Pirates/MLB category, Page 105

When Mitch Keller walked off the mound at Busch Stadium, the right-hander had tossed five scoreless innings and the Pittsburgh Pirates were holding a five-run lead over the St. Louis Cardinals. Then came the collapse. Dylan Carlson hit a three-run home run as the Cardinals rallied with a five-run sixth...

The Pittsburgh Pirates made roster moves that increased the number of position players available for their four-game series at St. Louis — which includes a doubleheader Tuesday — but leaves their bullpen short. The Pirates recalled infielderHoy Park and outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba from Triple-A Indianapolis before Monday’s game at St....

Tucupita Marcano has found himself in new positions for the Pittsburgh Pirates, playing left field when there was a shortage of outfielders before moving to second base when the infield was in need. Against Atlanta, it was at the top of the order. Batting leadoff just ahead of Bryan Reynolds...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 30-28) dropped an 11-5 decision to Columbus (Guardians). SS/RF Hoy Park (.250) went 3 for 5 with two runs scored from the leadoff spot. CF Ji-hwan Bae (.303) was 2 for 5 with an RBI. 3B Rodolfo Castro (.232) hit a two-run home run and had three RBIs....

Where Bryan Reynolds found his groove in Atlanta, the Pittsburgh Pirates dug a ditch. Reynolds rediscovered his swing and homered in back-to-back games, but Adam Duvall hit two home runs as the Braves went deep four times in a 5-3 win Sunday afternoon at Truist Park to sweep the four-game...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 30-27) used a nine-run third inning to beat Columbus (Guardians), 12-7. SS Oneil Cruz (.232) went 2 for 5 with a triple, two runs scored and three RBIs. LF Canaan Smith-Njigba (.278) went 3 for 5 with a double, triple and three RBIs. CF Ji-hwan Bae (.301) went...

The Atlanta Braves had turned a two-run deficit into a two-run lead when Ozzie Albies came to bat with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh against the Pittsburgh Pirates. After falling behind to an 0-2 count, Albies fouled off three Chris Stratton pitches before connecting on a...

The surprise of spring training, Diego Castillo earned a spot on the Opening Day roster in part because of his bat. Now he’s the Pittsburgh Pirates’ starting shortstop, even if only temporarily, thanks to the consistency of his glove. Only 47 games into his major-league career, the 24-year-old super-utility player...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 29-27) edged Columbus (Guardians), 5-4. C Carter Bins (.196) smacked two doubles and had two RBIs. LF Oneil Cruz (.227) was 1 for 3 with an RBI. RF Canaan Smith-Njigba (.269) had an RBI triple. 3B Hoy Park (.214) also went 1 for 3 with an RBI double....

It’s not often that Roansy Contreras isn’t topping the Statcast pitch velocity chart, as the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie right-hander throws a four-seam fastball that sits at 96 mph and hits the high 90s. The top five velocities Friday night, however, all belonged to Spencer Strider. The Atlanta Braves rookie right-hander...

The first single left Bryan Reynolds’ bat at 77.7 mph, but it counts just as much in the box score as if the cover flew off the baseball. The second also was a mere one-bagger, but it was much weaker (50 mph in the infield). The third was legit, a...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 28-27) stole one against Columbus (Guardians), 6-5. After Indianapolis allowed Columbus to tie the score in the top of the ninth, CF Jared Oliva (.220) doubled in the bottom of the inning, went to second on a SS Oneil Cruz (.225) ground out and stole home to give...

Derek Shelton wanted to see the look in JT Brubaker’s eyes. He also hoped to hear those words every manager wants to hear: “Yeah, I got him.” The seventh inning at Atlanta’s Truist Field provided an instructive moment for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Shelton and Brubaker on Thursday night. Too bad...

Amid the hoopla surrounding his arrival with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Travis Swaggerty took time Sunday afternoon in the home dugout at PNC Park to reflect on his road to the major leagues. In that moment, Swaggerty thought about what he calls the “trials and tribulations” of his professional baseball career...

Pittsburgh Steelers minicamp is done. The 2021-22 Penguins season has long since ended. So it’s time for the Pirates to resume their rightful place. Atop the heap of your fan complaints in our weekly “U mad, bro?” post. That’s not to say the Steelers and Penguins escaped unscathed, though. Do...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 27-27) was humbled by Columbus (Guardians), 11-3. RHP Miguel Yajure (0-1, 5.79) started and gave up one run on two hits in two innings. RHO Osvaldo Bido (4.61) gave up five runs, none of them earned, on two hits and five walks in 1.2 innings. SS Ji-hwan Bae...

The Pittsburgh Pirates got what they needed from Mitch Keller, even if the right-hander didn’t get what he wanted. Despite making a second consecutive strong start, Keller left a tied game after six innings and didn’t get a decision when a Pirates victory would have marked the first back-to-back wins...

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Max Kranick underwent surgery last week to repair the UCL in his right elbow and will be out 14 to 16 months, team director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday. Kranick was shut down during the offseason with forearm soreness and reaggravated the injury after pitching...

The first thing Todd Tomczyk wanted to know when he saw the fractured ring fielder on Josh VanMeter’s hand was who threw the ball and what the velocity was. The Pittsburgh Pirates director of sports medicine was amazed at the damage the throw — believed to be from third baseman...

Tyler Heineman claims he was no math whiz at UCLA. The only number that mattered to him as a student-athlete in 2012 was his .332 batting average that helped get him drafted in the eighth round by the Houston Astros. But now he’s a pro, and he’s made 10 starts...

Tarik Skubal started from scratch and kept the Pittsburgh Pirates from scratching out a win. The 25-year-old Detroit Tigers left-hander was scheduled to start against the Pirates on Tuesday night before being scratched at the outset of a rain delay and then was reinserted into the starting lineup. The uncertainty...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 27-26) outslugged Columbus (Guardians), 9-6. 3B Rodolfo Castro (.247), sent down by the Pirates on Sunday, went 1 for 5 with a 461-foot home run, his third. LF Canaan Smith-Njigba (.273) went 3 for 5 with a double and three RBIs. 1B Mason Martin (.228) went 1 for...

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ bullpen took a blow when left-handed reliever Dillon Peters was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a low back strain. Peters (4-2, 3.86 ERA) tossed multiple innings in seven of his 12 relief outings this season and had pitched 12 scoreless innings in seven games...

Tuesday’s “First Call” has the details on Aaron Donald’s contract. We look at what lies ahead for the suddenly competitive Pittsburgh Pirates. And we offer up a little Penguins contrast to the firing of Bruce Cassidy in Boston. Plus, a Baltimore Raven is in a “fowl” mood about the EA...

Mitch Keller was making the third start of his major-league career when he faced Miguel Cabrera, the Detroit Tigers star who was the last major-league hitter to win the Triple Crown. The Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander remembers watching Cabrera on “Sunday Night Baseball” with his father, so Keller was surprised to...