Pirates/MLB category, Page 185
Pirates notebook: Cherington says team will use 6-man starting rotation into All-Star break
Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday on his radio show on 93.7 FM that the team plans to stick with a six-man rotation through the All-Star break. He said that before Max Kranick’s major league debut when he retired the first 12 batters he faced in the finale...
Pirates farm report for June 26, 2021: Top prospect Nick Gonzales homers in return from injury
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 25-21) lost to Louisville (Reds), 6-1. RHP Steven Wright was the losing pitcher, allowing six runs on eight hits in five innings. He’s 3-3 with a 5.86 ERA. RHP Tyler Bashlor, RHP Shea Spitzbarth and LHP Blake Weiman each threw a scoreless inning of relief. 1B Will Craig...
Cardinals’ veteran pitcher Adam Wainwright stymies Pirates again
Two months shy of his 40th birthday, it’s unclear what Adam Wainwright does best. Is it his defiance of the normal aging process for athletes? Or is it his continuing ability to baffle the Pittsburgh Pirates. Wainwright put both on display Saturday, throwing 102 pitches in the St. Louis Cardinals’...
Pirates notebook: Scranton native Max Kranick promoted to start Sunday
With Mitch Keller in Triple-A, Steven Brault and Trevor Cahill still on the injured list and the schedule showing no off days until the All-Star break, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ starting pitching staff needed a lift. The call went out to Indianapolis where Max Kranick, 23, was chosen to make his...
20 years ago, Lloyd McClendon made history by stealing first baseVideo
Twenty years ago, Pittsburgh Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon did something that was seemingly impossible in baseball — he stole first base. It all happened on June 26, 2001, at PNC Park, with the Pirates playing the Milwaukee Brewers. Upset over a close play at first base that didn’t go the...
Pirates farm report for June 25, 2021: Mitch Keller gives up 3 runs in 3-inning start
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 25-20) defeated Louisville (Reds), 7-6. Making his first start since being sent down June 12, Mitch Keller went three innings, giving up three runs, two earned, on four hits. He walked none and struck out two. He previously made two scoreless relief appearances for Indy. RHP James Marvel...
Wil Crowe gets 1st MLB win, Pirates beat Cardinals 5-4
The pitcher’s win has gradually lost its luster in recent decades. New-age baseball statheads tend to scoff at it. Don’t tell that to Wil Crowe. Not after he earned his first MLB win in what was his 13th career start, a 5-4 Pittsburgh Pirates victory at the St. Louis Cardinals....
Pirates notes: Reliever Chris Stratton as versatile as he has been effective lately
In his 19 appearances since the start of May, reliever Chris Stratton has a 0.99 ERA. But that level of effectiveness might not even be how he’s shown his greatest value to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Stratton has pitched for the Pirates this season in every inning but the first and...
Lefty Austin Davis happy to compete as part of Pirates bullpen
Sure, there were some tiring rehabilitation workouts and uneasiness associated with his first arm injury as a professional. But the most difficult part of the 60-day stint on the injured list for Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Austin Davis was the lack of two extra roommates to live with he and his...
Pirates’ Bryan Reynolds focused only on this season, with perhaps a quick glance toward the All-Star Game
Bryan Reynolds was polite with his answer, but adamant in his insistence. “I don’t want to talk about last year anymore,” he said. Actually, he said it twice, making his point as forcefully as any hit he has launched off the barrel of his bat this season. Translation: Please leave...
Pirates open road trip with 8-2 victory against Cardinals
Misery shifted sides and moved into the St. Louis Cardinals dugout Thursday night at Busch Stadium. The escorts for the evening were named Adam Frazier, Ke’Bryan Hayes, Bryan Reynolds and Chad Kuhl, and they were largely — almost solely — responsible for the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 8-2 victory, their fourth in...
Pirates farm report for June 24, 2021: Cal Mitchell raps tie-breaking homer for Altoona
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 24-20) handled Louisville (Reds), 6-2. RF Bligh Madris and 2B T.J. Rivera hit back-to-back home runs in a five-run first inning. Madris went 1 for 3 with a walk. His home run, a two-run shot, was his second of the season. Rivera, who went 2 for 4, hit...
Pirates notebook: Indianapolis’ Miguel Yajure moves to 60-day injured list, out until August
In the midst of 20 games without a day off, the Pittsburgh Pirates might need to bolster their starting rotation, but Indianapolis Indians pitcher Miguel Yajure won’t be able to help. Yajure, who was placed on the seven-day minor league injured list June 2 with a sore forearm, was transferred...
First Call: Andrew McCutchen and Josh Bell hit dueling grand slams; Minkah Fitzpatrick credited for his quick ascent
Thursday’s “First Call” features quite a hitting duel between two former Pirates. An update on Al Villanueva’s progress in Baltimore. Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is honored for his fast rise to stardom. And the Pirates may be heading to St. Louis at just the right time. Double the pleasure It...
U mad, bro?: Fans have anxiety about trading Adam Frazier, doubts about the Pirates draft, concerns about college sports
Anxiety about an Adam Frazier trade. Depression over the Pirates draft philosophy. And concerns over the future of college sports. That’s what filled up the comments section in the columns, email inbox and Twitter interactions for this week’s “U mad, bro?” We start with a tweet from Kenny. He agrees...
Neil Walker on his upcoming honor at PNC Park, retirement, any future with Pirates franchise
Neil Walker caught his fair share of ceremonial first pitches at PNC Park over his seven years as a Pittsburgh Pirate. Soon, he’ll be on the other end. “I’ve never thrown a pitch from the mound,” Walker said during Thursday’s “Breakfast With Benz” podcast. Although he did quickly boast about...
Fighting 1st slump of his MLB career, Pirates rookie Ke’Bryan Hayes trying to ‘hunt the good’
Ke’Bryan Hayes is chasing fastballs, not a baseline batting average, so the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie third baseman concentrates on how hard and how often he’s hitting the ball while mixing in walks for good measure. After slashing .376/.442/.682 with seven doubles, two triples, five home runs and 11 RBIs in...
Pirates farm report for June 23, 2021: Aaron Shackelford clouts 13th homer for Greensboro
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 23-20) was held to six hits in a 5-0 loss to Louisville (Reds). RHP Cody Ponce started and gave up four runs on eight hits in five innings, falling to 0-3 with a 5.70 ERA. 2B T.J. Rivera went 2 for 4 with a double. SS Cole Tucker,...
Yasmani Grandal’s 2-run double boosts White Sox past Pirates
When the South Siders needed a big play, they went opposite. Yasmani Grandal hit a two-out, two-run double to the North Side Notch in the fifth inning to boost the Chicago White Sox to a 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday afternoon before 10,406 at PNC Park. “I...
‘Just a move for him to be around the team’: Steven Brault to join Pirates for next homestand but not ready to return
Steven Brault is scheduled to throw a live batting practice this week and will be joining the Pittsburgh Pirates for their next homestand, but the left-hander isn’t quite ready to return to major league action yet. Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Brault (left lat strain) “continues to...
As tensions flare over sticky stuff checkups, Pirates pitchers pass test with no problems
Where Washington starter Max Scherzer raised his hands and rolled his eyes and Oakland reliever Sergio Romo dropped his pants in response to MLB umpires checking pitchers for sticky stuff, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ dugout had mock applause for Tyler Anderson after he passed the checkpoint. That caused the Pirates left-hander...
Tim Benz: Vanderbilt pitchers are too good to pass on both. But be prepared for Pirates to do so anyway.
It’s not to the same degree that Pittsburgh Penguins fans have adopted the Vegas Golden Knights as a second team, but some diehard Pirates fans have tracked Vanderbilt baseball with a similar interest. Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker don’t have Marc-Andre Fleury’s cachet just yet in Pittsburgh. But they might...
In a big week for Mars’ Bednar brothers, Pirates reliever gets 1st major league win
David Bednar got the post-game shower — a mixture of baby powder, beer, pop and anything else the Pittsburgh Pirates could find in their home clubhouse — but knew his celebration would be short-lived. After earning the first win of his major league career in a 6-3 victory over the...
Pirates farm report for June 22, 2021: Altoona defense lets down Roansy Contreras
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 23-19) lost 9-5 to Louisville (Reds). 3B Michael De Leon hit a walk-off grand slam off LHP Braeden Ogle in the bottom of the 10th. RHP Beau Sulser started and gave up four runs on seven hits in four innings. 3B Hunter Owen went 1 for 4 with...
Pirates pick up Tyler Anderson with 4-run rally in 7th inning to beat White Sox
After drawing criticism for giving his starting pitchers an early hook, Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton was about to get blamed for leaving Tyler Anderson in too long against the Chicago White Sox. Anderson cruised through six innings before giving up a three-run homer to Yasmani Grandal, but the Pirates...
