Pirates/MLB category, Page 132

When Harrison Bader roped a line drive to lead off the fifth inning Wednesday night at PNC Park, Pittsburgh Pirates left fielder Anthony Alford saw it as an opportunity to put his athleticism on full display. Alford sprinted to his right and stretched out to make a diving catch to...

This edition of “U mad, bro?” looks like Tony Gwynn’s spray chart. Wherever the ball is pitched, it’s a line drive in the other direction. Ben Roethlisberger, Mike Tannenbaum, Bob Nutting, Jameson Taillon and even … me. We’re all ducking hard line drives back up the middle this week. So...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 42-43) fell to St. Paul (Twins), 11-9 in 11 innings. CF Jared Oliva (.250) went 2 for 3 with his first home run, a two-run shot. He walked twice and drove in three. RF Bligh Madris (.268) went 3 for 5 with his seventh home run and three...

To say Adam Wainwright was ruthless in his efficiency against the Pittsburgh Pirates isn’t solely a statement about the pitching of the St. Louis Cardinals starter. Wainwright got as many hits as he allowed. Not only did the 39-year-old right-hander toss a two-hit shutout, he helped his cause at the...

Sam Howard threw a live batting practice session at PNC Park on Wednesday afternoon, what Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton called the “first good step” for the lefty reliever’s return. Howard (2-2, 5.76 ERA) has been out since July 13 with a right oblique strain, leaving the Pirates down two...

Hoy Park is nothing if not humble, yet he couldn’t help but needle one of his Pittsburgh Pirates teammates after hitting the first home run of his major-league career. After Park sent J.A. Happ’s four-seam fastball 379 feet into the right-field seats in the fourth inning — the Pirates’ only...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 42-42) beat St. Paul (Twins), 9-8, on a walk-off two-run home run by 1B Michael Chavis in the bottom of the ninth. It was the ninth homer of the season for Chavis (.294), who went 1 for 4 with two runs scored. LF Ka’ai Tom, beginning a rehab...

The last time the Pittsburgh Pirates faced J.A. Happ, the 38-year-old left-hander flirted with history by taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning before Jacob Stallings broke it up. That was on April 23 at Target Field, when Happ was pitching for the Minnesota Twins. Nearly four months later, after...

Derek Shelton warned the Pittsburgh Pirates changes were coming, giving players new opportunities over the final 50 games of the season. That explains why Hoy Park is getting a long look at the leadoff spot and making his first start at second base, and Anthony Alford was batting cleanup Tuesday...

When the Pittsburgh Pirates fired Neal Huntington, Kevan Graves served as the interim general manager while they searched for a successor. Once Ben Cherington was hired, Graves moved into a role he describes as driving professional evaluation and acquisition efforts. Talk about a job with a safety net. The Pirates...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 41-42) defeated Iowa (Cubs), 8-5. LF Bligh Madris (.264) smacked a three-run home run as part of a five-run eighth inning to seal the win. 3B Ethan Paul (.212) also homered and was 2 for 3 with three RBIs. CF Jared Oliva (.236) was 2 for 5 with...

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds conducted the last thing expected from the NL Central Division rivals, given their lopsided outcomes this season. Bryse Wilson and Tyler Mahle engaged in a pitcher’s duel, combining for 17 strikeouts and only one walk. Mahle won that battle, despite giving up the game’s...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 40-42) manhandled Iowa (Cubs), 13-1. SS Cole Tucker (.241) went 2 for 6 with a pair of home runs, running his season total to five. 1B Michael Chavis (.288) went 3 for 4, hit his eighth home run and scored four times. 2B Tucupita Marcano (.237) went 1...

Jesse Winker already had done damage against the Pittsburgh Pirates, with an RBI double to start a three-run rally in the third inning and a two-run single in the sixth. The Cincinnati Reds All-Star outfielder crushed a three-run homer with an exit velocity in triple digits to put the score...

The Pittsburgh Pirates are giving Anthony Alford another chance in the outfield after his standout performance at Triple-A Indianapolis, and they made a series of moves Saturday afternoon to make room for him on their roster. The Pirates selected Alford and optioned corner infielder Phillip Evans to Triple-A. They cleared...

After his second at-bat against the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday night, Ke’Bryan Hayes sat in the dugout at Great American Ball Park and studied video of his first games back after two months on the injured list. The Pittsburgh Pirates rookie third baseman was looking for clues to his hitting...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 39-42) outslugged Iowa (Cubs), 12-8. CF Anthony Alford (.307) went 4 for 5 with two home runs, his 13th and 14th, and five RBIs. 3B Hunter Owens (.213) also homered twice, running his season total to 12. He went 3 for 4. 2B Michael Chavis (.271) went 1...

The Great American Ball Park has become a misnomer for the Pittsburgh Pirates, who have found Cincinnati’s bandbox stadium to be more the site of blowouts. The Reds rocked the Pirates early for the second consecutive game, scoring seven runs in the first inning off JT Brubaker on their way...

Ben Gamel is out and Colin Moran is back, so John Nogowski might be moving to the outfield. The Pittsburgh Pirates made a pair of roster moves Friday afternoon, placing left fielder Gamel on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to Aug. 5) with a right hamstring strain and reinstating first...

Hoy Park has made a strong first impression on the Pittsburgh Pirates, starting four games at four positions and getting hits in all of them since being acquired in a trade with the New York Yankees. Park has played shortstop, center field, right field and left field in his first...

On a night when the Cincinnati Reds smacked three home runs, Bryan Reynolds robbed them of another. The Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder continued to make a case for a Gold Glove when he reached over the wall to to prevent a two-run homer by Tyler Naquin in the fifth inning...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 38-42) used four pitchers to throw a six-hit shutout in a 2-0 win over Iowa (Cubs). CF Anthony Alford (.293) went 1 for 4 and hit a two-run home run, his 12th, in the sixth inning. 3B Michael Chavis (.275) went 1 for 3 with a double and...

Wil Crowe threw a career-high 100 pitches against the Cincinnati Reds. What spelled trouble for the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander is that 47 of them came in a six-run second inning that doomed his start. After giving up a solo shot to Jonathan India in the first inning, Crowe served up...

This week’s “U mad, bro?” has Pittsburgh Pirates fans split between ripping me about the MLB draft and ripping Ben Cherington about his recent trades. Penguins fans are split among themselves over how worried they should — or shouldn’t — be about the goaltending. And Steelers fans are … oddly...

Following his first major league start in more than 10 months, Steven Brault swore he felt great. And the Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander was intent on showing just how great he felt. After throwing 75 pitches in four innings against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday, Brault didn’t just say he could...