Pirates/MLB category, Page 180
U mad, bro?: Penguins fans fret about expansion strategy; Pirates fans still prickly about draft; Steelers’ forgotten past
This week’s “U mad, bro?” is all over the map. Penguins hockey. College hockey. Baseball drafts. Steelers from the 1930s. And English lessons. This is what they call the “dog days” of summer. I don’t have a dog right now. But based on the emails I received this week, if...
Pirates farm report for July 21, 2021: Mason Martin slugs 16th home run
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 33-33) was knocked around by Toledo (Tigers), 11-5. Veteran RHP Shelby Miller (1-1, 4.50) made his first start with Indianapolis but pitched only one inning, giving up a solo home run and striking out one. RHP Steven Wright relieved him and gave up eight runs on eight hits...
Back-to-back homers in 7th lead Diamondbacks past Pirates for series sweep
The Arizona Diamondbacks might have the worst record in baseball, but the Pittsburgh Pirates gave reason for debate over which team is the worst in the National League, if not the majors. Pavin Smith and Daulton Varsho hit back-to-back home runs off Duane Underwood Jr. in the seventh inning as...
Pirates infielder Erik Gonzalez ‘exceeding expectations’ in recovery from oblique injury
The Pittsburgh Pirates have three position players on the injured list. One is ahead of schedule and one right on schedule while another has suffered a setback. Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said infielder Erik Gonzalez (right oblique strain) is “exceeding expectations” in his recovery by taking ground...
Pirates agree to $3 million bonus with third-round pick, RHP/SS Bubba Chandler
The Pittsburgh Pirates agreed to a $3 million signing bonus, pending physical, to convince two-sport star Bubba Chandler to skip playing quarterback at Clemson and play professional baseball instead. The Pirates selected Chandler, a right-handed pitcher and switch-hitting shortstop, in the third round of the MLB Draft with the intention...
Pirates pitchers squander 4-run lead on the way to an 11-6 loss to Diamondbacks
The Pittsburgh Pirates finally supported starting pitcher Tyler Anderson on Tuesday night — for half the game — but it wasn’t nearly enough to secure a victory. Anderson allowed three runs in six innings and the Pirates bullpen collapsed in a 31-minute, eight-run seventh to help the Arizona Diamondbacks roll...
Pirates farm report for July 20, 2021: LF Anthony Alford has 4 hits, homer for Indy
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 33-32) outslugged Toledo (Tigers) 12-11 in 10 innings. C Joe Hudson (.226) hit the game-winning RBI single in the 10th. LF Anthony Alford (.324) went 4 for 5 with his eighth home run, two doubles and four RBIs. SS Dee Strange-Gordon (.273) went 2 for 3 with two...
Pirates notebook: Chase De Jong placed on IL after taking hit on left knee
The Pittsburgh Pirates placed starting pitcher Chase De Jong on the 10-day injured list Tuesday after he was hit on the left knee Monday night by a 89.5-mph line drive off the bat of the Arizona Diamondbacks’ David Peralta. De Jong, who has knee inflammation, is the sixth Pirates starter...
Pirates 2nd-round draft pick Anthony Solometo: Need to dominate batters ‘like an addiction’
Every athlete hopes to dominate the opponent, but Anthony Solometo takes his approach toward that end one intense step further. Something like what a shark feels when it sees blood in the water, he said. “It was kind of like an addiction,” the Pittsburgh Pirates’ second-round draft choice said Tuesday...
Diamondbacks hang on to defeat Pirates, 4-2
The Arizona Diamondbacks started the season with a respectable 15-13 record. Then, they lost 55 of their next 67 games, almost unbelievable futility. The Pittsburgh Pirates rolled into Chase Stadium in Phoenix on Monday night carrying a .302 batting average since the Fourth of July, the second-highest in the majors....
Mets manager Luis Rojas suspended 2 games for Pirates outburst
CINCINNATI — New York Mets manager Luis Rojas was suspended Monday for two games and fined for excessive arguing with umpires, an outburst that followed a bizarre play a day earlier at PNC Park against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Rojas was to begin serving his suspension Monday night at Cincinnati. He...
Pirates notebook: Kyle Crick dropped after minor-league pitcher Dillon Peters acquired from Angels
The quest for capable pitching arms at all levels of the Pittsburgh Pirates organization continued Monday when the Pirates sent cash considerations to the Los Angeles Angels for left-handed pitcher Dillon Peters. The team immediately assigned Peters to Triple-A Indianapolis, but the Pirates plan to use him there — and,...
First Call: Steelers have interest in former Pro Bowl pass rusher; Kevin Dotson tries first pitch at PNC Park
Monday’s “First Call” gives us reason to think that the Steelers may bolster their pass rushing depth. Kevin Dotson’s pitching mechanics need work. The hype surrounding Tom Brady’s return to New England is building already. And the Pirates actually have reason to believe that they are much better than their...
Tim Benz: Pirates-Mets was far from perfect, but plenty of fun
My plan coming out of the All-Star break was to go to PNC Park Sunday in case New York Mets ace pitcher Jacob deGrom spun a perfect game against the normally putrid Pirates. Instead, what we saw was a 7-6 Mets win that was as far from perfect as you...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: What a wild weekend for the Pirates, who were carried by castoffs
The Pittsburgh Pirates started the second half of the season with a wild weekend at PNC Park, from a benches-clearing scrum Friday to celebrating their 1971 World Series champions with a grand slam for a walk-off win Saturday to signing the No. 1 overall draft pick Sunday. The New York...
Pirates farm report for July 18, 2021: Nick Gonzales raps 4 hits for Greensboro
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 32-32) scored eight runs in the sixth and clobbered Omaha (Royals), 12-5. RHP Mitch Keller started and went three innings, allowing five runs, but only two were earned. He struck out six, walked three and gave up a home run. His ERA rose to 2.35. RF Blight Madris...
Michael Conforto’s 9th-inning homer leads Mets back from 6-run deficit, prevents Pirates sweep
The roles were reversed but for the second consecutive game, a six-run lead was blown and the Pittsburgh Pirates entered the bottom of the ninth inning trailing the New York Mets after a home run. After rallying from a six-run deficit for a walk-off win Saturday night, the Pirates failed...
Pirates No. 1 pick Henry Davis signs under slot value
Henry Davis went through the first-pick formalities of putting a black Pittsburgh Pirates cap on his head and slipping into a No. 1 white home jersey, then cracked a smile and straightened up in his seat. After officially signing with the Pirates for a $6.5 million bonus — $1,915,300 under...
Pirates farm report for July 17, 2021: Steven Brault makes rehab start for Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 31-32) dropped both games of a doubleheader to Omaha (Royals). Omaha won the first game 2-1. LHP Steven Brault (0-1, 3.00) made a rehab start and allowed one run on two hits with two strikeouts and took the loss. RHP Cody Ponce (5.61) finished the game and allowed...
Jacob Stallings smacks walk-off grand slam as Pirates rally from 6-run deficit, beat Mets
The bases were loaded with two outs when Jacob Stallings came to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning, and the Pittsburgh Pirates catcher wasn’t thinking about the heroics of hitting a home run after popping out in a similar situation earlier in the game. When Stallings turned on...
Reunion of Pirates’ 1971 World Series champions brings back memories
As Al Oliver looked around the room at his old teammates wearing their white home jerseys and gold hats, he recognized how many members of the 1971 World Series champions were missing. The remaining Pittsburgh Pirates were determined to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the world champions by honoring the...
Benches clear, Wilmer Difo, Bryan Reynolds homer as Pirates win wild game with Mets
The downpour that interrupted the second inning with the bases loaded sent fans scrambling for cover. Despite the 39-minute rain delay, this game proved to be worth the price of admission. The Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets on Friday night provided a throwback game to their early 1990s rivalry,...
Pirates farm report for July 16, 2021: Catcher Endy Rodriguez swinging hot bat in Bradenton
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 31-30) had its game with Omaha (Royals) postponed because of rain. The game has been rescheduled as part of a doubleheader Saturday. Next: Saturday vs. Omaha (Royals), 5:35 p.m. (DH) ALTOONA (Double-A, 33-27) lost to Binghamton (Mets), 7-1. 1B Mason Martin (.278) knocked in the lone Curve run...
Pirates notebook: Derek Shelton likes leadership, intensity of No. 1 pick Henry Davis
Before the Pittsburgh Pirates made Henry Davis the No. 1 overall pick in the MLB Draft, manager Derek Shelton got to watch the Louisville catcher’s workout at PNC Park and spend time talking with him. “He’s a good kid, man,” Shelton said. “He’s a leader. He wants to win. He...
Baseball analysts give Pirates’ draft good grades, predict a potential top-5 farm system
Jonathan Mayo understood the strategy when the Pittsburgh Pirates took Louisville catcher Henry Davis with the No. 1 overall pick of the MLB Draft, knowing it would allow them to spend over slot on others. What Mayo couldn’t believe was the prep talent the Pirates added with their next three...
