Pirates/MLB category, Page 53
Tim Benz: I’m not upset at what Derek Shelton said about the Pirates, I’m just upset he keeps having to say it
Given this month’s collapse of the Pittsburgh Pirates, many people were put off by what manager Derek Shelton had to say Tuesday during his most recent weekly radio show. Speaking about his team’s extended losing streak, Shelton tried to tamp down their recent troubles by pointing out how many one-run...
Defensive mishaps, including Oneil Cruz’s 23rd error, loom large in Pirates’ latest lossVideo
Two weeks ago, Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Rowdy Tellez was spotted chatting with Oneil Cruz in the dugout by the SportsNet Pittsburgh broadcast during a road loss to the Houston Astros. Cruz committed three errors that loomed very large in the one-run defeat. “You’re a big part of this team,”...
Pirates, blanked by Padres, suffer 9th consecutive loss
The Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres met again Tuesday night in a battle of teams experiencing drastically different fortunes of late. The Pirates, losers of eight straight at first pitch, have all but eliminated themselves from serious postseason contention over the last two weeks. San Diego, by comparison, is...
Pirates farm report for Aug. 13, 2024: Billy Cook belts grand slam to lift Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 52-59) beat St. Paul (Twins), 5-4, when LF Billy Cook (.286) hit a grand slam in the seventh inning, his 13th homer of the year. RF Billy McKinney (.280) went 1 for 2 with his fourth homer. 3B Alika Williams (.299) went 1 for 4 with a triple....
Memories of 2011, ’12 collapses come to forefront amid Pirates’ 8-game losing streak
It would be unfair to label the Pittsburgh Pirates’ current slide as a collapse just yet, given that the club still could dig itself out of a season-worst eight-game losing streak. But things are looking bleak for the Pirates (56-62), who, thanks to a 1-10 stretch, are on the verge...
‘We’re right there’: Derek Shelton takes pulse of his club as Pirates’ crippling losing streak continuesVideo
The Pittsburgh Pirates became well-acquainted with San Diego rookie sensation Jackson Merrill last week, as the Padres outfielder went 6 for 12 at the plate from Aug. 6-8, helping the Padres to a sweep at PNC Park. Merrill’s series highlights included a four-hit, two-homer night Aug. 7 in a 9-8,...
Tim Benz: Wasted Jake Woodford start is latest example of how it’s gone so wrong, so fast for Pirates
It was the kind of start that the Pittsburgh Pirates got so often over the first four months of the season. The kind of start from a pitcher that was good enough to overcome whatever struggles the offense, bullpen or defense had been going through at the time. And it...
Downward spiral continues for Pirates, who drop opener at San Diego for 8th straight loss
While it was less than a week ago, the last time the Pittsburgh Pirates met the San Diego Padres, their circumstances and fortunes were much different than Monday night at Petco Park. A three-game sweep from Aug. 6-8 at PNC Park followed, with the Pirates plunging deeper into a losing...
Pirates starter Marco Gonzales placed on 60-day IL, ending his season
Pittsburgh Pirates lefty starter Marco Gonzales dealt with some tough luck early into the season when he was sidelined with a forearm strain after only three starts on April 14. The injury ultimately kept him off the mound for nearly three months, but Gonzales returned to the fold in mid-July....
Andrew McCutchen sends message to Pirates by grinding through injury to produce homers
It wasn’t a smile on Andrew McCutchen’s face so much as it was a grimace, the Pittsburgh Pirates designated hitter gritting his teeth as he labored around the basepaths after hitting a pair of home runs. McCutchen has been dealing with tightness in his left quad, an injury that kept...
Pirates farm report for Aug. 11, 2024: Kervin Pichardo knocks in 5 runs in Altoona loss
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 51-59) was shut out 3-0 by Nashville (Brewers). C Henry Davis (.301), CF Nick Yorke (.322) and 3B Malcom Nunez (.266) all had singles. SS Alika Williams was 0 for 4 with four strikeouts. DH Joshua Palacios (.274) struck out three times and was 0 for 4. RHP...
Teoscar Hernandez hits walk-off single as Dodgers sweep Pirates, who lose 7th straight
As soon as Andrew McCutchen made contact, he nonchalantly dropped his bat and started to shrug his shoulders in celebration. It was that obvious that the Pittsburgh Pirates designated hitter had homered again. McCutchen sparked the Pirates to rally from a four-run deficit with a pair of two-run homers, including...
Despite 6-game skid, Pirates GM Ben Cherington believes playoff push is possible
That the Pittsburgh Pirates were riding a six-game losing streak into Sunday’s series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers did little to damper Ben Cherington’s belief that the postseason is a possibility. The Pirates general manager said sitting 10 ½ games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central...
With disastrous outings on his mind, Pirates reliever Ben Heller escapes bases-loaded jam
When Ben Heller loaded the bases against the first three Los Angeles Dodgers he faced, the right-handed reliever couldn’t help but have flashbacks to his previous outings for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 33-year-old Heller allowed 11 earned runs on nine hits, one walk and four hit batsmen in a pair...
Dodgers score early against Paul Skenes as Pirates suffer 6th consecutive loss
Paul Skenes won the big-on-big matchups against Los Angeles Dodgers stars Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman. It was Teoscar Hernandez and Gavin Lux who gave the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie phenom fits. Hernandez became the first player to hit Skenes’ signature splinker for a home run in a three-hit game, and...
Pirates farm report for Aug. 10, 2024: Thomas Harrington takes loss for Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 51-58) managed five hits in a 3-0 loss to Nashville (Brewers). 1B Malcom Nunez (.266) and 2B Alika Williams (.311) each went 1 for 4 with a double. 2B Nick Yorke (.322) went 1 for 2. RHP Thomas Harrington (0-1, 6.10) started and gave up two runs on...
With Hall of Famer in family, Isiah Kiner-Falefa embraces Pirates’ identity
Every time Isiah Kiner-Falefa visited PNC Park, he would make a point to look up at Ralph Kiner’s retired No. 4 or visit the bronze bust of his hands holding a Louisville Slugger bat. They share more than a surname. Kiner-Falefa’s maternal grandfather is Ralph’s cousin who attended the University...
Dodgers tag Mitch Keller for 5 runs in 3rd inning, hand Pirates 5th consecutive loss
The Pittsburgh Pirates were hoping that Mitch Keller could stop their losing skid. Instead, the anchor of their pitching staff delivered his worst start of the season. Keller surrendered a two-run home run to Shohei Ohtani in a five-run third inning and gave up seven runs in a 9-5 loss...
Pirates farm report for Aug. 9, 2024: Bubba Chandler throws 7 scoreless, 2-hit innings in Triple-A debut
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 51-57) shut out Nashville (Brewers), 6-0. RHP Bubba Chandler was brilliant in his first Triple-A start, allowing two hits and a walk in seven scoreless innings. He fanned six. RHP Fineas De Bonta-Smith (4.05) and RHP Ryder Ryan (4.45) each pitched a scoreless inning without allowing a hit....
Pirates promote controversial pitcher Domingo German, who threw perfect game last season
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected the contract of controversial right-handed pitcher Domingo German – who produced the most recent perfect game in major league history – before Friday’s game at the Los Angeles Dodgers. German had a 31-28 record with a 4.41 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 112 games (89 starts)...
Tim Benz: Why is everyone so mad at the Pirates? Can’t you tell they are doing us a favor?
Based on everything I’ve read online, seen on social media, and heard on sports talk radio, local sports fans are infuriated with the Pittsburgh Pirates lately. I can’t understand why. They did their part for the Western Pa. sports scene. Our beloved Buccos walked us right up to the start...
With season spiraling, Pirates count on starting pitching to serve as stoppers of losing streak
As the Pittsburgh Pirates attempt to put a disastrous homestand that ended with getting swept by the San Diego Padres in their rearview, they turn to their most reliable pitcher to serve as a stopper. Mitch Keller’s streak of 49 consecutive starts of pitching at least five innings ended against...
Pirates farm report for Aug. 8, 2024: Jared Jones gives up 1 hit, a homer, in 1st rehab start
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 50-57) managed four hits in a 3-1 loss to Nashville (Brewers). RHP Jared Jones (0-1, 6.75) started and pitched 2⅔ innings as he began a rehab assignment (lat). He allowed one hit – a two-run homer by Vinny Capra – with one walk and three strikeouts. RHP Mike...
David Bednar blows another lead, as Padres score 3 runs in 9th to sweep reeling Pirates
David Bednar was booed off the field by the home crowd after blowing another one-run lead in the ninth inning against the San Diego Padres, and the Pittsburgh Pirates closer offered no defense. Instead, Bednar swallowed hard and accepted the blame for failing to finish as the Pirates continued their...
Pirates place struggling reliever Colin Holderman on 15-day IL, DFA Edward Olivares
The Pittsburgh Pirates made a series of roster moves before Thursday’s game against the San Diego Padres, with the most prominent affecting a struggling high-leverage reliever. The Pirates placed right-hander Colin Holderman, who has a 16.62 ERA in his past five appearances, on the 15-day injured list with a sprained...
