Pirates/MLB category, Page 251
Pirates’ Jameson Taillon has Tommy John surgery, out until 2021
The news for Jameson Taillon couldn’t have been worse. During Taillon’s flexor tendon surgery Tuesday, Dr. David Altchek determined Taillon also needed Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. The Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher, who started the season atop the rotation but hasn’t pitched since May 5, will miss the entire...
Josh Bell homers again as Pirates win consecutive games for 1st time in over a month
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Josh Bell has pulled himself out of a recent slump with some extra film study and a return to better habits as a hitter. Not only has he found his form, Bell helped the floundering Pirates find their footing. Bell homered and had three...
Pirates minor league report for Aug. 14, 2019
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 59-60) defeated Rochester (Twins), 6-3. C Francisco Cervelli (.750) was 3 for 4 with a double and a run in the second game of his rehab assignment. Cervelli has been on the injured list since May 26 because of a concussion. CF Jason Martin (.270) hit a sixth-inning,...
Mitch Keller earns 1st MLB win as Pirates snap 8-game skidVideo
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Mitch Keller was barely a teenager when a hotshot outfielder from downstate New Jersey joined his hometown Cedar Rapids Kernels. Keller immediately became an enormous fan of Mike Trout, and he cheered on the Angels from Iowa while his favorite player rose to the top of their...
Pirates minor league report: Aug. 12, 2019
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 58-60) was idle. RHP James Marvel (3-0, 1.87 with Indianapolis) is expected to start Tuesday night for the Indians. Next: Tuesday vs. Rochester (Twins), 7:05 p.m. ALTOONA (Double-A, 59-60) was idle. LHP Sean Brady (3-9, 3.83 with Altoona) is expected to start Tuesday evening for the Curve. Next:...
Pirates counting on Mitch Keller to help stop eight-game losing streak
Mitch Keller will get his turn to try to stop the Pittsburgh Pirates’ eight-game losing streak when he starts against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night. Game time is 10:07 p.m. at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. The Pirates’ recalled Keller from Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday. It will be the...
Pirates to host Yankees, Red Sox in 2020; home opener vs. Reds
The Pittsburgh Pirates will open the 2020 season March 26 in Tampa against the Rays and then play four more games before April 1 in the schedule released Monday. The season-opening road trip includes three games against the Rays on March 26, 28 and 29 and three in Wrigley Field...
Tim Benz, Mark Madden sound off on Pirates, Antonio Brown
In this edition of “Madden Monday,” Mark Madden and I try to figure out what the Pirates will do in terms of cleaning out the management structure. Mark shares my skepticism that Bob Nutting will act harshly. We both expect a few minor scapegoats, and that’s it. Then we recap...
Tim Benz: Pirates GM Neal Huntington’s ‘shelf life’ has expired
General manager Neal Huntington warned changes could be coming to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Gee, Neal. Don’t threaten me with a good time. Sunday’s latest come-from-ahead defeat — an 11-9 debacle in St. Louis — was the club’s eighth straight loss. Speaking before the first pitch on his weekly 93.7 FM...
Cardinals’ go-ahead grand slam sends Pirates to 8th straight loss
ST. LOUIS — In the big leagues primarily as a defensive replacement, Cardinals rookie outfielder Lane Thomas pounced with a chance to flex his hitting muscles. Thomas ripped a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning, Paul Goldschmidt and Dexter Fowler also homered, and St. Louis beat the Pittsburgh Pirates,...
Neal Huntington realizes Pirates’ losing stretch could put jobs on line
Neal Huntington indicated Sunday on his radio show that his job as the Pittsburgh Pirates general manager could be in jeopardy if the team continues to lose. But he added he and his staff continue to work to put the team back “in a postseason hunt” and to determine what...
Pirates continue to stumble, lose to Cardinals, 3-1Video
ST. LOUIS — Adam Wainwright got off to a rocky start when his first pitch sailed over the right-field wall. The rest of the game went a lot better. Wainwright tossed six scoreless innings after Adam Frazier’s leadoff home run, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 3-1,...
Pirates’ Francisco Cervelli will begin rehab assignment in Altoona as a catcher
Francisco Cervelli’s long road to recovery will reach a critical point Sunday when he begins a rehab assignment as a catcher in Double-A Altoona. Cervelli, who had been the Pittsburgh Pirates’ regular catcher since 2015, has been on the injured list since May 26 with a concussion, the sixth of...
Chris Archer solid, but Pirates succumb to Cardinals rally on roadVideo
ST. LOUIS — Paul Goldschmidt hit a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning and Marcell Ozuna followed with a two-run homer, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-2, on Friday night. Goldschmidt’s single went under the glove of Pirates shortstop Kevin Newman, scoring Dexter Fowler to break...
Pirates farm report for Friday, Aug. 9, 2019
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 57-59) lost 9-5 to Durham (Rays). LHP Brandon Waddell (1-5, 9.91) gave up seven runs in one inning pitched, including seven in the second inning, with four walks and six hits allowed in a losing effort. 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes (.255) hit a fourth-inning two-run homer. 1B Hunter Owen...
Fantasy sports podcast: How RB holdouts affect drafts; Pirates free fall
In this week’s fantasy sports podcast, Jeff Erickson of Rotowire helps guide us through draft advice. The most pressing question this year is similar to one at this time a season ago: Do I draft a holdout running back in the first round? Last year, it was Le’Veon Bell. This...
Pirates minor league report: Aug. 8, 2019
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 57-58) split a doubleheader with Norfolk (Orioles) in a pair of 3-2 games. The Indians dropped the first game. Two first-inning runs off of a wild pitch followed by an RBI single from LF Kevin Kramer (.259), gave Indianapolis a 2-0 advantage until the sixth inning, when the...
3 ways Pirates can avoid losing 100 games this season
There are some things best not discussed in polite company. The possibility of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ losing 100 games is one of them. It has happened only seven times in club history that dates to 1887. The record is 113, set in 1890. Manager Guy Hecker was not asked to...
U mad, bro?: Readers defend Mike Tomlin and the Browns, attack replay and the Bucs
This week’s “U mad, bro?” features Pirates angst, frustration over the brawl suspensions, replay rage, Mike Tomlin defense, and Browns hysteria from Cleveland. Todd is a Cleveland Browns fanboy. And he did not like the fact that I poked some fun at a little training camp turmoil surrounding his team....
Tim Benz: A lesson in hope versus blind faith for the Steelers, Pirates
I want to expand on a thought that I heard from my ESPN Radio Pittsburgh colleague Adam Crowley. And by “expand on a thought,” what I’m trying to say is, I want to steal his idea. Which I will. To be fair, I think Adam stole it from me. Because...
Pirates minor league report: Aug. 7, 2019
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 56-57) was postponed because of inclement weather. The game is to be made up Thursday as part of a doubleheader. Next: Thursday doubleheader at Norfolk (Orioles), Game 1 at 12:05 p.m. ALTOONA (Double-A, 57-58) split a doubleheader with Richmond, winning the first game 4-3 in 10 innings but...
Brewers pounce on Trevor Williams early, defeat Pirates againVideo
Trevor Williams’ Milwaukee magic couldn’t make a losing streak disappear. Williams won all off his three scoreless starts against Milwaukee last season, but the Brewers scored six times and homered twice off him Wednesday night as the Pittsburgh Pirates lost 8-3 at PNC Park. The loss was the fifth in...
Pirates notebook: Jose Osuna gets start again as role expands
Jose Osuna’s key for being a good pinch hitter is to always be ready. “Be ready in every inning,” said Osuna, who has excelled in that role this season for the Pittsburgh Pirates. “I think that’s the most important, be ready for the first pitch.” Now, he seems more than...
Pirates’ Clint Hurdle discusses grinding through giant slump
The past two dozen games, with 20 losses and only four wins, were the worst stretch Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle could remember. That’s mostly because his team still was mired in this slide. “Last year it seemed like the worst stretch I’d ever been in,” said Hurdle, whose team...
Pirates farm report for Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 56-57) lost 8-1 to Norfolk (Orioles). LHP Sean Keselica (1-6, 4.41) took the loss after allowing four runs on a hit in a third of an inning. Starting RHP James Marvel (3-0, 1.87) had a no-decision despite giving up an unearned run in four innings with four strikeouts...
