Pirates/MLB category, Page 36

Marco Gonzales had built a reputation as a workhorse with a sub-4.00 ERA for the Seattle Mariners, so the left-hander knew something was wrong when he felt soreness that had his forearm aching. The injury was difficult to diagnose, as it felt different than the ulnar collateral ligament tear that...

Roansy Contreras couldn’t find the strike zone, so the Toronto Blue Jays made him pay by drawing walks and with a big swing by Justin Turner. The Pittsburgh Pirates couldn’t hit Chris Bassitt, as the right-hander tossed five scoreless innings before a big swing by Oneil Cruz. Bassitt fanned nine...

Where Paul Skenes and Jackson Holliday are the headliners for the Spring Breakout prospect game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles, they are far from the only attractions. The Pirates’ roster features nine of their top 10 prospects, including four of their five top-100 prospects. Joining Skenes, the 2023...

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed a veteran pitcher and made five more cuts from major league camp, including a former first-round pick and a 2023 Opening Day starter. The Pirates announced Tuesday afternoon the formal signing of left-handed pitcher Eric Lauer to a minor league contract with a non-roster invitation to...

Chase Anderson knew his chances of earning a spot in the starting rotation for the Pittsburgh Pirates were a long shot, but the 36-year-old right-hander was willing to try anyway. It took Anderson two days to drive to Florida from Texas and even longer for him to make his first...

USA Today named PNC Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, as the best ballpark in its rankings of Major League Baseball stadiums. Baseball reporters and editors from the USA Today network revealed the honor in a story, “Ranking MLB’s stadiums from 1 to 30: Baseball travelers’ favorite ballparks.” PNC Park,...

When Jackson Holliday faced Paul Skenes for the first time late last month in a Grapefruit League game, the meeting of the past two No. 1 overall picks was viewed as a prelude to the Spring Breakout. There were no television cameras or broadcasters there to hype up the matchup...

Russell Wilson is one of the biggest veteran “names” ever acquired by a Pittsburgh pro sports team via free agency or trade. A Super Bowl-winning quarterback and nine-time Pro Bowl honoree, Wilson is one of the NFL’s most recognizable stars. But that Wilson is coming to the Steelers for the...

Bailey Falter came to camp with the intention of competing for a spot in the starting rotation and hopes of making the Opening Day roster, willing to pitch in whatever role the Pittsburgh Pirates want to use him. “It doesn’t matter to me,” Falter said. “Start, long guy, closer —...

Watching the Pittsburgh Penguins in March this year has been like watching the Pirates in August most years. They are bad. They are out of it. And they are playing like they know it. What’s next at PPG Paints Arena? It’s probably too dangerous to shoot off Zambelli fireworks displays...

Alika Williams knows how quickly fortunes can change, especially after a “crazy year” saw him start the season at Double-A only to be traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates and promoted to the major leagues the next month. After being thrust into the starting shortstop role late last July, Williams decided...

Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds hit back-to-back home runs to get the Pittsburgh Pirates off to a strong start, and Cruz added another tape-measure blast that gave them a five-run lead. Cruz went 2 for 4 with four RBIs, driving in the tying run by sprinting to beat the double-play...

Jake Lamb has something on his resume that no other Pittsburgh Pirates player can claim — a 30-home run, 100-RBI season — but the 33-year-old corner infielder also is aware that it happened seven years ago. A lot has happened in the interim for Lamb, who has learned to adapt...

Henry Davis is taking advantage of the absence of Yasmani Grandal and is doing his best to secure a spot as a catcher on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Opening Day roster. Davis homered for the fourth time in his past five games, extending his Grapefruit League lead in home runs and...

To see Endy Rodriguez around his Pittsburgh Pirates teammates in the clubhouse, there is little indication that he’s recovering from reconstructive elbow surgery and expected to miss the season. Rodriguez has retained his ebullient personality in spring training, wearing a perpetual smile while conversing in the clubhouse with his teammates...

Andrew McCutchen continues to check boxes in his return from an Achilles injury that ended his 2023 season early last September. The 37-year-old designated hitter belted his first home run of the spring 418 feet to center in the bottom of the sixth inning Friday in helping the Pirates to...

When Braxton Ashcraft made his Grapefruit League debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the right-hander wasted no time filling up the strike zone with his fastball against one of baseball’s best sluggers. Four of Ashcraft’s first five pitches to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. were four-seamers, including one clocked at 98.2 mph over...

Headlined by right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes and second baseman Termarr Johnson, the Pittsburgh Pirates will have 20 of their top 30 prospects on their roster for the Spring Breakout game. A new MLB concept, the Spring Breakout features top prospects from the Pirates and Baltimore Orioles who will play a...

Joshua Palacios attributes much of his success with the Pittsburgh Pirates to playing winter ball in Puerto Rico, helping him make the jump from Double-A to the major leagues last season. But Palacios wanted to work on his weaknesses, so he spent this past offseason visiting Driveline Baseball and Motor...

Mitch Keller gave up three runs on four hits for the second consecutive start and surrendered his first home run of spring training Wednesday night against the Baltimore Orioles. Anthony Santander hit a two-run homer off the Pittsburgh Pirates ace in the first inning. Keller allowed another run in the...

MLB Pipeline has Paul Skenes as the No. 1 prospect for the Pittsburgh Pirates in its updated top 30 rankings and moved shortstop/third baseman Jack Brannigan into the top 10. Skenes, the right-hander who was the No. 1 overall pick in the MLB Draft last July, is one of six...

Liover Peguero started last season at Double-A Altoona and finished it in the major leagues, a humbling experience for a middle infielder who was one of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ top prospects. Peguero is being careful not to allow his opportunity to open this season as the starting second baseman to...

Andrew McCutchen made his Grapefruit League debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates, playing in a game for the first time since a season-ending partial tear of his left Achilles last September. And he didn’t miss a beat. The 37-year-old designated hitter produced a soft single to center field in his first...

The Pittsburgh Pirates told right-hander Paul Skenes, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 MLB Draft and baseball’s top pitching prospect, that he won’t make the Opening Day roster. Pirates general manager Ben Cherington informed Skenes on Tuesday morning that he will start the season in the minor leagues...

Jared Jones got a text message from Henry Davis asking him to come to Florida to work out, so the 22-year-old right-hander spent the offseason working with another player who has something to prove this spring. Jones and Davis were battery mates at High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona, where they...