Pirates/MLB category, Page 196
First Call: Was ESPN analyst’s shot at Steelers offensive line fair? Alex Ovechkin injury update; Pirates host hot Royals
In our first “First Call” back from vacation, we look at a slap across the face of the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line. We have an injury update on Alexander Ovechkin as a date against the Penguins looms. Alejandro Villanueva may have competition for that potential new job he’s supposed to...
Tim Benz: On Mike Tomlin’s contract extension; Justin Layne’s arrest; solid play from Pirates, Penguins
The Steelers, Pirates and Penguins certainly don’t give you time for a break, do they? After a rare week off at “Breakfast With Benz,” there’s a lot to catch up on as we get ready for the upcoming Steelers draft week. Hopefully, you enjoyed our NFL Draft preview series while...
Pirates lean on 12 hits, strong pitching to win series over Twins, return to .500 record
The Pittsburgh Pirates found a simple equation to get back to .500 baseball, leaning on a foundation of fundamentals by hitting early, playing good defense and being smart on the basepaths. The result: They keep taking two of three. Wil Crowe allowed one run in four innings in a spot...
Trevor Cahill throws 6 strong innings, as Pirates beat Twins
Nothing about the Trevor Cahill-Michael Perez battery should have given the Pittsburgh Pirates high hopes, given the right-hander twice had allowed seven runs and the catcher had one hit all season. Instead, Cahill made it as easy as 1-2-3 and Perez went 3 for 3 with three RBIs to lead...
Todd Frazier ‘humbled’ by promotion to Pirates, hopes to bring veteran presence, pop to lineup
When the Pittsburgh Pirates released Todd Frazier at the end of spring training, it wasn’t so much stunning to as it was humbling for the 10-year veteran and two-time All-Star infielder. Instead of joining another team, he made alternate plans. The 35-year-old Frazier signed a minor league contract with the...
Jacob Stallings breaks up J.A. Happ’s no-hit bid in 8th, but Twins blank Pirates
For seven innings, J.A. Happ no-hit the Pittsburgh Pirates, the deepest the Minnesota Twins 38-year-old left-hander had gone in a game without allowing a hit. As Happ’s pitch count inched toward the century mark, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli had Tyler Duffey start warming up in the bullpen. With one out...
Rodolfo Castro’s remarkable rise from Class A to majors a pleasant surprise for Pirates
Rodolfo Castro received the phone message from Indianapolis Indians manager Brian Esposito that he was being called up from the alternate training site to join the Pittsburgh Pirates’ taxi squad in Detroit. When Castro arrived at the Comerica Park clubhouse, he was called into the manager’s office, where Derek Shelton...
Mitch Keller’s strong start, Phillip Evans’ big defensive play lift Pirates past Tigers
Mitch Keller had a feel for his four-seam fastball, so the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander couldn’t figure out why he was giving up so many walks and even more hits with his signature pitch. What he discovered was it lacked command and movement in the strike zone, something Keller set out...
Pirates add Todd Frazier, DFA Dustin Fowler among roster moves
The Pittsburgh Pirates made a flurry of roster moves prior to Thursday’s game against the Detroit Tigers, addressing both inconsistency and injuries in their infield, outfield and pitching staff. Center fielder Dustin Fowler joined Anthony Alford in being designated for assignment after a dismal start, causing Pirates manager Derek Shelton...
Pirates 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes aggravates wrist injury, returns to Pittsburgh to see specialist
Ke’Bryan Hayes aggravated the left wrist injury that has caused the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie third baseman to miss 16 games and is returning to Pittsburgh to see a hand specialist to “come up with the best and most appropriate plan to return him to play.” Pirates director of sports medicine...
Pirates drop second game to Tigers, settle for a split in doubleheader
Looking for a sweep of their doubleheader at Detroit that would pull them up to .500 for the season, the Pittsburgh Pirates pulled a surprise by giving a pair of rookies their first major league starts. Pirates manager Derek Shelton put Miguel Yajure on the mound and Rodolfo Castro at...
From Pine-Richland to Pirates, Neil Walker bids farewell to 12-year MLB career
Before Neil Walker could begin to talk about the end of his baseball career, his voice cracked. He flashed a big smile, the one that took him from fresh-faced first-round pick out of Pine-Richland to a stubble-bearded 35-year-old finally bidding farewell to his favorite sport. The Pittsburgh Kid hopes this...
Tyler Anderson strikes out 7; Pirates take Game 1 of doubleheader against Tigers
The Detroit Tigers stacked their lineup with right-handed hitters to face Tyler Anderson, an extra challenge for the Pittsburgh Pirates lefty on a day when the cold weather already provided one. Anderson had a gameplan of his own, mixing his four-seam fastball with a changeup that had the Tigers swinging...
Pirates DFA Anthony Alford among multiple roster moves
The Pittsburgh Pirates made several roster moves Wednesday, reshaping their roster prior to a doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers. Anthony Alford, who started in center field on Opening Day, was designated for assignment after batting .083 (2 for 24) with 16 strikeouts and four walks in 11 games. The Pirates...
Pirates closer Rodriguez attributes solid start to being in good place mentally, physically
As the hair — on his face and on the top of his head — has grown over the past three years, so has Richard Rodriguez’s role and stature within the Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen. Rodriguez joined the Pirates as a castoff from the woebegone Baltimore Orioles, making his debut in...
Neil Walker announces retirement after 12 big league seasons
Local baseball fans watched Neil Walker grow from a superstar high school athlete at Pine-Richland to an important contributor for the Pittsburgh Pirates as they returned to the playoffs after a two-decade absence in 2013. On Tuesday, Walker announced his retirement after 12 years in the major leagues. “Officially retired,...
Pirates-Tigers game postponed by wintry weather; doubleheader Wednesday
Early evening in Pittsburgh featured clear, sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-60s. About 4½ hours to the northwest, though, cold and snowflakes led to a postponement of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ game. The Pirates’ scheduled game at the Detroit Tigers was called just before 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the Tigers...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Did Derek Shelton’s double switch foreshadow a change in center?
The Pittsburgh Pirates are preparing for the impending return of rookie third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, and manager Derek Shelton made a double switch on Sunday that possibly foreshadowed their future lineup. Shelton sent Kevin Newman to pinch-hit for Dustin Fowler in the sixth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers. Newman remained...
Colin Moran’s double in 10th inning lifts Pirates to win over Brewers
Colin Moran had put the Pittsburgh Pirates on the scoreboard with an opposite-field, three-run home run in the third inning. When he came to bat in the top of the 10th, the left-hander was looking for a pitch to pull. With Bryan Reynolds starting extra innings on second base, Moran...
Pirates GM: Ke’Bryan Hayes will play ‘a game or two’ at alternate site
Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday on his weekly radio show that Ke’Bryan Hayes, out with a wrist injury, will join the alternate site team for “a game or two” in Toledo. The rookie third baseman was placed on the 10-day injured list April 4, a day after...
Pirates leadoff hitter Adam Frazier finding opposite is true with his approach to plate
The ballpark name has changed from Miller Park to American Family Field, but when it comes to batting against the Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Adam Frazier is right at home. “I do like hitting in Milwaukee,” Frazier said. “I can say that.” Frazier has a career .307/.358/.471 slash...
Pirates fall in deep hole early, lose to Brewers
MLB over the past two seasons has instituted a variety moves intended to shorten games. Perhaps the Pittsburgh Pirates should propose eliminating the first inning. The first inning continued to haunt the Pirates on Saturday in Milwaukee. The Brewers scored five runs in the bottom of the first and cruised...
Pirates’ Erik Gonzalez takes aggressive mindset into batter’s box
There’s a reason Derek Shelton likes turning around in the Pittsburgh Pirates dugout and seeing Erik Gonzalez waiting to be called into the game. “He plays three positions on the infield, above average,” Shelton said of his utility player who can handle the chores at shortstop, second and third base....
JT Brubaker finds strike zone, leads Pirates past Brewers
There were fewer than 12,000 people in American Family Field on Friday night, but all of them seemed to be rooting for JT Brubaker to fail. Funny thing: The louder the noise level grew in the third inning of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 6-1 victory against the Milwaukee Brewers, the more...
Cracked fingernail puts Pirates reliever Michael Feliz on injured list
Michael Feliz was able to maintain his control and pitch through the discomfort of a cracked nail on his right middle finger in two relief appearances this week. But the Pittsburgh Pirates decided to employ caution in Feliz’s situation and put him on the 10-day injured list Friday before their...
