Pirates/MLB category, Page 280
Oddsmakers: Pirates have 125-1 chance of winning World Series
The Pittsburgh Pirates are projected to win 77.5 games and face 125-1 odds of winning the World Series this season, according to oddsmakers at SportsBettingDime.com. The site also projected the Houston Astros are 7-1 favorites to win the World Series, followed by the New York Yankees (8-1), Los Angeles Dodgers...
Jameson Taillon makes Grapefruit League debut, but Pirates lose to Twins
Jameson Taillon made his Grapefruit League debut, allowing three runs on five hits, striking out two and walking none in four innings for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Minnesota Twins, however, used a five-run ninth inning to cruise to a 10-4 victory over the Pirates on Tuesday at LECOM Park in...
Cole Tucker, Jason Martin among latest round of Pirates’ spring training cuts
The Pittsburgh Pirates made their second round of spring training cuts Tuesday, reducing their roster to 49 players. Shortstop Cole Tucker, outfielder Jason Martin and right-handed pitchers Jesus Liranzo and Aaron Slegers were optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis, and right-hander Alex McRae was reassigned to minor-league camp. Tucker batted .389 with...
Nick Kingham rocked for 5 runs as Braves beat Pirates
The Atlanta Braves knocked Nick Kingham around Monday by scoring five runs on six hits and four walks in a 6-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates Monday in a Grapefruit League game in Orlando. Kingham got rocked in the first inning, allowing Ender Inciarte to hit a leadoff double followed...
Chris Archer throws three scoreless innings, but Yankees beat Pirates
Chris Archer had another strong start for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday, allowing only a pair of singles while striking out four batters with no walks in three innings against the New York Yankees. The Yankees won 6-5 in Grapefriut League action. Archer struck out Greg Bird with two runners...
Pirates pitchers shelled in 10-1 loss to Twins
Pittsburgh Pirates pitching couldn’t solve the Minnesota Twins’ hitters Saturday in a 10-1 loss in Bradenton, Fla. Starter Clay Holmes allowed three hits and three runs — two earned — in three innings, and reliever Keone Kela had a horrific inning in the fifth, giving up four hits and four...
Pirates option top prospect Mitch Keller to Triple-A Indianapolis
The Pittsburgh Pirates made their first roster cut of spring training Saturday when they optioned their No. 1 prospect, pitcher Mitch Keller, to Triple-A Indianapolis. Keller, a 22-year-old right-hander who is ranked the No. 19 prospect by MLB Pipeline, allowed 10 runs (all earned) on 10 hits, including three home...
Ex-Pirate pitcher Esteban Loaiza gets 3-year federal sentence for drug trafficking
Former Pittsburgh Pirate pitcher Esteban Loaiza was sentenced in federal court in San Diego to three years in prison for drug trafficking on charges involving about 44 pounds of cocaine, federal prosecutors said. In a plea agreement in U.S. District Court, Loaiza, 47, of Imperial Beach, Calif., admitted he took...
Blue Jays belt seven homers in beating Pirates in both split-squad games
The Toronto Blue Jays hit seven homers in beating the Pittsburgh Pirates in a pair of split-squad games on Friday. In Bradenton, Trevor Williams made his spring debut and allowed two runs on five hits over three innings, striking out three and walking two in an 11-0 loss at LECOM...
Jameson Taillon, Josh Bell among 31 pre-arbitration Pirates to sign 2019 contracts
The Pittsburgh Pirates agreed to terms with 31 players on pre-arbitration contracts for the 2019 season. The list includes starting pitchers Jameson Taillon, Trevor Williams and Joe Musgrove and first baseman Josh Bell, second baseman Adam Frazier, shortstop Erik Gonzalez, third baseman Colin Moran. Others who signed: pitchers Dario Agrazal,...
Cole Tucker hits walk-off homer as Pirates beat Orioles
Cole Tucker hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth — his second of the game and the team’s fifth — to lift the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 5-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday in Bradenton, Fla. Erik Gonzalez and Adam Frazier hit home runs...
Pirates pitcher Aaron Slegers counting on another career changeup with new pitch
If anyone understands the arc from unusual angles and how the spin of a baseball can provide a career changeup, it’s Aaron Slegers. After a 7-inch growth spurt before his senior year of high school, Slegers changed his career arc from self-described “super-fringy” baseball player to major-college star to major...
Nick Kingham, Colin Moran pace Pirates past Red Sox
Nick Kingham retired the first nine batters he faced and allowed two hits in four innings as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Boston Red Sox, 6-1, Wednesday in Fort Myers. Designated hitter Colin Moran went 2 for 2 with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored. Rightfielder J.B. Shuck...
Pirates prospect Cole Tucker adds charisma to the competition at shortstop
Cole Tucker compared his first foray at the Pittsburgh Pirates’ major league camp to being not just the new kid in class but the youngest. Last year, the shortstop prospect sat wide-eyed in the corner of the clubhouse, eavesdropping on the conversations of veterans David Freese, Jordy Mercer, Josh Harrison...
Pirates say it’s ‘likely’ Gregory Polanco could take at-bats in spring game
The chances of Pittsburgh Pirates rightfielder Gregory Polanco making an appearance in a game this spring is looking “more and more likely,” team director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday. Polanco is recovering from surgery after injuring his left (throwing) shoulder in an awkward slide last September. Adam Berry...
Chris Archer, Adam Frazier shine in spring debuts as Pirates beat Orioles
It was a good day for spring debuts for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Chris Archer got out of a first-inning jam and didn’t allow a hit while striking out the four of the seven batters he faced in two scoreless innings, and Adam Frazier got the scoring started with an RBI...
Bryan Reynolds hopes to show Pirates he’s an all-around player
A year ago, Bryan Reynolds arrived at spring training for the Pittsburgh Pirates as the unknown minor league outfielder who was part of the return in the trade for the team’s most popular player. Reynolds had a hard time describing the feeling after coming to the Pirates along with reliever...
Pirates’ top prospect Keller struggles in spring training loss to Rays
Mitch Keller, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ top pitching prospect, had a rough time on the mound in Sunday’s Grapefruit League game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Tampa Bay struck Keller for four runs in the first inning of a 10-4 victory over the Pirates at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla. Keller...
Top prospect Mitch Keller rocked for four runs as Pirates lose to Tampa Bay
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ top prospect endured another rough start in spring training. Right-hander Mitch Keller gave up a leadoff home run to Joey Wendle and allowed four runs in the first inning of a 10-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays Sunday afternoon at LECOM Park in Bradenon, Fla. Keller...
Kevin Gorman: Baseball’s first female broadcast booth will be so Cool
Suzie Cool still can’t believe how quickly she became the center of a story that went viral on social media so fast she was soon reading about herself making history on Sports Illustrated’s website. Only a year after Cool became the Carolina League’s first female broadcaster, the Salem (Va.) Red...
Pirates beat Yankees but lose Lonnie Chisenhall to ‘lower extremity tightness’
Both Corey Dickerson and Steven Baron went 2-for-3 with a two RBIs, as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the New York Yankees, 8-7, Saturday afternoon at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla. But the bigger story was what the Pirates lost. Right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall, signed to start while Gregory Polanco recovers...
Pirates’ bats lead way to Grapefruit League win over Yankees
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ bats broke out with their best performance of spring training Saturday. Behind a spring-best 14 hits, including seven doubles, and a five-run fourth inning, the Pirates posted an 8-7 win over the New York Yankees in a Grapefruit League game at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla. Corey...
Kevin Gorman: It’s time for Starling Marte to be what the Pirates need
When Starling Marte speaks of submitting to whatever ideas the Pittsburgh Pirates have for him this season, the 30-year-old centerfielder says he not only “recognized and acknowledged but embraced” that their longest-tenured player also should be one of their leaders. That might seem natural for an eighth-year veteran, but it’s...
Pirates get opposite pitching performances in split-squad games against Phillies, Blue Jays
In split-squad action, the Pittsburgh Pirates got a pair of polar-opposite performances Friday from pitchers competing for the fifth spot in the starting rotation. In his debut for the Pirates, right-hander Rookie Davis struck out three batters and walked one while throwing two hitless and scoreless innings in a 1-1...
Pirates claim reliever Jake Barrett off waivers from Giants
The Pirates added competition to their bullpen by claiming right-handed reliever Jake Barrett off waivers Friday from the San Francisco Giants. Barrett, 27, was 2-4, with a 4.05 ERA and four saves in 103 appearances with Arizona from 2016-18. The Giants acquired him from the Diamondbacks on Feb. 5 for...
