Kevin Gorman stories, Page 97
Pirates sign veteran infielder Dee Strange-Gordon to minor-league deal, ESPN reports
The Pittsburgh Pirates signed Dee Strange-Gordon to a minor-league contract, and the 10-year veteran infielder will report to Triple-A Indianapolis, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Wednesday afternoon. Strange-Gordon, 33, is a two-time All-Star who can play second base or shortstop. He won the NL batting title, Silver Slugger and a Gold...
Pirates placed RF Gregory Polanco on IL when he ‘couldn’t run effectively’
The Pittsburgh Pirates shut down Gregory Polanco when the right fielder felt discomfort running at maximum speed but remain optimistic that he will return shortly after the All-Star break. Polanco was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a bilateral adductor strain, which Pirates director of sports medicine Todd...
Bryan Reynolds draws bases-loaded walk; Pirates gets walk-off win
Walks by Pittsburgh Pirates rookies Rodolfo Castro and Ke’Bryan Hayes, sandwiched around a single by Adam Frazier, loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth inning of a tied game. Bryan Reynolds wasn’t inclined to swing at any pitches by Atlanta Braves left-handed reliever Tyler Matzek unless they were...
Pirates place Gregory Polanco, Phillip Evans on IL, recall Rodolfo Castro, Cole Tucker from minors
As injuries continue to take their toll on the Pittsburgh Pirates, they responded to the lastest roster moves by promoting from within. The Pirates placed right fielder Gregory Polanco on the 10-day injured list and corner infielder/outfielder Phillip Evans on the seven-day concussion IL Tuesday and recalled infielders Rodolfo Castro...
Pirates 1B John Nogowski makes strong 1st impression in starting debut
After a week in which his major-league career was placed on hold and he wondered where he would play next, John Nogowski wanted to make a positive first impression on the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates wasted no time to see what Nogowski could do, starting him at first base and...
Ben Gamel homers twice, has career-high 6 RBIs as Pirates pummel Braves
Even though Ben Gamel was amid a career-best performance, when the Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder heard the M-V-P chants from the left field bleachers at PNC Park, he thought they were directed at someone else. “I thought they were for Bryan (Reynolds) in center,” a smiling Gamel said of his All-Star...
Pirates outfielder Jared Oliva hears cheers at PNC Park, checks off more boxes in 2nd stint
Jared Oliva checked off some of the most important firsts in his career last year as a September call-up, when the Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder made his major league debut and recorded his first career hit. It wasn’t until he returned to the Pirates last Thursday that Oliva got his first...
Pirates OF Bryan Reynolds named All-Star, earning a spot on the NL roster as a reserve
Bryan Reynolds always dreamed of playing in the All-Star Game but made contingency plans during the break for the Midsummer Classic, just in case. The Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder was happy to change his itinerary Sunday, when he was selected to the All-Star Game as a National League reserve through...
Tyler Anderson tosses 7 scoreless innings, Kevin Newman homers as Pirates beat Brewers
The Pittsburgh Pirates were protecting a two-run lead with the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth inning. Derek Shelton didn’t send his starting pitcher to the on-deck circle. Not that the Pirates manager had any intention of pinch-hitting for Tyler Anderson, given the way he was cruising through...
Pirates notebook: Double-A prospects Oneil Cruz, Roansy Contreras dealing with sore arms
Two of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ top prospects at Double-A Altoona, shortstop Oneil Cruz and right-hander Roansy Contreras, are dealing with forearm issues and will be evaluated this week by the team’s medical staff, general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday. Cherington revealed on his weekly radio show on 93.7 FM that...
Neil Walker returns to Pirates to throw out 1st pitch, will announce draft pick, games
After Neil Walker took the mound at PNC Park to throw out the ceremonial first pitch Saturday afternoon, he delivered a couple of strikes for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Walker revealed he has accepted an invitation to announce who the Pirates select with the No. 1 overall pick in the MLB...
Brewers pounce on Cody Ponce, hammer Pirates for 16 hits to win 11th consecutive
The Pittsburgh Pirates weren’t counting on Cody Ponce to pitch perfect in his spot start — the way Max Kranick did — but rather to avoid throwing the ball over the middle of the plate against Milwaukee. Where Kranick batted before he took the mound in his major league debut...
Pirates acquire 1B John Nogowski from Cardinals, place OF Ka’ai Tom on 10-day IL
With injuries to Colin Moran and Erik Gonzalez making depth an issue at first base, the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired John Nogowski from the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday for cash considerations. Nogowski, 28, had been designated for assignment by the Cardinals on June 28. He started the season with the...
Brewers star Christian Yelich surprises 11-year-old fan with autographed bat at Pirates game
A day after getting a high five and social media shout-out from Milwaukee Brewers star Christian Yelich for leaning over the left field railing to catch a Bryan Reynolds foul ball, Christian Gale got an even bigger surprise. The 11-year-old from Kansas City, Mo., returned to PNC Park for the...
Boosted by 3 early blasts, Brewers pound Pirates to stretch win streak to 10 games
When the Milwaukee Brewers started hitting solo home runs, all JT Brubaker and the Pittsburgh Pirates could do was watch and learn. Willy Adames blasted one over the North Side Notch. Jace Peterson belted one off the batter’s eye.And Jackie Bradley Jr. bounced one off the left-center wall and into...
Ben Gamel ready to play 1st base in a pinch as Pirates deal with depth issues after injuries
As soon as Erik Gonzalez left the field Thursday night, Ben Gamel sought out Pittsburgh Pirates assistant hitting coach Christian Marrero to ask if he could borrow his first baseman’s mitt. Gamel knew it was down to him to play first base. “I definitely wanted to go there,” said Gamel,...
Derek Shelton: Pirates place Erik Gonzalez on IL, with Wilmer Difo returning for depth
Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Erik Gonzalez has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain, and super utility player Wilmer Difo’s contract was selected from Triple-A Indianapolis. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Pirates placed pitcher Trevor Cahill on the 60-day injured list. Gonzalez left...
Who’s on first? Pirates short at position after Erik Gonzalez leaves loss to Brewers
A fourth consecutive loss became the least of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ problems once Erik Gonzalez walked off the field after legging out an infield single. Gonzalez started at first base Thursday when Colin Moran was placed on the 10-day injured list with a fracture in his left hand, only to...
Pirates’ Adam Frazier earns spot in starting lineup at second base for All-Star Game
The Pittsburgh Pirates were making a pitching change with the bases were loaded and two outs in the fifth inning, which proved to be the perfect time to turn the attention to an announcement on the Jumbotron. Adam Frazier was trying to concentrate on the game against the Milwaukee Brewers...
Pirates place 1B Colin Moran on 10-day IL with fractured left hand, recall OF Jared Oliva
The Pittsburgh Pirates placed Colin Moran on the 10-day injured list with fracture in his left hand, the latest setback for the first baseman. Moran was hit by a pitch in the first inning Monday by Kyle Freeland of the Colorado Rockies and pulled himself from the game. Moran didn’t...
Pirates OF Bryan Reynolds had monster month, but was it enough to earn honors?
Bryan Reynolds saw that Jon Gray’s first two pitches were sliders, and saw them well enough that he anticipated a fastball would follow. “Just sold out for a heater,” Reynolds said, “and I got it.” When Reynolds homered in the first inning Wednesday against the Colorado Rockies, it was his...
Fighting 1st slump of his MLB career, Pirates rookie Ke’Bryan Hayes trying to ‘hunt the good’
Ke’Bryan Hayes is chasing fastballs, not a baseline batting average, so the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie third baseman concentrates on how hard and how often he’s hitting the ball while mixing in walks for good measure. After slashing .376/.442/.682 with seven doubles, two triples, five home runs and 11 RBIs in...
Yasmani Grandal’s 2-run double boosts White Sox past Pirates
When the South Siders needed a big play, they went opposite. Yasmani Grandal hit a two-out, two-run double to the North Side Notch in the fifth inning to boost the Chicago White Sox to a 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday afternoon before 10,406 at PNC Park. “I...
‘Just a move for him to be around the team’: Steven Brault to join Pirates for next homestand but not ready to return
Steven Brault is scheduled to throw a live batting practice this week and will be joining the Pittsburgh Pirates for their next homestand, but the left-hander isn’t quite ready to return to major league action yet. Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Brault (left lat strain) “continues to...
As tensions flare over sticky stuff checkups, Pirates pitchers pass test with no problems
Where Washington starter Max Scherzer raised his hands and rolled his eyes and Oakland reliever Sergio Romo dropped his pants in response to MLB umpires checking pitchers for sticky stuff, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ dugout had mock applause for Tyler Anderson after he passed the checkpoint. That caused the Pirates left-hander...
