Kevin Gorman stories, Page 103
Gregory Polanco homers off Joe Musgrove as Pirates beat Padres
Gregory Polanco was scuffling so much at the plate that the Pittsburgh Pirates gave their right fielder successive days off against the San Diego Padres to work on the timing of his swing. Polanco returned to the lineup just in time. The Pirates bet on a batting order filled with...
Pirates rookie Ke’Bryan Hayes back swinging, but not ready to return from IL
Ke’Bryan Hayes took a “step in the right direction” by taking swings in the batting cage, but the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie third baseman isn’t ready to return from the injured list yet. Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said the club is being careful to monitor how Hayes, out...
‘That was quite a baseball game’: Pirates beat Padres in wild, 4-hour affair
If this was supposed to be a pitcher’s duel, Blake Snell and Chad Kuhl unloaded most of their ammunition in a 75-pitch first inning that lasted 51 minutes and set the tone for a long night of baseball. Mostly bad baseball. By the time this one was over, four hours...
After no-hitter, Joe Musgrove makes bittersweet return to Pittsburgh with Padres
After tossing the first no-hitter in San Diego Padres history Friday, donating a hat and ball to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and having a mural painted in his honor at his alma mater, only one thing could bring down Joe Musgrove from the natural high he’s been riding....
Pirates turned to Wilmer Difo in a pinch, and the super utility player is delivering
When the Pittsburgh Pirates pursued Wilmer Difo in free agency, the attraction was as much for his magnetic personality as it was his switch hitting at the plate and versatility in the field. While Difo didn’t make the Opening Day roster out of spring training, he has slid seamlessly into...
Luis Oviedo struggles in relief, as Wil Myers has 5 RBIs to lead Padres past Pirates
It’s not a typo that Wil Myers spells his first name with only one L. He handed the other L to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The San Diego right fielder went 3 for 5 with five RBIs, including a two-out, two-run homer to break a tie in the sixth inning, as...
Pirates celebrate video coordinator Kevin Roach’s successful challenges against Cubs
Kevin Roach is locked in a video room next to the Pittsburgh Pirates clubhouse during home games at PNC Park and locked into the game, watching every play with a close eye in search of a mistake. As the team’s video coordinator, Roach collaborates with bench coach Don Kelly to...
Pirates notebook: Phillip Evans ‘ready to play everywhere’ when Ke’Bryan Hayes returns
When the Pittsburgh Pirates were counting on a rookie third baseman to bat second and provide some pop in the lineup, no one was expecting it would be Phillip Evans instead of Ke’Bryan Hayes. The 28-year-old Evans isn’t your average rookie. A journeyman who played 34 games for the New...
JT Brubaker’s 3 RBIs lead Pirates hit parade vs. Cubs
For as much as JT Brubaker loves to sling it, the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander also enjoys every chance he gets to swing it. While Brubaker kept the Chicago Cubs in check with his arm, he put the Pirates ahead with one swing of the bat. Six days after Brubaker got...
Mitch Keller delivers promising performance, 7-run inning boosts Pirates past Cubs
After a rough spring training and first outing, Mitch Keller could have wilted when he walked the first batter he faced and gave up a run in the first inning Saturday night against the Chicago Cubs. Keller’s fastball command has been an issue, so Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton was...
Pirates ‘super happy’ for Joe Musgrove after he throws 1st no-hitter in Padres history
When Jacob Stallings asked his 4-year-old son if he wanted to watch Joe Musgrove pitch for the San Diego Padres on Friday night, they had no idea they were about to witness history. Well, one of them, anyway. “We turned it on in the first inning,” Stallings said, “and he...
Legendary Pirates usher Phil Coyne, whose career spanned from Forbes Field to PNC Park, dies at age 102
Phil Coyne spent eight decades as an usher for Pittsburgh Pirates games, spanning from Forbes Field to Three Rivers Stadium to PNC Park, and only one tradition lasted longer. Known as “Philly” to family and friends, Coyne ate two Oreo cookies with a glass of milk before going to bed...
Pirates trade reliever Edgar Santana to Braves for cash considerations
The Pittsburgh Pirates traded Edgar Santana to the Atlanta Braves for cash considerations Friday, four days after designating the right-handed reliever for assignment. Santana, 29, was 3-4 with a 3.31 ERA and 1.198 WHIP in 88 relief appearances over two seasons. He underwent Tommy John surgery in September 2018 and...
Cubs belt 3 homers to spoil Pirates’ home opener
The first game with fans back at PNC Park was emotional for Derek Shelton, who spent his first season as Pittsburgh Pirates manager playing in an empty ballpark on the way to the worst record in baseball. So Shelton’s heart got pumping when the crowd came to life in the...
Pirates manager Derek Shelton savoring return of fans for home opener at PNC Park
On the day Derek Shelton was introduced as Pittsburgh Pirates manager, a photo captured the moment he took his family through the dugout and onto the field at PNC Park for the first time. Shelton has the framed photo hanging in his office, and it’s the closest his family has...
Chad Kuhl, Pirates bullpen battered as red-hot Reds complete 3-game sweep
From the first pitch, the Pittsburgh Pirates knew they were in for a long day. And it didn’t matter whether it was starter Chad Kuhl or reliever Chris Stratton on the mound. Tyler Naquin hit Kuhl’s first pitch over the left-field fence to lead off a five-run first inning, and...
Pirates: Ke’Bryan Hayes not catching or swinging, could be out longer than 10 days
The left wrist injury that sent Ke’Bryan Hayes to the 10-day injured list has limited the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie third baseman’s baseball activities to only throwing and not catching the ball or taking swings. Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday the club is “overall encouraged” by Hayes’...
Phillip Evans provides highlights for Pirates at plate, on mound in blowout loss to Reds
Facing a two-touchdown deficit at the Cincinnati Reds, the Pittsburgh Pirates were searching for someone — anyone, really — to deliver a highlight in a game that was the lowlight of this young season. Phillip Evans provided a pair, first by breaking up the shutout with a solo home run...
For Pirates 1B Colin Moran, homering in home opener is tradition to treasure
While the first game of the season at PNC Park is traditionally called the home opener for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Colin Moran celebrates it as a tradition to treasure for another reason. It is the day he always hits a home run, if not two. Since joining the Pirates as...
Reds pound Pirates for 17 hits to ruin Trevor Cahill’s debut in blowout loss
With Trevor Cahill making his Pittsburgh Pirates debut against Cincinnati Reds left-hander Wade Miley, it marked a matchup of crafty veteran pitchers. That’s what worried Pirates manager Derek Shelton. “The crafty pitcher is the one that gives a hitting coach nightmares,” Shelton said, “because you never know what you’re going...
Pirates notebook: Struggling Gregory Polanco gets a day off to work on timing at plate
Derek Shelton is acutely aware Gregory Polanco is scuffling at the plate, but that isn’t why the Pittsburgh Pirates manager didn’t start him in right field Tuesday night against the Cincinnati Reds. Shelton said Polanco had a scheduled day off as the Pirates faced their first left-hander in Wade Miley....
Pirates pitcher Luis Oviedo dazzles in MLB debut, with punch out for punctuation
When Luis Oviedo took the mound in the eighth inning against the Chicago Cubs, he wasn’t in awe that he was pitching in his major league debut at Wrigley Field. Even if he had never pitched above Single-A, Oviedo is confident in his belief that this is exactly where he...
Ke’Bryan Hayes leaves with sore wrist, Pirates give up homers in loss to Cubs
The Pittsburgh Pirates celebrated when Ke’Bryan Hayes started the season with a bang by hitting a home run on Opening Day, as the rookie third baseman showed he could be a catalyst for the young club. So, it’s understandable that the Chicago Cubs capitalized when Hayes left the game with...
Cole Tucker, Jared Oliva left off Pirates’ alternate training site roster for ‘skills development’
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced that their alternate training site will be comprised of 31 players who will play 13 games in April, though two players on their 40-man roster are conspicuously absent. Pirates manager Derek Shelton said Saturday that shortstop Cole Tucker and outfielder Jared Oliva remain in Florida for...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Duane Underwood Jr. tone setter as Pirates bullpen shines in opener
It wasn’t lost on Duane Underwood when he was acquired by the Pittsburgh Pirates that they opened the season against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, or that he could pitch against his former team. So there was no shortage of motivation for Underwood going from the Cubs to the...
