Pittsburgh Pirates / MLB
Pirates rookie Esmerlyn Valdez’s 1st home run at PNC Park comes in front of his family
Esmerlyn Valdez knew he hit the ball hard, so he started rounding the bases for a base hit. The player nicknamed “The Magician” soon pulled off a disappearing act when it cleared the center field fence. Not only did the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie outfielder hit his first home run at...
Tim Benz: Braxton Ashcraft has been the Pirates’ best pitcher, and it’s time for people to noticeVideo
Braxton Ashcraft isn’t the Pittsburgh Pirates’ best pitcher. But Ashcraft is having the best season of any Pirates starter. And it’s time for more people to start acknowledging that. Based on how bumpy things have been for Paul Skenes his last two times out, some folks in Pittsburgh have picked...
Tim Benz Podcasts
Braxton Ashcraft sharp again as Pirates beat up Chicago, hand Cubs 10th straight loss
Braxton Ashcraft reached one calendar year in the big leagues Tuesday, having made his MLB debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 26, 2025. Over that span, the 26-year-old has compiled an impressive body of work, going 7-6 with a 2.73 ERA through 37 games (19 starts) in a role...
Pirates farm report for May 26, 2026: Wyatt Sanford belts 3 homers in Greensboro slugfest
ALTOONA (Double-A, 19-27) lost 4-3 to Hartford (Rockies). RF Will Taylor (.241) went 2 for 3 with a walk, run scored, RBI and his seventh stolen base. 2B Duce Gourson (.229) went 1 for 2 with a walk and an RBI. C Omar Alfonzo (.213) went 1 for 3 with...
Pirates rookie pitcher Wilber Dotel shows no fear in multi-inning bullpen roleVideo
Sending Wilber Dotel to the mound during a low-scoring tie game Monday showed the Pittsburgh Pirates have trust in the rookie with four prior MLB appearances. It wasn’t a cameo appearance, either. Dotel, the team’s No. 11 overall prospect per MLB Pipeline, stayed out there for an extended three-inning outing....
Tim Benz: Up-and-down trends made Memorial Day weekend tough to digest for Pirates fans
Coming off of Memorial Day weekend, you might have overdone it with a few too many hot dogs, an extra helping or two of macaroni salad, and maybe you shoulda saved that last slice of cookie cake for one of the neighborhood kids at the cookout. Similarly, the Pittsburgh Pirates...
Pirates farm report for May 25, 2026: Jose Urquidy allows 10 hits in Indianapolis loss
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple A, 21-31) was outslugged by Iowa (Cubs), 9-7. RHP Jose Urquidy (5.87) started and allowed five runs, four earned, on 10 hits in 4⅓ innings. RHP Noah Davis (1-4, 3.72) gave up three runs on four hits in an inning to take the loss. DH Nick Yorke (.152)...
Henry Davis delivers solo shot for winning HR as Pirates hand Cubs 9th straight loss
Henry Davis entered Memorial Day with a subpar slash line that served as a black eye for a player who was billed as a bat-first catcher when the Pittsburgh Pirates selected him No. 1 overall in 2021. Davis lived up to another reputation — as a pull hitter — by...
Mark Madden: Pirates aren’t following Penguins on path to playoffs
The Pittsburgh Penguins were projected to be a non-playoff team before the season, maybe as bad as bottom-five in the NHL. But then a lot went right. Anthony Mantha scored a career-high 33 goals. After two disappointing campaigns in Pittsburgh, Erik Karlsson resurrected his game and earned team MVP. Twelve...
Pirates farm report for May 24, 2026: Bradenton’s Levi Sterling throws rain-shortened no-hitter
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple A, 21-30) lost 8-4 to Toledo. 2B Enmanuel Valdez (.264) went 1 for 3 with a two-run homer, his fourth. RF Ronny Simon (.327) went 2 for 4 with a double and run scored. LR Billy Cooke (.313) went 1 for 3 with a walk, run scored, RBI...
Pirates’ Esmerlyn Valdez clubs opposite-field homer for 1st MLB hitVideo
Given Esmerlyn Valdez’s minor-league prowess for power hitting, it was appropriate that his first MLB hit left the yard. Valdez, making his third big-league appearance Sunday in Toronto after the Pittsburgh Pirates called him up from Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday, had gone 0 for 7 at the plate leading into...
Pirates GM Ben Cherington: RHP Jared Jones ‘in consideration for activation’ from IL
Jared Jones’ road to recovery may be approaching a formal conclusion. The injured 24-year-old right-hander made his fifth rehab start Saturday, pitching 4 1/3 innings for Triple-A Indianapolis, and on Sunday, general manager Ben Cherington hinted at what the next steps for Jones will be. “He’s really come through these...
Pirates get 3 home runs, strong start from Mitch Keller to avoid sweep vs. Blue Jays
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ weekend series in Toronto meant something extra for first baseman Spencer Horwitz. A former Blue Jay traded to Pittsburgh in December of 2024, Horwitz made his return to Toronto to face the club that drafted him in 2019. After the Pirates dropped the opening two games, Horwitz...
Pirates farm report for May 23, 2026: Jared Jones gives up 3 runs, fans 6 in rehab start for Indy
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple A, 21-29) scored in the top of the 10th to beat Toledo (Tigers), 5-4. 2B Enmanuel Valdez (.262) hit the go-ahead RBI single and RHP Beau Burrows (1-0, 1.74) pitched a scoreless ninth and 10th to earn the win. Valdez went 3 for 5 with his third homer...
Paul Skenes not sharp again as Pirates fall to Blue Jays, dropping series
Over parts of three seasons into his big-league career, encompassing 65 starts entering Saturday afternoon in Toronto, Paul Skenes had never allowed more than seven hits in an outing. Skenes historically has also rebounded well following a poor start. In the Pirates’ 5-2 road defeat to the Blue Jays, Skenes...
Young slugger Esmerlyn Valdez makes Pirates debut, shows glimpse of high-end plate discipline
Facing noted control pitcher Kevin Gausman, the Pittsburgh Pirates not surprisingly managed just one walk against him in their 6-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night. That the lone base on balls was produced by rookie Esmerlyn Valdez impressed manager Don Kelly. Making his major-league debut, the...
Pirates prospect watch: 3B Murf Gray earns promotion to High-A Greensboro
Murf Gray Position: 3B Height: 6-foot-3 Weight: 230 pounds Level: High-A Notable: The Pittsburgh Pirates want to see their prospects check a wide variety of boxes before promoting them up through the minor leagues. Judging by the body of work he put together at Low-A Bradenton, third baseman Murf Gray,...
Pirates farm report for May 22, 2026: Seth Hernandez roughed up in Greensboro loss
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple A, 20-29) beat Toledo (Tigers), 7-3. CF Ronny Simon (.331) went 2 for 4 with an RBI. SS Davis Wendzel (.263) went 2 for 4 with a double and two runs scored. 2B Tyler Callihan (.233) went 1 for 3 with two runs scored, two RBIs and his...
