Pirates/MLB category, Page 27
Neil Walker on becoming Don Kelly’s bench coach with Pirates: ‘Not right now’
There has been some speculation that new Pirates manager Don Kelly may ask his brother-in-law, former Pirate Neil Walker, to be his bench coach. Walker joined me on the “Breakfast with Benz” podcast Wednesday. He acknowledges that the topic has been discussed, but it’s unlikely to happen. “If my brother-in-law...
Pirates’ Chase Shugart bounces back with longest relief outing of year, blanking Mets
For about a month leading into early May, Chase Shugart was among the Pittsburgh Pirates’ most lights-out bullpen options, posting a 1.23 ERA through his first 12 appearances of the season. While that clip of outings was briefly interrupted by a short stint at Triple-A Indianapolis, Shugart returned to Pittsburgh...
Pirates farm report for May 14, 2025: Billy Cook delivers walk-off hit for Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 22-17) walked off Louisville (Reds), 9-8. LF Billy Cook (.205) slapped a walk-off base hit to second base to score pinch-runner Matt Frazier (.143) in the bottom of the ninth. Cook finished his night with four singles and two RBIs. CF Jack Suwinski (.264) smashed a two-run home...
Pirates score 4 runs or less for 20th straight game but it’s enough to top Mets, avoid sweep
The Pittsburgh Pirates have been receiving largely solid starting pitching of late, with a club ERA of 2.28 in their last eight games dating to May 5. Their record over that span? 2-6. That, primarily, has been the result of a persistently underperforming offense, which sank the Pirates in their...
Pirates claim INF/OF Michael Helman off waivers from St. Louis
The Pittsburgh Pirates claimed 28-year-old infielder/outfielder Michael Helman off waivers from the Cardinals on Wednesday afternoon. Helman, who bats right-handed, appeared in 18 games for the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds this season, slashing .185/.260/.292 with a homer, four doubles and six RBIs. An 11th-round (No. 334 overall) draft pick in 2019...
Mark Madden: What if Paul Skenes doesn’t pitch better?
Paul Skenes isn’t falling apart. But he’s not a phenom so far this season. He isn’t dominating. Look at Monday vs. the New York Mets, Skenes’ most recent start. He allowed six hits and one run in six innings. He walked three and struck out six. He had to pitch...
Tim Benz: As consistently bad as Pirates’ hitters have been, Tuesday night’s failure was surreal
The Pirates’ season-long offensive ineptitude hit a new low in New York during a 2-1 loss to the Mets on Tuesday night. It was the 19th straight game in which the Pirates failed to score more than four runs. That’s a franchise record. Tuesday’s flop may have been the most...
‘We need him’: Pirates’ Bryan Reynolds navigates through elongated offensive slump
Through parts of seven big-league seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Bryan Reynolds largely has been a pillar of productivity, offering consistent offense year-in and year-out. Aside from the covid-condensed 2020 campaign, during which he (along with many hitters across MLB) struggled immensely, batting only .189, Reynolds benefited the Pirates’ offense...
Pirates farm report for May 13, 2025: Bubba Chandler fans 8 in 5 shutout innings
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 21-17) defeated Louisville (Reds), 3-1. RHP Bubba Chandler (1.91) started and pitched five scoreless innings, allowing four hits and three walks with eight strikeouts. RHP Ryder Ryan (2.87), RHP Kyle Nicolas (1-0, 6.48) and RHP Isaac Mattson (2.30) had scoreless outings. Rehabbing RHP Dauri Moreta (6.00) gave up...
Offense disappoints again for Pirates, who waste Mitch Keller’s quality start vs. Mets
Five games into his tenure as manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Don Kelly has shown a willingness to shuffle the deck, making various lineup and batting order alterations in hope of facilitating a change in fortune for his club. But Kelly ultimately is dealing with the same deck of cards...
Pirates’ Isiah Kiner-Falefa homers after meeting 2nd cousin, Ralph Kiner’s son, for 1st timeVideo
NEW YORK — Ever since he was a kid, Isiah Kiner-Falefa has heard all about the cousin who was a Hall of Fame slugger for the Pittsburgh Pirates years ago. Now he finally knows kin from Ralph Kiner’s side of the family. In a touching rendezvous Monday at Citi Field,...
Pirates’ Paul Skenes to represent U.S. at 2026 World Baseball ClassicVideo
Rosters for the upcoming 2026 World Baseball Classic have yet to be unveiled, but the United States already knows it can depend on one of the most electric pitchers in MLB in pursuit of a gold medal: Pittsburgh Pirates starter Paul Skenes. Skenes, the No. 1 overall pick in the...
For Paul Skenes, latest start consistent with pros and cons of 2025
For Paul Skenes, his latest outing on Monday was emblematic of his overall season. In a 4-3 Pirates loss to the New York Mets, expected dominance wasn’t to be found in a no-decision. Yet, a pretty good line score at the end of the night emerged. Skenes went six innings...
After 4 straight 1-run games, Pirates hope to build on early days of Don Kelly’s tenureVideo
When the Pittsburgh Pirates fired manager Derek Shelton on May 8, staff ace Paul Skenes was blunt when asked the next day for his reaction. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t shocked,” he said. “… Someone’s got to be held accountable, and, unfortunately, right now, it’s him. That’s just kind of how it...
Pirates lose another Paul Skenes start with Mets rallying for walk-off win
If the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 4-3 loss to the New York Mets on Monday proved anything, it’s that Paul Skenes taking the hill far from guarantees a successful outcome for the club, which has won only three of his nine starts this season. A quality start from Skenes at Citi Field...
Pirates outfielder Tommy Pham loses appeal, serves 1-game suspension for gesture
NEW YORK — Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Tommy Pham served a one-game suspension Monday night against the New York Mets for conduct directed at Los Angeles Angels fans last month. Pham was disciplined by Major League Baseball and fined an undisclosed amount on April 25 for “inappropriate actions toward” Angels fans...
Pirates activate Isiah Kiner-Falefa from injured list, option Liover Peguero to Triple-A
The Pittsburgh Pirates will soon regain the services of infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who was activated from the 10-day injured list Monday ahead of first pitch in New York vs. the Mets. In a related roster transaction, fellow infielder Liover Peguero was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis. Kiner-Falefa, 30, last played April...
Mark Madden: MLB owners have no interest in a salary cap, so the Pirates will stink in perpetuity
The Pittsburgh Pirates aren’t the worst team in MLB. Not by a long shot. Colorado is 7-33 and on pace to go 28-134. But the Rockies just changed their manager. That should fix everything, like Don Kelly in Pittsburgh. The Chicago White Sox (12-29) are also worse than the Pirates...
Joey Bart offering invaluable offensive presence within Pirates’ lineupVideo
Roughly six weeks into the season, Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Joey Bart has proven to be among the team’s hardest players to remove from the lineup any given night. For a club that continues to rank toward the bottom of MLB in most major offensive statistical categories, the bat Bart has...
Pirates farm report for May 11, 2025: Mike Burrows fans 11 for Indy in shutout victory
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 20-17) shut out Columbus (Guardians), 2-0. RHP Mike Burrows (2.63) allowed four hits with 11 strikeouts and two walks in 4 2/3 scoreless innings. LHP Randy Labaut (2-0, 4.58) picked up the win after tossing 1 2/3 no-hit innings with a walk and five strikeouts. 1B Spencer Horwitz...
Carmen Mlodzinski’s strong start, Joey Bart’s single lift Pirates to walk-off win over Braves
Carmen Mlodzinski pounded his fist into his glove as he walked off the mound with two outs in the sixth inning, an auto-response to his best performance as a starting pitcher in the major leagues. The Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander was one out shy of the first career quality start. That...
Pirates GM still searching for replacement for Don Kelly as bench coach, gives injury updates
Finding Derek Shelton’s replacement was an easy call for Ben Cherington, as Don Kelly made such a strong impression that the general manager expressed his confidence in Kelly and called him “absolutely the right person to manage this team right now.” “This is personal for him,” Cherington said of Kelly,...
Pirates farm report for May 10, 2025: Termarr Johnson, homers, steals base in Altoona win
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 19-17) lost a 1-0 pitchers’ duel to Columbus (Guardians). RHP Thomas Harrington (1-3) started and gave up one run on a solo home run and six other hits in 4⅓ innings. He struck out seven. LHP Nick Dombkowski (2.25), RHP Kyle Nicolas (7.71) and RHP Isaac Mattson (2.45)...
Don Kelly ejected in Pirates’ 11-inning loss to Atlanta
Matt Gorski managed to sum things up succinctly when discussing the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Saturday night loss to the Atlanta Braves, a 3-2 defeat in 11 innings at PNC Park. “For a 3-2, 11-inning game, (I) felt like there was so much that happened,” he said. Indeed. Prominent among the list...
Full Count: Jim Leyland’s Hall-of-Fame advice to new Pirates manager: ‘Just be Donnie Kelly’
To Jim Leyland, Don Kelly was a manager’s dream. So, of course, the Hall of Famer was watching Kelly’s debut in his dream job as Pittsburgh Pirates manager Friday night, rooting for his protégé to get his first victory, a 3-2 win over the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park. “Donnie,...
