Pirates/MLB category, Page 280
Steve Blass, Dick Groat, Tree of Life remembrance among plans for PNC Park 2019 opener
Like all home openers, the first game of 2019 at PNC Park is not without its pregame pomp and circumstance. The Pittsburgh Pirates begin their home schedule with a game Monday against the St. Louis Cardinals. But plenty will happen on the field in the 35 minutes leading to the...
Melky Cabrera looks good batting seventh for Pirates
No season-long determinations can be — or should be — made after the Pittsburgh Pirates’ first two games. But maybe keeping Starling Marte healthy and batting second in the lineup and Melky Cabrera seventh while he mans right field in Gregory Polanco’s absence is the way to go for now....
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Pirates hoping for another Home Opener Hero
Whether it’s a leadoff or walk-off, a solo shot, two in two at-bats or a grand slam, there is something special about the home team hitting a home run at the home opener. The Pittsburgh Pirates hope to find their next Home Opener Hero when they host the St. Louis...
Pirates Trevor Williams throws 6 innings, logs 2 RBIs in shutout win
CINCINNATI — Trevor Williams looked like himself on the mound. He looked like somebody else at the plate. Williams pitched six effective innings and drove in two runs, helping the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the sloppy Cincinnati Reds, 5-0, on Sunday. “He was just efficient,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “His...
5 things to watch at Pirates’ home opener
Although fans have had a peek at the 2019 Pittsburgh Pirates, Monday is the first time many will get to see the team in person. The Pirates split two games in Cincinnati to start the season, and that showed a tiny sample of what most expect of the Pirates this...
Pirates rained out in Cincinnati; Joe Musgrove’s start pushed back
For the third consecutive year, the Pittsburgh Pirates have had a weather-related postponement during their season-opening series. Saturday’s scheduled afternoon game in Cincinnati was not played and will be made up as part of a day-night doubleheader May 27. Last season, the opener in Detroit was snowed out. In 2017,...
Pirates’ Corey Dickerson announces autism fundraising initiative
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Corey Dickerson and his wife are pledging funds to help those with autism, the team announced. Under an initiative Dickerson is launching called “Assists for Autism,” he will donate money for outfield assists across MLB. During April, which is Autism Awareness Month, the Dickersons will donate $100...
Here’s what Opening Day taught us about the Pirates
Unless you expected the Pittsburgh Pirates to post a 162-0 record this season and Jameson Taillon to throw a no-hitter on Opening Day, you should not judge the team harshly after its two-run loss to the Cincinnati Reds. After all, they were one extra-base hit by Corey Dickerson and a...
Pirates’ rally falls short against Reds on Opening Day
CINCINNATI — The noise from a crowd of 44,049 bounced all over Great American Ball Park in a tense ninth inning Thursday, but Corey Dickerson tried not to hear it. Pitch after pitch, foul ball after foul ball — 12 of one, seven of the other — the Pittsburgh Pirates’...
Pirates director of sports medicine encouraged by Polanco’s rehab
CINCINNATI – There remains no definitive timetable for Gregory Polanco’s return from shoulder surgery, but Pittsburgh Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk is encouraged. “He is responding well,” Tomczyk said, noting Polanco has played in three Triple-A games in Bradenton, Fla. “His biggest comment was his entire body was...
Starling Marte pulled from Pirates’ starting lineup with migraine headache
CINCINNATI — More bad health-related news arrived in the clubhouse of the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday when center fielder Starling Marte was removed from the starting lineup with a migraine headache, the team announced on its Twitter account. Marte was replaced in the outfield by J.B. Shuck while Melky Cabrera...
Pirates’ Clint Hurdle appreciates ‘vibe, energy’ of Opening Day
CINCINNATI — Clint Hurdle woke up Thursday morning and made a decision he didn’t regret. The Pittsburgh Pirates manager walked from his hotel to Great American Ball Park, where his team was preparing to open the season against the Cincinnati Reds. “I walked over just to get a piece of...
Lonnie Chisenhall joins 6 other Pirates on injured list with broken finger
CINCINNATI — The Pittsburgh Pirates’ first moves of the season Thursday were not what the front office had in mind for Opening Day. The Pirates placed seven players, including starting right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall and starting pitcher Jordan Lyles, on the injured list prior to their game against the Cincinnati...
New-look Reds await Pirates in season opener
CINCINNATI — The MLB commissioner is grand marshal of the pregame parade. All major league teams are wearing patches commemorating Cincinnati’s first all-professional team. A new manager and an overhauled lineup provide intrigue. The Reds haven’t been in the Opening Day spotlight this way for years. The last time Cincinnati...
Kevin Gorman: If Pirates want a new narrative, playoffs are only answer
Neal Huntington knows as expectations have changed for the Pittsburgh Pirates, from ending a two-decade losing streak to wanting to win a World Series, so have the never-ending narratives. The Pirates general manager buys into neither the notion that the baseball club would be satisfied with finishing above .500 nor...
3 things Pirates pitchers will need to happen in 2019
Oddsmakers and media analysts aren’t overly bullish on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ chances to make the playoffs. But if the Pirates qualify for the postseason for a fourth time since 2013, it will be a sneaky-good pitching staff that carries them there. MLB.com recently named the top 10 starting rotations and...
No snow this year, but another chilly home opener predicted for Pirates
If you are planning to attend the Pirates’ home opener Monday against St. Louis you’ll want to bring a jacket. And maybe a sweater. The forecast from the National Weather Service in Moon calls for temperatures that are colder than the average for April 1, with a high of 47...
3 things to watch from Pirates hitters this season
The Pittsburgh Pirates had a winning record last season, but it was obvious what held them back from greater heights: an offense ranked 20th in the majors in runs, 25th in home runs and 17th in OPS. This was illustrated by the combined .430 winning percentage of the five teams...
Melky Cabrera starts, homers to lead Pirates past Astros in final exhibition
Injuries have plagued the Pittsburgh Pirates in right field, where Gregory Polanco will miss the start of the season while recovering from shoulder surgery and Lonnie Chisenhall was out after being hit by a pitch Monday. That left the Pirates to start 15-year veteran Melky Cabrera in their final exhibition...
Free Smiley Cookie for fans wearing Pirates gear for home opener
Regardless of the outcome of Monday’s Pirates home opener, fans can get a sweet treat at Eat’n Park restaurants. Any fan who wears Buccos gear to a restaurant that day will get a free Smiley Cookie, the restaurant chain said. The promotion lasts all day at any of Eat’n Park’s...
Astros hit four home runs to rally past Pirates in exhibition game
The Pittsburgh Pirates blew a pair of leads as they surrendered four home runs, including a pair of three-run shots, in a 12-9 exhibition loss to the Houston Astros on Monday night at Minute Maid Park. The Pirates got off to a hot start against Houston’s Forrest Whitley in the...
Jose Osuna doesn’t make trip to Houston with Pirates because of ‘lower neck discomfort’
Jose Osuna did not make the trip to Houston with the Pittsburgh Pirates because of “lower neck discomfort,” the club said in a statement, and will return to Pittsburgh this week for further examination. Osuna, a first baseman-outfielder, slashed .154/.244/.231 with three doubles, no home runs and two RBIs, striking...
Tim Benz, Mark Madden discuss Penguins, start of Pirates season, Tom Izzo ‘controversy’
There is a lot to get into for “Madden Monday” this week with Mark Madden of 105.9 the X. We start with the Penguins and the impact of recently acquired forward Denis Sav … uh, I mean … Jared McCann. How about that spin-o-rama goal he scored Saturday night in...
John Steigerwald: Remember the 1979 Pirates? You must be old
So, how old would you have to be to remember the last time the Pirates were in the World Series? I remember it well. I was 30 years old and had been working at WTAE for four months when they opened the 1979 season at Three Rivers Stadium on April...
Jung Ho Kang homers again as Pirates tie Orioles
Jung Ho Kang finished his final Grapefruit League game at LECOM Park the same way he started the spring: with a home run. The third baseman hit his seventh homer of spring training in the first inning off Andrew Cashner, as the Pittsburgh Pirates tied the Baltimore Orioles, 1-1, on...
