
Tyler Heineman claims he was no math whiz at UCLA. The only number that mattered to him as a student-athlete in 2012 was his .332 batting average that helped get him drafted in the eighth round by the Houston Astros. But now he’s a pro, and he’s made 10 starts...
Tarik Skubal starts from scratch, as Tigers top Pirates after rain delay
Tarik Skubal started from scratch and kept the Pittsburgh Pirates from scratching out a win. The 25-year-old Detroit Tigers left-hander was scheduled to start against the Pirates on Tuesday night before being scratched at the outset of a rain delay and then was reinserted into the starting lineup. The uncertainty...
Pirates farm report for June 7, 2022: Rodolfo Castro homers in return to Indy
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 27-26) outslugged Columbus (Guardians), 9-6. 3B Rodolfo Castro (.247), sent down by the Pirates on Sunday, went 1 for 5 with a 461-foot home run, his third. LF Canaan Smith-Njigba (.273) went 3 for 5 with a double and three RBIs. 1B Mason Martin (.228) went 1 for...
Pirates place LHP Dillon Peters on 15-day IL, recall Aaron Fletcher to bolster bullpen
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ bullpen took a blow when left-handed reliever Dillon Peters was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a low back strain. Peters (4-2, 3.86 ERA) tossed multiple innings in seven of his 12 relief outings this season and had pitched 12 scoreless innings in seven games...
First Call: More details on Aaron Donald’s new contract; Ravens DB flustered with NFL video game; Pirates’ path to staying hot
Tuesday’s “First Call” has the details on Aaron Donald’s contract. We look at what lies ahead for the suddenly competitive Pittsburgh Pirates. And we offer up a little Penguins contrast to the firing of Bruce Cassidy in Boston. Plus, a Baltimore Raven is in a “fowl” mood about the EA...
Pirates show appreciation for Tigers star Miguel Cabrera in possible last visit to PNC Park
Mitch Keller was making the third start of his major-league career when he faced Miguel Cabrera, the Detroit Tigers star who was the last major-league hitter to win the Triple Crown. The Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander remembers watching Cabrera on “Sunday Night Baseball” with his father, so Keller was surprised to...
‘You start to daydream’: With 7 rookies on roster, Pirates get a glimpse of their future
The Pittsburgh Pirates provided Derek Shelton a peek into the future by filling their roster with rookies, allowing the manager to dream about the days when his dugout is teeming with young talent. Where having a handful of veteran starters on the injured list had the potential to be devastating,...
Pirates farm report for June 5, 2022: Dylan Shockley’s walk-off single lifts Curve to victory
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 26-26) had its game at Omaha (Royals) postponed because of inclement weather. The game will be made up at a later date. The Indians play again at Omaha from Sept. 6-11. Next: Tuesday vs. Columbus (Guardians), 7:05 p.m. ALTOONA (Double-A, 25-26) beat Bowie (Orioles), 3-2, on a walk-off...
Former Pirates 1st-round pick Travis Swaggerty pumped to get call-up, ready for MLB debut
Travis Swaggerty was getting dressed in his Indianapolis Indians uniform Saturday when he felt a tap on the shoulder. Manager Miguel Perez wanted to see the outfielder into his office. “He talked to me about (how) I was playing well and what I can improve on and all that,” Swaggerty...
Cal Mitchell’s 1st major league homer boosts Pirates to shutout of Diamondbacks
Sundays are Kids Days at PNC Park, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Pittsburgh Pirates relied on their rookies. Cal Mitchell crushed his first major-league home run, Jack Suwinski hit a pair of doubles and Diego Castillo drove him in with a sacrifice fly as the Pirates...
Diamondbacks claim Cole Tucker off waivers, ending former 1st-rounder’s tenure with Pirates
Cole Tucker, the former Pittsburgh Pirates first-round pick who was designated for assignment Monday, was claimed off waivers Sunday by the Arizona Diamondbacks. It’s a homecoming for Tucker, 25, who was drafted No. 24 overall as a shortstop out of Mountain Pointe High School in 2014 and makes his offseason...
After latest gaffes, Pirates option Rodolfo Castro to make room for OF Travis Swaggerty
The arrival of one Pittsburgh Pirates rookie came at the expense of another, as infielder Rodolfo Castro was optioned Sunday to Triple-A Indianapolis to make room on the roster for outfielder Travis Swaggerty one day after making a pair of costly gaffes against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Castro, 23, batted .197...
Pirates farm report for June 4, 2022: Oneil Cruz hits 8th homer in Indy loss
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 26-26) gave up three runs in the bottom of the seventh and lost to Omaha (Royals), 7-6. SS Oneil Cruz (.223) went 2 for 4 with a lead-off home run, his eighth. DH Bligh Madris (.265) was 2 for 4 with a homer, his fifth. 2B Hoy Park...
Pirates promoting 2018 1st-round pick OF Travis Swaggerty for MLB debut
The Pittsburgh Pirates are promoting outfielder Travis Swaggerty in time for Sunday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, a team source confirmed. Swaggerty, 24, signed for a $4.4 million after being drafted with the No. 10 overall selection in 2018 out of South Alabama, where he was regarded as one of...
