Pirates/MLB category, Page 266
Pirates notebook: Neal Huntington doesn’t like pitchers in draft
Neal Huntington lamented the unfortunate reality of the MLB Draft. “There doesn’t seem to be a ton (of pitchers),” the Pittsburgh Pirates general manager said Sunday on 93.7 FM. The draft begins at 7 p.m. Monday — there will be 78 players drafted — and continues through 40 rounds before...
Pirates fall 5 games behind Brewers after home loss
Jordan Lyles was one-on-one with 27 Milwaukee Brewers batters Sunday at PNC Park, and he handled 18 of them without a problem. But teams are judged on victories and defeats, and that’s why his first outing since leaving the game in Cincinnati last Tuesday with a hamstring strain wasn’t good...
Kevin Gorman: Will MLB draft yield an Andrew McCutchen or Bryan Bullington for Pirates?
Once upon a time, I considered myself something of a draft junkie, tracking and charting every pick of the NFL and NBA drafts long before it was my job to do so. But the MLB draft doesn’t have the same cachet, as it involves a mix of high school and...
Pirates minor league report: June 1, 2019
Pirates INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 31-21) lost 7-6 in 10 innings against Gwinnett (Braves). The Indians scored once in the bottom of the 10th after giving up two runs but couldn’t complete the extra-inning comeback. SS Jung-Ho Kang went 3 for 4 with a double, a walk and a strikeout. LF Corey...
Pirates lose 13-inning home-run fest against Brewers
They overcame an early five-run deficit and took the lead from down two runs in the eighth inning. But that only made Saturday that much tougher to swallow for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Orlando Arcia hit his second homer of the game in the 13th inning, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat...
Kentucky basketball coach, Moon native John Calipari a guest at Pirates game Saturday
John Calipari regularly makes an annual stop at Pittsburgh Steelers training camp, and he’s developed a friendship with Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. The same can be said of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Clint Hurdle. Calipari, the University of Kentucky basketball coach, attended Saturday’s Pirates game against the Milwaukee Brewers at...
Early MVP candidate Josh Bell plays in 507 of Pirates’ first 510 innings
There are plenty of reasons why Josh Bell has been one of the best players in the majors over the past month. But as the saying goes, sometimes the best ability is availability. And no one has been more available than Bell. Heading into Saturday’s game, the Pittsburgh Pirates had...
Pirates rank among best in NL in most pinch-hitting stats
Seventy-seven times during his decade-long MLB career, Clint Hurdle pinch hit. His .243 average during those at-bats translates into simple advice to his players. “My expectations,” the Pittsburgh Pirates manager said, “are to let them know that they can’t do bad.” The Pirates are doing anything but bad when pinch...
Pirates shut down ailing reliever Keone Kela for 10 days
Keone Kela felt fine after his most recent rehab appearance, and the Pittsburgh Pirates medical team was ready to plot its next move for getting the reliever back on the active roster. But after a couple of days of long toss followed by a bullpen session Thursday, it became apparent...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Chris Archer deserved standing O for slinging arrowsVideo
The first play of Chris Archer’s start saw shortstop Kevin Newman make a backhand stab and jump-throw that saw Josh Bell stretch into a split to get Lorenzo Cain out at first. Seven innings later, Gregory Polanco made a sliding catch of a Lorenzo Cain pop fly in right field,...
Pirates minor league report for May 31, 2019
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 31-20) won 4-1 over Gwinnett (Braves). The Indians broke a 1-1 tie with three runs in the sixth inning, and RF J.B. Shuck (.371) grounded into a RBI fielder’s choice for the winning run. C Christian Kelley (.203) followed with a two-run single. LHP Sean Keselica (1-2, 4.50)...
Chris Archer shakes slump, pitches Pirates to 9-4 victory
By his estimation, Chris Archer has thrown “thousands and thousands” of pitches in his 196 major-league starts. Hard to believe, but the first one he threw Friday night at PNC Park stands out among most of the rest. At least, it did while Archer was leading the Pittsburgh Pirates to...
Pirates shut down Keone Kela for at least 10 days
Relief pitcher Keone Kela’s troubled season continued Friday when he returned from his rehab assignment in Triple-A Indianapolis with recurrent shoulder discomfort. The Pittsburgh Pirates announced that Kela will be shut down from throwing for about 10 days. He has been on the injured list retroactive to May 6. Kela...
Pirates’ Clint Hurdle believes Josh Bell won’t mishandle fame
While Josh Bell finds himself in demand all over the major leagues, Clint Hurdle doesn’t believe the fame will negatively impact his slugging first baseman. “We’ve had a couple conversations along the way,” the Pittsburgh Pirates manager said. Hurdle told Bell, “Let’s continue to revisit what got you here and...
MLB, Pirates weigh fan safety in wake of foul ball incident in Houston
The Pittsburgh Pirates were among the first MLB teams to expand netting to the far end of each dugout at PNC Park to protect fans. The Houston Astros did the same at Minute Maid Park, but Wednesday night that turned out to be not far enough. A 4-year-old girl, seated...
First Call: Reds fans go after John Wehner after Derek Dietrich comments
In “First Call” Friday, Reds fans attack John Wehner. Le’Veon Bell and Odell Beckham Jr. are taking heat for skipping practices. Problems for a few former Pirates. Now it’s on! Pirates broadcaster John Wehner made headlines this week when he shamed Reds player Derek Dietrich for showboating his home runs...
Fantasy sports podcast: Stirring the pot on Derek Dietrich, Pirates-Reds rivalry
Our weekly fantasy sports podcast always features Jeff Erickson of Rotowire. He’s a lifelong Reds fan. So this week, he gives a completely different perspective on the sniping back and forth between his favorite club and the Pirates. Derek Dietrich pimping home runs against the Pirates has been a hot...
U mad, bro? Readers pop off about showboating, Phil Kessel trade, Antonio Brown’s grass
“U mad, bro?” this week features Pirates fans in a snit over Derek Dietrich of the Reds, the Pirates’ failure to support Josh Bell and our coverage of Antonio Brown. Well, our coverage of Brown’s lawn care, anyway. On Twitter, “Corby Corb 12” chimes in with an opinion on Derek...
Tim Benz: Pirates’ Kevin Newman making big strides in Year 2
Across the parking lot from PNC Park, after a preseason game in August, you’ll probably hear Steelers coach Mike Tomlin say something about James Washington, Jaylen Samuels or Chuks Okorafor “being on the rise from Year 1 to Year 2” of their NFL careers. Tomlin is big on that one....
Pirates’ Jordan Lyles plans to make scheduled start after testing hamstring
On a night when three pitchers failed to control the Milwaukee Brewers in a 11-5 loss, the Pittsburgh Pirates finally got some good news about one of their pitchers. Jordan Lyles, who strained his lower left hamstring Tuesday in Cincinnati, threw a bullpen session Thursday and later declared himself “good...
Joe Musgrove, bullpen struggle in Pirates’ loss to Brewers
Clint Hurdle needed only to take a quick glance at the game summary to figure out what ailed his team Thursday night in an 11-5 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. Actually, for much of this season. “We’ve given up way more than our share of multiple-run innings,” the Pittsburgh Pirates...
Pirates minor league report: May 30, 2019
Pirates INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 30-20) shut out Charlotte (White Sox), 4-0. The Indians held the Knights to just two hits as RHP Pedro Vasquez (1-1, 7.71) threw six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts, a walk and a hit allowed in a winning effort. CF Jason Martin (.255) went 2 for 3...
Clint Hurdle: ‘Room’ for Steven Brault in Pirates’ rotation
Steven Brault wants to make something clear about his efforts Wednesday in Cincinnati. “It wasn’t just a fluke out of nowhere,” he said of 51⁄3 shutout innings that led to a 7-2 victory for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Brault, who had allowed eight runs in 72⁄3 innings in his previous two...
Pirates’ Clay Holmes: Pitch that hit Reds’ Eugenio Suarez was an accidentVideo
Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Clay Holmes said he doesn’t blame Eugenio Suarez for getting mad. Suarez is having another fine season for the Cincinnati Reds, already up to 14 home runs and 39 RBIs after totaling 34 and 104 last year. The last thing he needs is an injury when...
Cubs’ Albert Almora Jr. breaks down after foul ball strikes young girl
Albert Almora Jr. couldn’t help but break down at what he saw when he lined a foul ball into the stands Wednesday night. The Cubs outfielder hit a line drive into the third-base stands during the fourth inning against the Astros at Minute Maid Park, striking a girl who was...
