Pirates/MLB category, Page 234

No season-long determinations can be — or should be — made after the Pittsburgh Pirates’ first two games. But maybe keeping Starling Marte healthy and batting second in the lineup and Melky Cabrera seventh while he mans right field in Gregory Polanco’s absence is the way to go for now....

Whether it’s a leadoff or walk-off, a solo shot, two in two at-bats or a grand slam, there is something special about the home team hitting a home run at the home opener. The Pittsburgh Pirates hope to find their next Home Opener Hero when they host the St. Louis...

CINCINNATI — Trevor Williams looked like himself on the mound. He looked like somebody else at the plate. Williams pitched six effective innings and drove in two runs, helping the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the sloppy Cincinnati Reds, 5-0, on Sunday. “He was just efficient,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “His...

Although fans have had a peek at the 2019 Pittsburgh Pirates, Monday is the first time many will get to see the team in person. The Pirates split two games in Cincinnati to start the season, and that showed a tiny sample of what most expect of the Pirates this...

For the third consecutive year, the Pittsburgh Pirates have had a weather-related postponement during their season-opening series. Saturday’s scheduled afternoon game in Cincinnati was not played and will be made up as part of a day-night doubleheader May 27. Last season, the opener in Detroit was snowed out. In 2017,...

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Corey Dickerson and his wife are pledging funds to help those with autism, the team announced. Under an initiative Dickerson is launching called “Assists for Autism,” he will donate money for outfield assists across MLB. During April, which is Autism Awareness Month, the Dickersons will donate $100...

Unless you expected the Pittsburgh Pirates to post a 162-0 record this season and Jameson Taillon to throw a no-hitter on Opening Day, you should not judge the team harshly after its two-run loss to the Cincinnati Reds. After all, they were one extra-base hit by Corey Dickerson and a...

CINCINNATI — The noise from a crowd of 44,049 bounced all over Great American Ball Park in a tense ninth inning Thursday, but Corey Dickerson tried not to hear it. Pitch after pitch, foul ball after foul ball — 12 of one, seven of the other — the Pittsburgh Pirates’...

CINCINNATI – There remains no definitive timetable for Gregory Polanco’s return from shoulder surgery, but Pittsburgh Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk is encouraged. “He is responding well,” Tomczyk said, noting Polanco has played in three Triple-A games in Bradenton, Fla. “His biggest comment was his entire body was...

CINCINNATI — More bad health-related news arrived in the clubhouse of the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday when center fielder Starling Marte was removed from the starting lineup with a migraine headache, the team announced on its Twitter account. Marte was replaced in the outfield by J.B. Shuck while Melky Cabrera...

CINCINNATI — Clint Hurdle woke up Thursday morning and made a decision he didn’t regret. The Pittsburgh Pirates manager walked from his hotel to Great American Ball Park, where his team was preparing to open the season against the Cincinnati Reds. “I walked over just to get a piece of...

CINCINNATI — The Pittsburgh Pirates’ first moves of the season Thursday were not what the front office had in mind for Opening Day. The Pirates placed seven players, including starting right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall and starting pitcher Jordan Lyles, on the injured list prior to their game against the Cincinnati...

CINCINNATI — The MLB commissioner is grand marshal of the pregame parade. All major league teams are wearing patches commemorating Cincinnati’s first all-professional team. A new manager and an overhauled lineup provide intrigue. The Reds haven’t been in the Opening Day spotlight this way for years. The last time Cincinnati...

Neal Huntington knows as expectations have changed for the Pittsburgh Pirates, from ending a two-decade losing streak to wanting to win a World Series, so have the never-ending narratives. The Pirates general manager buys into neither the notion that the baseball club would be satisfied with finishing above .500 nor...

Oddsmakers and media analysts aren’t overly bullish on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ chances to make the playoffs. But if the Pirates qualify for the postseason for a fourth time since 2013, it will be a sneaky-good pitching staff that carries them there. MLB.com recently named the top 10 starting rotations and...

If you are planning to attend the Pirates’ home opener Monday against St. Louis you’ll want to bring a jacket. And maybe a sweater. The forecast from the National Weather Service in Moon calls for temperatures that are colder than the average for April 1, with a high of 47...

The Pittsburgh Pirates had a winning record last season, but it was obvious what held them back from greater heights: an offense ranked 20th in the majors in runs, 25th in home runs and 17th in OPS. This was illustrated by the combined .430 winning percentage of the five teams...

Injuries have plagued the Pittsburgh Pirates in right field, where Gregory Polanco will miss the start of the season while recovering from shoulder surgery and Lonnie Chisenhall was out after being hit by a pitch Monday. That left the Pirates to start 15-year veteran Melky Cabrera in their final exhibition...

Regardless of the outcome of Monday’s Pirates home opener, fans can get a sweet treat at Eat’n Park restaurants. Any fan who wears Buccos gear to a restaurant that day will get a free Smiley Cookie, the restaurant chain said. The promotion lasts all day at any of Eat’n Park’s...

The Pittsburgh Pirates blew a pair of leads as they surrendered four home runs, including a pair of three-run shots, in a 12-9 exhibition loss to the Houston Astros on Monday night at Minute Maid Park. The Pirates got off to a hot start against Houston’s Forrest Whitley in the...

Jose Osuna did not make the trip to Houston with the Pittsburgh Pirates because of “lower neck discomfort,” the club said in a statement, and will return to Pittsburgh this week for further examination. Osuna, a first baseman-outfielder, slashed .154/.244/.231 with three doubles, no home runs and two RBIs, striking...

There is a lot to get into for “Madden Monday” this week with Mark Madden of 105.9 the X. We start with the Penguins and the impact of recently acquired forward Denis Sav … uh, I mean … Jared McCann. How about that spin-o-rama goal he scored Saturday night in...

So, how old would you have to be to remember the last time the Pirates were in the World Series? I remember it well. I was 30 years old and had been working at WTAE for four months when they opened the 1979 season at Three Rivers Stadium on April...

Jung Ho Kang finished his final Grapefruit League game at LECOM Park the same way he started the spring: with a home run. The third baseman hit his seventh homer of spring training in the first inning off Andrew Cashner, as the Pittsburgh Pirates tied the Baltimore Orioles, 1-1, on...

When Chris Archer pitched against the Pittsburgh Pirates in June 2017, he saw in Jameson Taillon a young starter who had good stuff but didn’t yet possess the separator pitch that would make him a major league star. When Archer joined the Pirates after being acquired from Tampa Bay in...