Pirates/MLB category, Page 277
Benches clear, 5 ejected after Pirates’ Chris Archer throws behind Reds’ Derek Dietrich
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ two most valuable relief pitchers, Keone Kela and Felipe Vazquez, were ejected in the top of the fourth inning Sunday after Pirates and Cincinnati Reds players rushed onto the field when Pirates starter Chris Archer threw behind Derek Dietrich. Also ejected were Reds manager David Bell, right...
Pirates’ Clint Hurdle still heeds former Braves’ manager Bobby Cox’s advice on newspapersVideo
Clint Hurdle said Sunday he refuses to read newspaper articles concerning the Pittsburgh Pirates. He gets along well with reporters covering the team, speaking with them twice a day during the season and even engaging them in the offseason. But he prefers to develop his own opinions about his team...
Pirates minor league report: April 6, 2019
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)...
Pirates bullpen showing it’s the strength it was meant to be after rocky start
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....
Kevin Newman’s 10th-inning RBI double gives Pirates 6-5 victory over Reds
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...
Pirates notes: Gregory Polanco to begin playing in rehabilitation games
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...
Backup catcher Jacob Stallings sees first action of season for Pirates
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...
Jason Martin makes MLB debut, singles as Pirates leadoff hitter Saturday
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...
Pirates minor league report: April 5, 2019
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,...
Pirates shut out Reds for the third time, 2-0
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)...
Pirates notebook: Starting pitchers keeping games close
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...
Jason Martin arrives from Triple-A as Kyle Crick goes on Pirates’ injury list
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...
First call: Pirates pitchers performing, hitters failing; Capitals clinch division
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...
Tim Benz: Joe Musgrove’s health essential to Pirates rotation fulfilling promise
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...
Pirates minor league report: April 4, 2019
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...
Bullpen comes through in Pirates’ shutout win over Reds
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...
Workload catching up to Pirates relievers in early part of season
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...
With outfielders ailing, Pirates have Kevin Newman, Colin Moran take fly ballsVideo
Infielder Kevin Newman got his chance to take fly balls Wednesday afternoon with the Pittsburgh Pirates low on healthy outfielders. Colin Moran followed suit Thursday before the series opener against the Cincinnati Reds. Manager Clint Hurdle is leaving no stone unturned with outfielders Lonnie Chisenhall and Corey Dickerson on the...
Pirates place Corey Dickerson on injured list with right shoulder strain
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 apparently drops the ball, runs out of hot dog buns on ‘Buc Night’
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...
U mad, bro? Pirates fans already spent, Steelers fans burned out
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...
Pirates again fall to Cardinals in extra innings
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...
Pirates’ Josh Bell still working on transition from outfield
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,...
Pirates’ left fielder Corey Dickerson sits with shoulder soreness
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 hopes to validate Pirates’ faith in him
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....
