Pirates/MLB category, Page 57
Tim Benz: Get Paul Skenes some offensive help … or just let him hit for himself
We’ve found something Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes can’t do. Be his own offense. Actually, based on some of his hitting numbers as a college batter, theoretically, he could do exactly that. Certainly more effectively than many of the guys who were in the lineup to “support him” Tuesday night. Skenes...
The Skenes Show: Pirates phenom welcomes challenge of being baseball’s newest superstarVideo
Paul Skenes heard the PNC Park crowd chanting when he took the mound in the ninth inning, though the Pittsburgh Pirates phenom was so locked in that he couldn’t grasp the magnitude of the moment. The rookie right-hander has captivated the baseball world since leading LSU to the College World...
Pirates farm report for July 23, 2024: Seth Beer’s 3 homers, 5 RBIs lift Indy to victory
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 41-52) pounded Iowa (Cubs), 13-6. DH Seth Beer (.333) was 4 for 5 with three home runs and five RBIs. 1B Jake Lamb (.282) hit a three-run homer. CF Ji Hwan Bae (.362) was 2 for 5 with an RBI and three runs scored. C Henry Davis was...
Cardinals score in 9th to beat Pirates, hand rookie Paul Skenes his 1st loss
The crowd roared when Paul Skenes took the mound for the ninth inning, chanting “M-V-P!” as the Pittsburgh Pirates gave the rookie phenom a chance to pitch the first complete game of his major-league career. In his first start since the All-Star Game, Skenes showed ruthless efficiency and made only...
Pirates sign 3rd-round pick Josh Hartle, left-hander from Wake Forest
The Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday signed the sixth member of their 2024 MLB draft class: third-round pick Josh Hartle, a left-handed pitcher out of Wake Forest. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Hartle, 21, is the club’s highest-drafted player to sign thus far, joining righties Matt Ager and Gavin Adams, left-hander Connor Wietgrefe,...
Pirates’ Bailey Falter to begin rehab at Triple-A; Jared Jones continues recovery
As the Pittsburgh Pirates wrap up a homestand and prepare to hit the road for six games to close July, several pitchers continue to work their way back from the injured list. For some, a return to action is closer on the horizon. Lefty starter Bailey Falter (left triceps tendinitis)...
Ticket to hide: Ross woman’s PNC Park experience came with obstructed view
Like many first-time PNC Park visitors, Danielle Jones was left in awe by her trip to the North Shore ballpark Saturday. For Jones, though, it was for all the wrong reasons. Jones of Ross spent $62 on a seat at the game to see her daughter, Taylor, who was attending...
Tim Benz: Jim Leyland lamented broken hearts of Pirates fans. I’d welcome one again just to know mine was still beating
During his Hall of Fame induction speech Sunday, Jim Leyland perfectly encapsulated the memories left by the Pittsburgh Pirates teams he managed in the early 1990s. “I never felt like ‘manager and fans’ in Pittsburgh,” Leyland said. “It felt more like ‘manager and friends.’ I know we made you happy,...
Nick Gonzales not the only Pirate to show ‘clutch gene’ in win over St. Louis
After his team’s 2-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals Monday night, Pirates manager Derek Shelton was asked if he believed the “clutch gene” existed in baseball. “If you talk to anybody who is an analyst, they will tell you, ‘No.’ If you talk to anyone who has ever put...
‘He’s taking advantage of the opportunity’: Joey Bart performing at, behind plate for PiratesVideo
The valleys Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Joey Bart has had to navigate so far this season have been plainly visible. Bart was jettisoned by the San Francisco Giants at the end of March, and following his trade to the Pirates, with whom he appeared to be finding some rhythm in April...
Nick Gonzales drives in winning run in 8th inning as Pirates edge Cardinals
The Pittsburgh Pirates have come to expect that when Nick Gonzales comes to the plate in late-game situations, the rookie second baseman does so with a slow heartbeat and a knack for game-winning hits. Gonzales singled to score Bryan Reynolds in the bottom of the eighth inning for his eighth...
Pirates sign 5 Day 2 draft picks, including a pitcher with Westmoreland County ties
The Pittsburgh Pirates signed five college players selected on the second day of the MLB Draft — including one with Westmoreland County ties — and assigned them to the Florida Complex League in Bradenton, Fla. Pirates amateur scouting director Justin Horowitz announced the signings Monday of three pitchers, a shortstop...
Mark Madden: Why be careful with prospects? Time is now for Pirates to maximize Paul Skenes’ window
Yet another column on why the Pittsburgh Pirates have to get a legit bat before MLB’s July 30 trade deadline: The Pirates aren’t far from a playoff berth. The standings show that, as did the Pirates with their performance in the just-completed home series against Philadelphia, baseball’s best team. Winning...
Madden Monday: Is Paul Skenes’ debut already more impressive than Sid’s? Big Ben’s? Mario’s?
Despite all the hype surrounding his All-Star Game start, Pittsburgh Pirates rookie pitcher Paul Skenes delivered by getting through the first inning without allowing a hit. Paul Skenes retires Aaron Judge and it's a scoreless first inning ???? pic.twitter.com/X4o89E5f6f— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 17, 2024 “I thought he handled...
Locked in: Now healthy, Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz off to a strong start to 2nd halfVideo
On Oneil Cruz’s first swing of the second half, he smoked Aaron Nola’s changeup off the base of the center-field wall at an exit velocity of 120.5 mph for an RBI double that saw him slide effortlessly into second base. That was a sign Cruz could be a catalyst for...
Tim Benz: For Pirates GM Ben Cherington, it’s not about new math — it’s about ditching old philosophies
On Sunday, Ben Cherington wanted to take us all to math class. During Cherington’s weekly radio show on 93.7 The Fan, play-by-play man Joe Block asked the Pittsburgh Pirates general manager if the team’s recent hot stretch of eight wins in nine tries altered the front office’s approach in advance...
Pirates farm report for July 21, 2024: Ji Hwan Bae smacks 3 hits, homer in Indy loss
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 40-52) were walked-off by Omaha (Royals), 3-2. 2B Ji Hwan Bae (.360) was 3 for 3 with two walks and a solo homer on the game’s first pitch. SS Alika Williams (.271) was 1 for 5 with an RBI. LF Gilberto Celestino (.271) was 2 for 4 with...
Pirates’ Jim Leyland among those inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Jim Leyland said there was something special about all four of the organizations he managed during his Hall of Fame career — the Pittsburgh Pirates, Florida Marlins, Colorado Rockies and Detroit Tigers. The Pirates gave the longtime minor-league coach his first chance to manage, and what followed...
Bats fall silent, Pirates fail to sweep Phillies
Back-to-back wins over Philadelphia put the Pittsburgh Pirates in position for a series sweep against the visiting Phillies Sunday afternoon at PNC Park. But pulling that off against their cross-state rival proved to be an unattainable accomplishment as the Pirates fell 6-0, snapping the longest active win streak in baseball...
Pirates GM Ben Cherington: Win streak could ‘clarify’ whether to be trade buyers or sellers
Ben Cherington called July an “incredibly exciting” time but also a month in baseball that can be “exhausting,” and the Pittsburgh Pirates general manager knows his work is far from done. “We’ve made July into quite a month in baseball,” Cherington said on his weekly radio show on Pirates flagship...
Pirates farm report for July 20, 2024: Thomas Harrington strikes out 10 in Curve loss
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 40-51) fell to Omaha (Royals), 7-4. C Henry Davis (.297) was 2 for 4 with an RBI. DH Seth Beer (.299) hit a solo homer. LF Matt Fraizer (.273) was 2 for 3 with two runs scored. RF Edward Olivares (.222) went 2 for 4. SS Alika Williams...
Luis Ortiz sharp as Pirates top Phillies to extend winning streak to season-high 6 games
Despite a more fluid role than his fellow pitchers and a background not as sexy compared to some of the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie phenoms, Luis Ortiz has quietly been a major asset for the club this season. That was on full display Saturday at PNC Park, with Ortiz starting against...
‘People love Jim Leyland’: Pirates get thrills, chills in anticipation of Hall of Fame induction
Don Kelly stood on the field during batting practice Saturday afternoon at PNC Park wearing a wide smile and a black T-shirt celebrating Jim Leyland’s induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Just the thought of Leyland being enshrined among the game’s greats Sunday afternoon in Cooperstown, N.Y., gave...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Getting a bat at the deadline will keep deception going for Pirates
Here’s why the Pittsburgh Pirates should add a significant bat before MLB’s July 30 deadline, proposed in a way that owner Bob Nutting might approve: If the Pirates legitimately appear to be trying to win, it would hook the marks for at least five more years. The suckers. That’s you....
Pirates farm report for July 19, 2024: Matt Gorski hits 16th homer in Indy win
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 40-50) took care of Omaha (Royals), 8-1. 3b Malcom Nunez (.260) went 3 for 4 with his ninth homer and three runs scored. RF Matt Gorski (.248) went 2 for 3 with his 16th homer and three runs scored. 1B Jake Lamb (.284) went 1 for 5 with...
