Pirates/MLB category, Page 50
Pirates’ Andrew McCutchen doubles, homers while batting cleanup in return from ILVideo
Pirates designated hitter Andrew McCutchen, already a revered figure in the Pittsburgh clubhouse, earned additional respect from his teammates by playing through a nagging knee ailment in early August during the club’s eventual 10-game losing streak. Knee inflammation ultimately sidelined McCutchen on Aug. 17, as he headed to the 10-day...
Pirates farm report for Aug. 30, 2024: Matt Fraizer delivers walk-off homer for Altoona
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 63-63) and Louisville (Reds) were suspended with the game tied 5-5 going into the 10th inning. The game will resume at 6:05 p.m. Saturday. Next: Saturday vs Louisville (Reds), 7:05 p.m. ALTOONA (Double-A, 53-71) defeated New Hampshire (Blue Jays), 7-5, in 10 innings thanks to a walk-off three...
Pirates allow 10 runs, 16 hits in defeat to Cleveland, dropping 4th straight
In their recent series against the Chicago Cubs, the Pittsburgh Pirates averaged nearly eight runs a game but still managed to get swept. The Pirates traveled to Cleveland on Friday to begin a series against the Guardians, and, again, offensive production was solid. But Bailey Falter, Carmen Mlodzinski and Domingo...
Pirates remove struggling David Bednar from closer’s role, will have closer by committee
Amid a season of struggles highlighted by a disastrous appearance Aug. 28 against the Chicago Cubs, right-handed reliever David Bednar was removed from the closer’s role, Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton announced Friday. Per Shelton, the Pirates will operate by committee when it comes to who takes the hill in...
Pirates reinstate Andrew McCutchen from injured list
The Pittsburgh Pirates reinstated designated hitter Andrew McCutchen from the 10-day injured list (left knee inflammation) ahead of Friday’s series opener in Cleveland vs. the Guardians. McCutchen last played Aug. 16 and has appeared in 101 games on the year. The 37-year-old is hitting .235 with 16 home runs and...
Mark Madden: Of all the Pirates’ problems, league’s 2nd-lowest payroll is by far the biggest
The Pittsburgh Pirates not only have collapsed, but they also have lost games in grand fashion. On Wednesday, the Pirates led Chicago, 10-3, at PNC Park but got beat 14-10. That was an award winner, exploding sewer pipe division. It had so many great elements: • Hottie gymnast Livvy Dunne...
‘That’s 100% who I am’: Pirates lefty Bailey Falter uses elite extension to fool hitters
Bailey Falter realized in high school in Chino Hills, Calif., that something was different about his fastball. The left-handed pitcher found it weird that his velocity was only registering in the mid- to high-80s but he was “just absolutely blowing it by those guys.” When Falter was in the minor...
Tim Benz: An all-Pirates setlist request for Green Day’s concert at PNC Park
From a Pirates perspective, the best thing you can say about the month of August is that it’s almost over. At least it is at PNC Park. The beleaguered Buccos don’t return home until Sept. 5 against the Washington Nationals. Between now and then, though, there is one event worth...
Pirates farm report for Aug. 29, 2024: Matt Gorski goes 4 for 4, belts 20th homer for Indy
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 63-63) outslugged Louisville (Reds), 10-6. RF Matt Gorski (.255) went 4 for 4 with a double, a two-run homer, his 20th, and four RBIs. LF Jack Suwinski (.194) went 1 for 4 with his fourth homer. CF Billy Cook (.282) went 2 for 5 with two RBIs. DH...
No, Mark Cuban is not buying the Pirates
In case you needed a reminder: Billionaire Mark Cuban is not buying his hometown Pittsburgh Pirates. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever. The topic came, yet again, Wednesday after the Pirates collapsed in epic fashion, blowing a 10-3 lead to the Chicago Cubs en route to a 14-10 loss. Pittsburgh...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Pirates stunned by collapse against Cubs, Cruz’s position switch
There was a stunned silence in the home clubhouse as Pittsburgh Pirates players packed their equipment into travel bags Wednesday afternoon following a shellacking of a sweep by the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs didn’t just win a three-game series at PNC Park. They poured it on in every way imaginable,...
U mad, bro?: Oneil Cruz’s move to CF and Steelers’ 0-3 preseason have fans riled up
Two Pittsburgh topics dominated my social media interactions and my inbox this week: • Concern over the Steelers 0-3 preseason. • Oneil Cruz’s move to center field. I assume Penguins fans will start fretting about Sidney Crosby’s lack of a contract extension soon enough. But today is not that day....
Pirates farm report for Aug. 28, 2024: Termarr Johnson hits 1st Double-A homer in Altoona win
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 62-63) swept a doubleheader from Louisville (Reds), winning both games by a 2-1 score. In the first game, RHP Bubba Chandler (2-0, 1.17) started and went five innings, allowing one unearned run on three hits with two walks and five strikeouts. RHP Isaac Mattson (3.14) worked two perfect...
Livvy Dunne aghast after Pirates blow large lead, ruin Skenes’ start
The Pirates blew a 7-run lead to the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday. Livvy Dunne noticed. Dunne’s boyfriend, rookie pitcher Paul Skenes, started the game and left after five innings with a comfortable 10-3 lead. Not so fast. The Pirates’ bullpen collapsed and gave up 11 runs. Six of those runs...
Pirates blow 7-run lead, as Cubs rally late to sweep series in Oneil Cruz’s debut in center field
The Pittsburgh Pirates hit a new low — one they are hoping is rock bottom — by blowing a seven-run lead over the final three innings against the Chicago Cubs. Their decision to make a late-August position switch by moving Oneil Cruz to center field backfired when Christian Bethancourt hit...
Pirates DH Andrew McCutchen close to returning, 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes still up in the air
The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the verge of getting designated hitter Andrew McCutchen back and remain cautiously optimistic third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes will play again this season. Where McCutchen tested his left knee by running the bases and taking batting practice Tuesday, when he became eligible to come off the...
Pirates farm report for Aug. 27, 2024: Jhonny Severino hits for cycle for Bradenton
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 60-63) got past Louisville (Reds), 4-3. RHP Mike Burrows (3.27) started and pitched four scoreless innings, allowing three hits and one walk with five strikeouts. SS Liover Peguero (.251) went 2 for 4 with a two-run homer, his 12th. LF Matt Gorski (.245) went 2 for 4 with...
Jared Jones gives up a pair of 2-run homers in return, Cubs pound Pirates’ bullpen again
Jared Jones wanted to go on the attack in his first start for the Pittsburgh Pirates since July 3, but the rookie right-hander found that his four-seam fastball was the only pitch he could command in the fourth inning. Without the ability to land all of the pitches in his...
Pirates’ Oneil Cruz stunned by position switch, will ‘do my best’ at playing center field
Oneil Cruz was blindsided by the Pittsburgh Pirates’ decision to move him from shortstop to center field, saying he was disappointed that it took him by surprise. Speaking publicly Tuesday afternoon for the first time since the Pirates revealed the position switch, Cruz admitted he “wasn’t expecting it” despite committing...
Making his MLB debut was ‘rewarding’ for Pirates 33-year-old lefty reliever Brady Feigl
Brady Feigl wore an MLB Debut patch on the left shoulder of his Pittsburgh Pirates game jersey, a smile on his face and one word in his brain Monday night: Rewarding. Feigl’s debut didn’t go as he’d dreamed, as the Chicago Cubs tagged the left-handed reliever for six earned runs...
Tim Benz: Moving Oneil Cruz to CF makes the Pirates look bad. How they announced the move makes them look even worse
The only things more inconsistent than Oneil Cruz’s throwing arm are the darts the Pittsburgh Pirates are blindly tossing at his future position. Regarding Cruz and his 23 fielding errors at shortstop, on Sunday, Aug. 18, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said on 93.7 The Fan, “All I can tell...
Cubs crank out 21 hits to pound Pirates for 18 runs in series opener
When the Chicago Cubs weren’t hitting for extra bases off Mitch Keller, they were stealing them off Yasmani Grandal. The Cubs had five doubles off the Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed starter and just as many stolen bases against the 35-year-old catcher through the first four innings while clinging to a one-run...
Pirates activate 2B Nick Gonzales, recall C Henry Davis, place Joey Bart on 10-day IL
Three of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ most promising young players were in the clubhouse Monday, when the club made a flurry of roster moves that were overshadowed by Oneil Cruz’s position switch to center field. Second baseman Nick Gonzales was activated from the 10-day injured list and in the starting lineup...
Pirates moving Oneil Cruz to center field after defensive struggles at shortstop
The Pittsburgh Pirates dropped a bombshell Monday afternoon by revealing Oneil Cruz will be moving from shortstop to center field, a position switch that could be permanent. It’s an eyebrow-raising move for the 6-foot-7 Cruz, the tallest starting shortstop in major-league history. But the Pirates believe moving the 25-year-old now...
Tim Benz: Ben Cherington’s response to Paul Skenes-Barry Bonds question should remind Pirates fans how time flies
One of the prevailing sentiments from those in attendance at Barry Bonds’ induction into the Pirates Hall of Fame this weekend was, “Wow! Did he really leave 32 years ago? Has it really been that long?” Another was, “Wow! Was he really only here for seven years?” Fast forward to...
