Kevin Gorman stories, Page 117
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Pirates knew they were in danger of being no-hit by Lucas Giolito
With the way Lucas Giolito was showing command of his pitches and mixing his fastball and changeup, Derek Shelton knew by the fourth or fifth inning that “it was the best stuff I’ve seen him have.” The Pittsburgh Pirates manager saw plenty of Giolito the past two seasons in the...
Lucas Giolito throws MLB’s first no-hitter this season as White Sox blank Pirates
When Erik Gonzalez came to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning, Chicago White Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito was one out away from throwing a no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Gonzalez didn’t want to be a footnote as the final out. “I was a little bit mad,” Gonzalez said,...
Changes in approach, arm angle increased confidence of Pirates reliever Geoff Hartlieb
If Geoff Hartlieb looks like a different pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates this season, it’s entirely by design. He’s made adjustments head to toe, from his approach and arm angle to fixing his footwork. All of the changes have led to a more confident Hartlieb, who is embracing his newfound...
Cole Tucker’s outfield glove story is as good as gold — or platinum, depending on the day
By Cole Tucker’s count, he’s only 34 days into his career as a center fielder but that hasn’t stopped him from wearing a Platinum Glove one day or a Gold Glove the next. When the Pittsburgh Pirates approached the shortstop about playing the outfield for the first time, there was...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Gregory Polanco snapping out of slump helps Pirates exhale
Before he broke out of his slump, Gregory Polanco heard about it every day. In the batting cage, from Pittsburgh Pirates hitting coach Rick Eckstein. Or in the office of Pirates manager Derek Shelton. They saw hard contact and believed Polanco would start hitting. And they wanted him to see...
Gregory Polanco snaps out of slump as Pirates pound Brewers for 2nd straight win
Derek Shelton predicted that Gregory Polanco’s bat was coming around. The Pittsburgh Pirates manager saw something special in the right fielder in spite of his low batting average and high strikeout rate. Shelton believed Polanco was too healthy and too talented for his struggles to continue, and the hard hits...
How the Pirates pitchers fighting for 1 spot became four-fifths of starting rotation
Derek Holland can be candid to a fault, so the Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander didn’t hesitate to call 2020 a circus, from the shutdown of spring training to what he calls Camp Covid to a shortened 60-game season interrupted by postponements. That has made this season something of a juggling act...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: A web gem, bunt single make for a Kuhl victory for the PiratesVideo
There are dates that Chad Kuhl remembers and dates he can’t forget, so there is a huge difference in his memory between June 15 and June 25 on the 2018 calendar year. But both became significant on Friday night, when Kuhl pitched five innings and registered his first victory in...
Bryan Reynolds’ four-RBI night helps Pirates snap four-game losing streak, beat Brewers
For a team that was offensively scuffling, Derek Shelton sure was confident the Pittsburgh Pirates would rediscover the timing on their swings sometime soon. The rookie manager preached patience and positivity while predicting that the hard-hit balls by struggling hitters such as Bryan Reynolds eventually would pay off. Reynolds went...
MLB announces that Pirates, Reds will make up postponed games with pair of doubleheaders
The Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds will make up their two games postponed last weekend with a pair of doubleheaders on separate dates in September, MLB announced on Friday. The games, originally scheduled for Aug. 15-16 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, were postponed after a Reds player tested...
Pirates GM Ben Cherington already listening to trade talk, says no players are off limits
With the MLB trade deadline 10 days away, Ben Cherington made it clear the Pittsburgh Pirates are active in trade talks, and no one in the organization is untouchable. Cherington is approaching his first trade deadline as Pirates general manager with the mindset of making the club stronger for the...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: It’s really bad when Shane Bieber has more wins than the Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates couldn’t decide which was worse, how Shane Bieber blanked them in a 2-0 win or that the Cleveland Indians right-hander has more wins this season (five) than they do (four). But who’s counting? The Pirates (4-17) not only have the worst record in baseball but the worst...
Struggling Pirates no match for Shane Bieber, Indians
With a struggling offense and several starters sitting out, the last thing the Pittsburgh Pirates needed was to face one of baseball’s best pitchers. Shane Bieber showed no mercy. The right-hander had 11 strikeouts in six scoreless innings, as the Cleveland Indians beat the Pirates, 2-0, on Thursday night at...
Pirates president Travis Williams tests positive for covid-19
Pittsburgh Pirates president Travis Williams tested positive for covid-19, he announced Thursday in a statement. Williams said the team has conducted contact tracing, and he wasn’t around any players or members of the coaching staff or baseball operations because the Pirates were in Cincinnati last week. The Pirates had three...
Erik Gonzalez using hot bat, great glove to show Pirates he wants shot at a starting role
Erik Gonzalez couldn’t help but cringe when he watched Phillip Evans run full speed into Gregory Polanco’s elbow in right field, a memory the Pittsburgh Pirates infielder didn’t want to watch let alone relive. Gonzalez waited three years with the Cleveland Indians for his chance to become an everyday player....
Pirates doomed by another Carlos Santana 3-run homer
For the second consecutive night, Carlos Santana crushed a three-run home run to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates. This time, he left no doubt about whether it was fair or foul. Santana broke a scoreless tie by smacking a 401-foot shot over the Clemente Wall in the sixth inning, and another...
Pirates injury update: Phillip Evans will require jaw surgery, Joe Musgrove to throw off slope
The broken jaw Phillip Evans suffered in an outfield collision with Gregory Polanco will require surgery and be wired shut, Pittsburgh Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday. Evans was leading the Pirates with a .359 batting average and nine RBIs before suffering the season-ending injury while playing...
Extra-inning losses teach Pirates to keep battling late in gamesVideo
Back-to-back strikeouts by Gregory Polanco and Erik Gonzalez provided a humbling end to another extra-inning loss for the Pittsburgh Pirates and served as a symbol of their season. The Pirates went down swinging. Their reaction to the 6-3 loss to the Cleveland Indians in 10 innings Tuesday night at PNC...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Fair or foul? Safe or out? Close calls cost Pirates in loss to Indians
To the Pittsburgh Pirates, this loss wasn’t what it seemed. Jarrod Dyson was safe at second in the ninth. Carlos Santana’s home run was foul in the 10th. Pirates manager Derek Shelton was sure of both scenarios that the cameras didn’t catch — or couldn’t convince the umpires to reverse...
Pirates pitcher Derek Holland pays tribute to actor Rob Schneider with cardboard cutouts
There might not be fans in the stands to see the Pittsburgh Pirates play at PNC Park, but Derek Holland made sure there was a celebrity sighting for Tuesday night’s game against the Cleveland Indians. The Pirates left-handed pitcher had cardboard cutouts of actor and comedian Rob Schneider strategically placed...
Pirates lose in extra innings again, as Carlos Santana’s three-run homer lifts Indians in 10th
The Cleveland Indians conducted a rally rhythm from the visitors dugout at PNC Park, a cadence of claps by pounding the padded railing and drums by beating baseballs against water coolers. Cleveland’s musical mischief stopped with the sound of the crack of the bat by Carlos Santana, who crushed a...
Pirates recall right-handed relievers Tyler Bashlor, Nick Mears
The Pittsburgh Pirates were desperate for pitching. Tyler Bashlor was looking for a fresh start. So the right-handed reliever was almost as excited about being traded by the New York Mets on Aug. 2 for cash considerations as he was about being recalled by the Pirates Tuesday from their alternate...
After playing twice in 8 days, Pirates ready to face gauntlet of games
Jacob Stallings couldn’t decide which was weirder, the Pittsburgh Pirates being stuck in isolation in Cincinnati when their weekend series was postponed because of coronavirus concerns or waiting until MLB decided whether they would play a doubleheader Monday. Safety concerns beat the boredom. “Sunday was more stressful and more up...
Pirates believe Cole Tucker can rob homers in center, even after his miss against Reds
When Nicholas Castellanos came to bat with two outs and a runner on second base, Pittsburgh Pirates outfield coach Tarrik Brock signaled for Cole Tucker to move in at center field in anticipation of making a throw to the plate. “I felt good about that,” Tucker said, “because I want...
Final 2 games of Pirates-Reds series postponed after Reds player tests positive for covid-19
The Pittsburgh Pirates-Cincinnati Reds games Saturday night and Sunday afternoon at Great American Ball Park were postponed after a Reds player tested positive for covid-19 on Friday. MLB announced that the games were postponed “to allow for additional testing and to complete the contact tracing process.” Contact tracing helps identify...
