Pirates/MLB category, Page 275

Pirates INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 0-3) lost 7-4 to Columbus (Indians). OF/DH Eric Wood (.250) and CF Bryan Reynolds (.273) both hit home runs. RHP Alex McRae (0-1, 7.71) recorded seven strikeouts in a losing effort with three walks and four earned runs. Next: Sunday at Columbus, 2:05 p.m. ALTOONA (Double-A, 3-0)...

The Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen blew four leads over the season’s first four games, costing the team three early wins. But after turning a three-run, seventh-inning lead into an extra-innings loss Wednesday, the Pirates group of relievers is beginning to show it is the team strength it was expected to be....

The moment Kevin Newman struck the first-pitch sinker he saw, Josh Bell helped lead a cavalcade out of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ dugout late Saturday afternoon. With Francisco Cervelli at first base and one out in the bottom of the 10th inning, Newman lined a double into the left-field gap. As...

There’s increasing light at the end of the proverbial tunnel for the Pittsburgh Pirates’ very injury-thinned outfield. Longtime starting rightfielder Gregory Polanco is scheduled to begin playing in minor-league games Sunday when he reports to the Single-A Bradenton Marauders for a rehabilitation assignment. Polanco has not played since suffering an...

The final member of the 25-man Pittsburgh Pirates Opening Day roster is making his season debut. Jacob Stallings was in the lineup batting seventh and at catcher for Saturday’s home game against the Cincinnati Reds. The 29-year-old is the organization’s No. 3 catcher but made the club at the end...

The Pittsburgh Pirates wasted little time giving Jason Martin his first taste of Major League Baseball. “First hitter of the game for us,” manager Clint Hurdle said with a smile Saturday morning, about three hours prior to Martin’s MLB debut began as the Pirates’ left fielder and leadoff hitter against...

Minor League Report Pirates INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 0-2) fell 5-4 to Columbus (Indians) in 11 innings on a walk-off single. RHP Mitch Keller (0-0, 0.00) did not record a decision after allowing two earned runs on three hits with six strikeouts and five walks in 4.2 innings. RHP Montana DuRapau (0-1,...

His fastball deserted him for a time. His teammates struggled to offer the run support every pitcher needs. But Joe Musgrove had two good friends on his side: Catcher Francisco Cervelli and his slider. They were more than enough to help the Pittsburgh Pirates (3-3) defeat the Cincinnati Reds (1-6)...

Keeping in mind the early-season sample size, Pittsburgh Pirates starters were just short of dominant through the first five games. After Jameson Taillon allowed four runs in the opener in Cincinnati, Taillon, Trevor Williams and Jordan Lyles surrendered only one run in 23 innings. Overall, the four starters have a...

Many thoughts went through Jason Martin’s head when he was called up to the Pittsburgh Pirates before he even played one game for Triple-A Indianapolis this season. He made several phone calls, and his parents reacted quickly, flying from California with his sister and fiancée to be in the PNC...

In “First Call” Friday, some interesting early numbers for the Pirates. The Capitals win the Metro. And the Lightning continue to chase history. That’s a good `start` A week into the season, the Pirates starting rotation has been every bit as good as you think it has. Granted, they have...

It was said so many times last year, it almost became a running joke. “You know, that Joe Musgrove. He’s more than just a pitcher. He’s an athlete!” If you heard it once, you heard it a thousand times. From teammates, coaches, fans and media that cover the team. “Joe...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 0-1) lost on the road, 10-4 to Columbus (Indians). RF Patrick Kivlehan (.250) and Will Craig (.333) hit home runs for the Indians. SS Cole Tucker (.400) finished 2 for 5, leaving four runners on base. RHP J.T. Brubaker (0-0, 3.86) did not record a decision after pitching...

Despite one late hiccup, this was more like how manager Clint Hurdle drew it up for the late innings when the Pittsburgh Pirates exited spring training. Three relievers combined for four scoreless innings Thursday night in the Pirates’ 2-0 victory against the Cincinnati Reds, the performance coming after the bullpen...

Clint Hurdle got his closer back Thursday, but he didn’t expect setup man Keone Kela to pitch Thursday night when the Pittsburgh Pirates opened a four-game series against the Cincinnati Reds. Felipe Vazquez and Kela are considered the top pitchers in a bullpen that hasn’t found its rhythm in the...

Already minus one outfielder for an extended period, the Pittsburgh Pirates will be without Gold Glove left fielder Corey Dickerson for at least 10 days. They placed him on the injured list Thursday afternoon with a right posterior shoulder strain. With Dickerson joining Lonnie Chisenhall in the trainer’s room, the...

PNC Park staged a hot promotion Wednesday to lure fans back after the Pirates dropped their Home Opener on Monday. Admission to the game on Buc Night was $1. Hot dogs were $1. Fountain drinks were $1 off. What more could a fan want? Buns. Organizers apparently miscalculated and ran...

In “U mad, bro?” this week, Pirates fans already are fed up. Readers challenge my coverage of Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown. Plus my motives are brought into question for suggesting Ben Roethlisberger should give up his radio show. A Twitter follower named “havy23” fired off this message as Kolten...

Jameson Taillon admitted it was “a tough question.” Perhaps answering it was more difficult than anything the St. Louis Cardinals threw at him Wednesday night at PNC Park. But, in the end, he said he was “cool” with Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle’s decision to pull him from the game...

A right fielder most of his baseball life, Josh Bell never played first base until he joined the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League. That was 2014. He was 22 years old. By 2017, he was playing 147 games at first base for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and this season,...

JB Shuck, who was hitless in seven plate appearances over the first three games, made his second start of the season Wednesday when left fielder Corey Dickerson was rested with right shoulder soreness. Shuck started in center field Thursday in Cincinnati when Starling Marte complained of a migraine. Dickerson had...

Jordan Lyles wasn’t out of work long when he tested the open market after last season. He signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates only six weeks after becoming a free agent, coming to terms on a one-year, $2.05 million contract. “It was pretty easy to work with Neal (Huntington),” he said....

So what’s Trevor Williams going to do for an encore? Based on his first start of 2019, maybe 2018 wasn’t his “Stairway to Heaven” after all. There still may be another high to reach. Or, in Williams’ case, another low. Like the stunningly low 1.38 ERA he posted after the...