Pirates/MLB category, Page 188

The Chicago Cubs haven’t needed much help while defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first two games of their series at PNC Park. The Pirates offered up some, anyway, Thursday afternoon in one of the strangest plays you might see on a major-league diamond. The result was a 5-3 Cubs...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 11-8) lost 10-7 to Omaha (Royals). Ke’Bryan Hayes, making his fourth rehab appearance with the Indians while recovering from a wrist injury, went 2 for 4 with a walk, a double and three runs scored. He acted as designated hitter. LF Anthony Alford went 2 for 3 with...

The Pittsburgh Pirates weren’t willing to commit to Trevor Williams in the offseason, citing an ineffective fastball and his penchant for giving up home runs as the primary reasons for nontendering the right-hander. Williams showed a five-pitch mix that induced seven strikeouts while allowing one run on three hits in...

Only four days after the Pittsburgh Pirates lost first baseman Colin Moran to the 10-day injured list with a left groin strain, replacement Phillip Evans pulled up lame with a left hamstring strain. Their respective recoveries from those injuries are almost in lockstep. Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk...

Derek Shelton made a curious call to bat Ben Gamel in the second spot in the lineup for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night, given that the outfielder was batting .167 on the season. The Gamel gamble paid off, as he went 2 for 2 with a double, an RBI...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 11-7) lost 3-1 to Omaha (Royals). RHP Chad Kuhl, out since April 18 with a shoulder injury, allowed one run on one hit, striking out four and walking two, in 3.1 innings in his second rehab start. 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes went 0 for 3 with a strikeout in...

The Pittsburgh Pirates snapped out of a first-inning funk by scoring two runs against the Chicago Cubs. It was the third and fifth innings that proved to be problems. And Joc Pederson served as the antagonist in both, as the left fielder homered twice off Cody Ponce to lead the...

When it comes to playing defense this season, it is no accident Kevin Newman looks like a new man. The Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop is the only major league player at his position without an error this season, a 40-game streak that is more impressive when considering 2020 NL Gold Glove...

Even when the 2021 Pirates got off to a surprisingly decent start by going 12-12 in their first 24 games, there was a tangible sense in Pittsburgh of, “Is this as good as it is going to get?” Well, the way things have gone lately, the answer appears to be...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 11-6) lost 5-4 to St. Paul (Twins). 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes (.200), playing the second game of a rehab assignment, had a double and home run with two strikeouts. Hayes had been out with a wrist injury since the second game of the season. The Indians rallied with three...

When Cole Tucker was working his way through the Pittsburgh Pirates’ farm system, unsure of how a professional baseball player should act, veterans such as utility man Sean Rodriguez were happy to show him the way. Separated by nine years of age, Tucker and Rodriguez often were seen inside the...

JT Brubaker suspects opponents are attempting to ambush the Pittsburgh Pirates early, knowing their anemic offense is practically powerless to recover from large deficits. The Atlanta Braves opted for an aerial attack, as Austin Riley homered twice and Dansby Swanson once off Brubaker in a 7-1 victory Sunday afternoon before...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 11-5) beat St. Paul (Twins), 5-1. 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes began a rehab assignment, going 1 for 2 with a first-pitch single through the right side of the infield in his first at-bat and a strikeout in his second. He played three innings in the field. Hayes has been...

While the Pittsburgh Pirates were losing for the 14th time in 20 games this month, there were brief moments of encouragement Saturday. • Michael Perez hit a home run to stop an 0-for-26 streak. It only raised his batting average to .096, but it was something. • Relief pitcher Chris...

The Pittsburgh Pirates lost a starting pitcher and gained a reliever Saturday when Trevor Cahill went on the 10-day injured list with a left calf strain and Kyle Crick was activated from the IL. Cahill (1-5) left his most recent start Wednesday night in St. Louis after one inning. He...

Derek Shelton isn’t a fan of labels, so it’s no wonder the Pittsburgh Pirates manager is as reluctant to call Richard Rodriguez’s fastball a four-seamer as he was to name him the club’s closer. Even though batters know it’s coming — Rodriguez throws his fastball on 91.3% of his pitches,...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 10-5) beat St. Paul (Twins) 6-4 in 10 innings. SS Kevin Kramer hit a two-out, two-run home run in the top of the 10th and RHP Jandel Gustave held St. Paul scoreless in the bottom of the inning. It was Kramer’s second home run of the season. He...

Anderson v. Anderson sounds more like a legal matter than a pitching duel, and Atlanta Braves righty Ian was brokering a hostile takeover while Pittsburgh Pirates lefty Tyler was filing for bankruptcy. The Braves smacked seven home runs, including a pair of grand slams, in rolling to a 20-1 win...

When Sean Gibson sees the mural of his famous great-grandfather — all 27,000 square feet of it — he believes one of baseball’s greatest players is coming to life right there on E. 9th Avenue in Homestead. “It is just like Josh is coming out of the wall,” Sean Gibson...

Cole Tucker is back in the big leagues and the Pittsburgh Pirates have plans to keep him in the infield — at least for now. The 2014 first-round pick, a natural shortstop who played 32 games in the outfield last season, was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday to replace...

Eevn though Sam Howard grew up an Atlanta Braves fan, he intentionally avoided going to Truist Park until this weekend. Howard even declined invites for social gatherings at The Battery, the stadium’s surrounding entertainment scene. After enduring ups and downs of a baseball career that began at Cartersville High School...

Adam Frazier always has the same explanation for his hitting groove, one that doesn’t defy logic so much as it shows his superstitious nature. Knock on wood. The Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman got plenty of knocks in the 6-4 win over the Atlanta Braves in 10 innings on Thursday night,...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 9-5) fell 3-2 to St. Paul (Twins) in the resumption of a suspended game from Wednesday and won 7-3 in the scheduled game on Thursday. Plum native Alex Kirilloff, down from Minnesota on a rehab assignment as he recovers from a wrist injury, homered in both games for...

After blanking the Atlanta Braves over the final four frames in front of the biggest crowd the Pittsburgh Pirates have seen this season, Derek Shelton didn’t hesitate to call his bullpen’s performance “outstanding.” “I would say it’s right near the top,” the Pirates manager said. In a game filled with...

A Westmoreland County jury late Thursday found former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez guilty of sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl. The jury found Vazquez guilty on 15 counts, including the most serious charges of statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact or communication with a minor, indecent assault and corruption of...