Pirates/MLB category, Page 200
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans are brash despite offseason concerns. So are … Pirates fans?
I expect Steelers fans to get froggy with me this time of year. I’m used to it. Every March, I tell you the Steelers roster is in decline. You call me “hater” and say Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season. I tell you they’ve gone eight out of...
Execution dooms Mitch Keller in Pirates’ loss to Tampa Bay Rays
The stuff is good. The execution is poor. That was the brief but dead-on description of Mitch Keller’s pitching from Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen coach Justin Meccage during Wednesday’s Grapefruit League game against the Tampa Bay Rays. The right-hander continued his spring struggles as he was knocked around for eight runs...
Pirates reliever Blake Cederlind to seek 2nd opinion on elbow
Todd Tomczyk recognized something was wrong with Blake Cederlind when the Pittsburgh Pirates reliever walked a batter with the bases loaded against the New York Yankees on March 10. The 25-year-old right-hander left the game with two outs in the eighth inning and was later determined to have a strain...
Pitching newcomers create competition for roles, roster spots in Pirates’ bullpen
For as much as Derek Shelton detests any discussion midway through spring training of who will be the closer, it’s because that decision is on the backburner for the Pittsburgh Pirates manager. “When you tell me who’s in our bullpen I’ll have that answer for you because I have no...
Pirates delay general public ticket sales until allowable capacity at PNC Park is determined
In hopes of opening up more seating at PNC Park for fans after Gov. Tom Wolf eased covid-19 restrictions at venues, the Pittsburgh Pirates announced that they are delaying their general public ticket sale planned for Wednesday. The Pirates had planned to sell all remaining tickets for the first 12...
Kevin Newman’s hot bat leads Pirates past Twins as he tries to reclaim starting shortstop job
Kevin Newman has been vocal about trying to reclaim the starting job at shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but he’s letting his bat do most of the talking. Newman continued his hot streak at the plate this spring by going 3-for-4, scoring a run and driving in another as the...
Pirates option Oneil Cruz, reassign 3 former 1st-rounders in 1st spring cuts
The Pittsburgh Pirates made their first cuts of spring training, optioning five players and reassigning 10 others to minor league camp. The most notable moves involve four of their top-five prospects, optioning infielder Oneil Cruz and reassigning their past two first-round picks, infielder Nick Gonzales and right-handed pitcher Quinn Priester....
Pirates prospect Quinn Priester battles nerves, big league hitters in spring debut
Quinn Priester had many things running through his mind during his first Grapefruit League game Monday, from wearing a Pittsburgh Pirates uniform to hearing the starting lineups announced to seeing fans in the stands at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota. “There’s an added adrenaline and excitement with being in a...
Tyler Anderson strikes out 7, Quinn Priester debuts as Orioles pound Pirates
Tyler Anderson was still in spring training mode, feeling his way through his delivery when Austin Hays and Freddy Galvis hit back-to-back home runs off the Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander. That forced Anderson to switch into regular-season mode in an outing he believed was better than it looked on the scoresheet:...
Trevor Cahill will take survivor techniques to the mound for Pirates
Living the life of a starting pitcher, Trevor Cahill knows what it feels like to fall short of expectations and suffer through the next five days before you can do something about it. It can be a mental grind. But Cahill, 33, can be labeled a survivor in baseball terms,...
It’s only spring training, so Pirates’ Steven Brault can take ‘getting punished’
When he walks to the mound for a spring training game, Steven Brault fills his head with three purposes: • Renewing familiarity with hitters he hasn’t seen since last season. • Rebuilding his arm strength for the next six months. • Taking it on the chin, if necessary. The Pittsburgh...
Recent trade pickup Duane Underwood Jr. confident he can help Pirates’ pitching staff
Duane Underwood Jr. spent his first 8½ years as a professional with one organization. Joining the Pittsburgh Pirates was a whole lot of new — but not without some familiar faces. “I actually knew a few of the guys just from working out in offseason and just being around the...
Adam Frazier stays hot, Pirates hit 3 home runs in spring loss to Yankees
Adam Frazier is eager to put a rare “off” season behind him. So far this spring, he appears well on his way. A three-hit outing during a 7-5 loss at the New York Yankees on Saturday bumped Frazier’s average up to .667 through four games after a delayed start to...
Chase De Jong successful in start, Cole Tucker returns to lineup in Pirates’ spring win
Right-hander Chase De Jong continued to make his case as a darkhorse candidate for the Pittsburgh Pirates, pitching three shutout innings of a 2-1 win against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday in Bradenton, Fla. A 27-year-old former second-round pick of the Blue Jays signed as a minor league free...
Pirates place pitcher Blake Cederlind on 60-day IL with elbow injury
Buried in the final paragraph of a team release to officially announce the previously reported signing of veteran pitcher Trevor Cahill was some ominous-sounding news regarding the future of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ bullpen. Blake Cederlind was placed on the 60-day injured list because of a potentially serious injury to his...
Ke’Bryan Hayes, Mitch Keller among 30 pre-arbitration players Pirates sign for 2021
Ke’Bryan Hayes, Mitch Keller and others who figure to be long-term pieces of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ rebuild agreed to terms on contracts for the 2021 season, the organization announced Friday. Third baseman Hayes and starting pitcher Keller are among 30 pre-arbitration players who agreed to salaries at or near the...
Pirates preaching aggressive approach on bases as a way to manufacture more runs
When Derek Shelton self-assessed his rookie season as Pittsburgh Pirates manager, his greatest regret was the moves he didn’t make. Shelton wishes his team had been more aggressive in not only stealing bases but also situational running like 3-2 counts and hit-and-runs. If the Pirates look different on the basepaths...
Pirates sign veteran pitcher Trevor Cahill to 1-year contract
The Pittsburgh Pirates added a veteran to their pitching staff by signing right-hander Trevor Cahill to a one-year contract for $1.5 million, with another $1 million in incentives. The Pirates are his ninth team in 13 seasons. The 6-foot-4, 223-pounder was 1-2 with a 3.24 ERA and 31 strikeouts in...
For Pirates, March 12 marks ominous 1-year anniversary of spring training shutdown
When the calendar flips to March 12 on Friday, it represents an ominous one-year anniversary for the Pittsburgh Pirates. It’s the day a global pandemic interrupted spring training and stopped the sports world for months. The previous night, the NBA stopped its season when Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested...
Anthony Alford takes center stage, shining for Pirates with home run, diving catch
A day after Jared Oliva and Brian Goodwin made their mark on the center field competition with home runs, Anthony Alford answered in a way that might have pushed him to the forefront. Alford hit a two-run homer in the second inning, made a spectacular catch in the third, then...
Pirates say tickets to be offered month-to-month, delivered digitally
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced that tickets will be made available on a month-to-month basis to start the season and delivered digitally. Starting Thursday, the Pirates will notify groups for an exclusive presale for full, half and partial season plans for the first dozen games over two homestands at PNC Park,...
In 2nd spring training with Pirates, Jared Oliva emerges as dark horse in center field
Jared Oliva will be the first to admit he was uncomfortable at his first major league spring training last year, trying to absorb as much as he could from veterans without stepping on any toes. That was evident to Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton, who saw as much trepidation as...
Brian Goodwin’s game-tying grand slam brings a boost to Pirates’ competition in center field
Brian Goodwin could tell by playing the outfield that the wind was doing something different Wednesday night at George M. Steinbrenner Field, calling it a difficult night for fly balls. The New York Yankees had built a five-run lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates by sending two of them over the...
With shortstops Kevin Newman, Cole Tucker injured, Pirates preach patience in recovery
When two of the three players fighting for the same starting job end up seeing Pittsburgh Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk, he expects their competitive spirit to play a role in their recovery. Tomczyk is counting on the relationships and trust he has built with shortstops Kevin Newman...
Tim Benz: Pirates not alone when it comes to creating lack of competition
Pirates fans, at least you aren’t alone when it comes to your team’s place within the ecosystem of baseball economics. Along with how your team is operating within that world. Meet the Colorado Rockies. They decided to pay the St. Louis Cardinals to accept All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado in...
