Kevin Gorman stories, Page 79

When Hunter Dozier’s 107-mph rocket came streaking down the third-base line in the fourth inning, Erik Gonzalez made a stop that dropped him to the dirt. Gonzalez came up on his left knee and threw across his body to second base to start an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play. Pittsburgh Pirates...

As Mitch Keller threw pitch after pitch — almost half of them for balls — the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander’s body language was telling: This was going to be a short start and a long night. A 47-pitch first inning doomed Keller, who got three-ball counts against four of the first...

The Pittsburgh Pirates received “very encouraging news” regarding the left wrist of rookie third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, who has been on the injured list since April 4 and reaggravated the injury last Wednesday. Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Hayes returned to Pittsburgh and was re-examined by specialists...

Derek Shelton has been reluctant to name a closer for the Pittsburgh Pirates, so Richard Rodriguez made it easy on his manager by seizing the job with the longest scoreless streak in baseball. Asked if that makes him The Closer — yes, with a capital C — Shelton simply shrugged....

The Kansas City Royals came to PNC Park with baseball’s best record, riding a five-game winning streak and with a small-market, team-building template the Pittsburgh Pirates want to follow. In a span of three seasons, the Royals went from worst to first in the AL Central, turning a 104-loss team...

Ka’ai Tom doesn’t hesitate to help enunciate his Hawaiian first name — it’s pronounced kuh-EYE — and the newest Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder even offered a bit of advice to their broadcasters. “Think of the apostrophe as a pause,” Tom said, “like a hiccup.” That’s the perfect analogy for Tom’s arrival,...

That the Pittsburgh Pirates are at .500 only 22 games into the season wouldn’t be cause for celebration in most years — and shouldn’t be — but is bringing optimism to a club projected to lose 100-plus games. The Pirates have played all but one full game without Ke’Bryan Hayes,...

The Pittsburgh Pirates found a simple equation to get back to .500 baseball, leaning on a foundation of fundamentals by hitting early, playing good defense and being smart on the basepaths. The result: They keep taking two of three. Wil Crowe allowed one run in four innings in a spot...

Nothing about the Trevor Cahill-Michael Perez battery should have given the Pittsburgh Pirates high hopes, given the right-hander twice had allowed seven runs and the catcher had one hit all season. Instead, Cahill made it as easy as 1-2-3 and Perez went 3 for 3 with three RBIs to lead...

When the Pittsburgh Pirates released Todd Frazier at the end of spring training, it wasn’t so much stunning to as it was humbling for the 10-year veteran and two-time All-Star infielder. Instead of joining another team, he made alternate plans. The 35-year-old Frazier signed a minor league contract with the...

For seven innings, J.A. Happ no-hit the Pittsburgh Pirates, the deepest the Minnesota Twins 38-year-old left-hander had gone in a game without allowing a hit. As Happ’s pitch count inched toward the century mark, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli had Tyler Duffey start warming up in the bullpen. With one out...

Rodolfo Castro received the phone message from Indianapolis Indians manager Brian Esposito that he was being called up from the alternate training site to join the Pittsburgh Pirates’ taxi squad in Detroit. When Castro arrived at the Comerica Park clubhouse, he was called into the manager’s office, where Derek Shelton...

Mitch Keller had a feel for his four-seam fastball, so the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander couldn’t figure out why he was giving up so many walks and even more hits with his signature pitch. What he discovered was it lacked command and movement in the strike zone, something Keller set out...

The Pittsburgh Pirates made a flurry of roster moves prior to Thursday’s game against the Detroit Tigers, addressing both inconsistency and injuries in their infield, outfield and pitching staff. Center fielder Dustin Fowler joined Anthony Alford in being designated for assignment after a dismal start, causing Pirates manager Derek Shelton...

Ke’Bryan Hayes aggravated the left wrist injury that has caused the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie third baseman to miss 16 games and is returning to Pittsburgh to see a hand specialist to “come up with the best and most appropriate plan to return him to play.” Pirates director of sports medicine...

Looking for a sweep of their doubleheader at Detroit that would pull them up to .500 for the season, the Pittsburgh Pirates pulled a surprise by giving a pair of rookies their first major league starts. Pirates manager Derek Shelton put Miguel Yajure on the mound and Rodolfo Castro at...

Before Neil Walker could begin to talk about the end of his baseball career, his voice cracked. He flashed a big smile, the one that took him from fresh-faced first-round pick out of Pine-Richland to a stubble-bearded 35-year-old finally bidding farewell to his favorite sport. The Pittsburgh Kid hopes this...

The Detroit Tigers stacked their lineup with right-handed hitters to face Tyler Anderson, an extra challenge for the Pittsburgh Pirates lefty on a day when the cold weather already provided one. Anderson had a gameplan of his own, mixing his four-seam fastball with a changeup that had the Tigers swinging...

The Pittsburgh Pirates made several roster moves Wednesday, reshaping their roster prior to a doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers. Anthony Alford, who started in center field on Opening Day, was designated for assignment after batting .083 (2 for 24) with 16 strikeouts and four walks in 11 games. The Pirates...

The Pittsburgh Pirates are preparing for the impending return of rookie third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, and manager Derek Shelton made a double switch on Sunday that possibly foreshadowed their future lineup. Shelton sent Kevin Newman to pinch-hit for Dustin Fowler in the sixth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers. Newman remained...

Colin Moran had put the Pittsburgh Pirates on the scoreboard with an opposite-field, three-run home run in the third inning. When he came to bat in the top of the 10th, the left-hander was looking for a pitch to pull. With Bryan Reynolds starting extra innings on second base, Moran...

Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday on his weekly radio show that Ke’Bryan Hayes, out with a wrist injury, will join the alternate site team for “a game or two” in Toledo. The rookie third baseman was placed on the 10-day injured list April 4, a day after...

The ballpark name has changed from Miller Park to American Family Field, but when it comes to batting against the Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Adam Frazier is right at home. “I do like hitting in Milwaukee,” Frazier said. “I can say that.” Frazier has a career .307/.358/.471 slash...

Jacob Stallings was the hottest bat in the Pittsburgh Pirates lineup, coming off a three-hit, three-RBI game when manager Derek Shelton removed his catcher from the starting lineup the following day. Despite Stallings batting .500 over a five-game stretch, Shelton had scheduled a day off for Stallings on Wednesday night...

Mitch Keller has had trouble with his fastball command this season, so finding the strike zone has been a challenge for the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander since spring training. Against the San Diego Padres, Keller attacked the zone. And they hit him hard from the start. The Padres battered Keller for...