Pirates/MLB category, Page 64
Tim Benz: Now that the bullpen has caught up to the starters, the Pirates’ hitters need to join the fray
In the final game of their recently completed series against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday, the Pirates plated two runs in the top of the seventh to close out their scoring in what would end up being an 8-2 victory in Denver. Since then, the Pirates have come to bat...
U mad, bro?: As the weather heats up, so do the debates over Mike Tomlin’s extension, the Pirates’ offense
We can complain about the heat in Pittsburgh as much as we want, it’s not going anywhere. That hasn’t stopped us the past few days, though, has it? We can complain about the Pirates’ anemic offense and Mike Tomlin’s playoff drought with the Steelers as much as we want too....
Ke’Bryan Hayes chasing confidence Bryan Reynolds displaying at plate for Pirates
Even after Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a home run Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds, the Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman couldn’t shake the feeling in his head that he wasn’t where he wanted to be at the plate. When Bryan Reynolds smacked a solo shot that proved to be the game winner...
Pirates farm report for June 19, 2024: Sammy Siani, Joe Perez guide Indianapolis to victory
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 31-38) blanked Iowa (Cubs), 2-0. 3B/1B Malcolm Nunez (.247) knocked in a run on a groundout and later scored on a wild pitch. SS Liover Peguero (.276) was 2 for 4 with a double and run scored. 1B Seth Beer (.667) was 2 for 3 with a walk....
Pirates end rehab assignment of infielder Alika Williams, option him to Triple-A
The Pittsburgh Pirates ended infielder Alika Williams’ rehabilitation assignment and optioned him to Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday. Williams, 25, was sidelined in early June with a right wrist sprain. He last appeared for the Pirates on May 29 and had hit .210 with no homers, two doubles and two RBIs...
Bryan Reynolds’ 8th-inning homer lifts Pirates over Reds in pitchers’ duelVideo
For the second consecutive game, offense was hard to come by for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds. After managing only four hits in a one-run loss to the Reds on Tuesday, the Pirates fared worse in the series finale Wednesday, collecting only three. However, it translated to a win,...
Tim Benz: After 1-game stumble, Mitch Keller looks to resume hot streak Wednesday
At the end of April, Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller was sitting at 2-3 with an ERA of 5.18. The 2023 All-Star was supposed to be the stabilizing presence within a rotation that was otherwise going to be populated by rookies, a few bargain-bin veterans plucked from other teams,...
After bouncing back from DFA, reliever Josh Fleming aims for stronger 2nd stint with Pirates
From the outside looking in, Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Josh Fleming seemed to undergo a swift fall from grace leading into his designation for assignment in mid-May. In April, the 28-year-old lefty was sharp, posting a 2.13 ERA over 122⁄3 innings and showcasing an ability to pitch multiple frames when needed...
Pirates farm report for June 18, 2024: Shalin Polanco’s walk-off grand slam lifts Bradenton to victoryVideo
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 30-38) defeated Iowa (Cubs), 4-2. RF Matt Gorski (.259) hit a solo homer. SS/2B Alika Williams (.273) was 3 for 5 with an RBI. 2B/SS Liover Peguero (.272) was 4 for 4. LF Matt Fraizer (.256) was 3 for 4 with two doubles and two runs scored. 3B...
‘His legacy is going to live on’: Pirates’ Andrew McCutchen reflects on death of Willie Mays
Upon learning that the player known as the game’s greatest center fielder had passed, Andrew McCutchen thought about his interactions with the pioneer who called him “Pittsburgh” and whose personality and play paved the path for the likes of himself, Rickey Henderson, Barry Bonds and Ken Griffey Jr. “Before all...
Nick Lodolo outduels Bailey Falter, Santiago Espinal homer leads Reds past Pirates
If the Pittsburgh Pirates thought beating the Cincinnati Reds was going to be as easy as 5-4-3, they were wrong. The Pirates turned three double plays in the first three innings, all starting with grounders to third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes throwing to Nick Gonzales at second base and relayed to...
Ticket from Roberto Clemente 3,000th-hit game, Ben Roethlisberger milestone jersey up for auction
A highly graded ticket from the game in which Roberto Clemente collected his 3,000th career hit, and the uniform that Ben Roethlisberger wore when he surpassed 40,000 yards passing are among items being auctioned this month. The Pittsburgh Pirates full ticket from the Sept. 30, 1972 game against the New...
Paul Skenes’ greatest weapon may be what he brings out in his Pirates teammates
Thus far in Paul Skenes’ Major League career, his highlight starts have largely been on the road. • Pulled with a no-hitter going and 11 strikeouts after six innings at Wrigley Field in Chicago. • Posting nine strikeouts in six innings of three-hit ball at Detroit. • Leaving to a...
Paul Skenes picks up career 1st as Pirates pick off pair of Reds in series-openerVideo
That the Cincinnati Reds lead MLB in stolen bases, with shortstop Elly De La Cruz atop the league’s individual leaderboards, was not lost on anyone in the Pittsburgh Pirates clubhouse ahead of a three-game series at PNC Park between the two NL Central foes. “We have to be on high...
Paul Skenes silences Reds as Pirates break tie in standings with NL Central rivals
When Paul Skenes attacked the Cincinnati Reds with his four-seam fastball by flirting with triple digits on four of his first five pitches, he found that their hitters were sitting on his heater. The Reds responded with back-to-back hits against the fastball, scoring a run in the first inning. But...
In need of fresh bullpen arm, Pirates recall righty Daulton Jefferies from Triple-A
The Pittsburgh Pirates did more tinkering to their bullpen Monday ahead of a three-game series at PNC Park vs. the Cincinnati Reds, recalling righty Daulton Jefferies from Triple-A Indianapolis. To make room, left-hander Justin Bruihl was optioned to the Indians. Jefferies joins a Pirates bullpen that was tasked with pitching...
Confidence factor: Why Pirates pitchers have full faith in veteran catcher Yasmani Grandal
Yasmani Grandal isn’t hitting anywhere near his weight and admittedly made an inexcusable mental error that allowed the Colorado Rockies to steal home Saturday night, a blemish for any catcher. Yet there’s a reason the Pittsburgh Pirates find value in the 35-year-old Grandal, and it has everything to do with...
Pirates farm report for June 16, 2024: Thomas Harrington throws 5 1-hit innings in Altoona win
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 29-38) was blanked 5-0 by Jacksonville (Marlins). Indianapolis was held to four hits, all singles. DH Joshua Palacios (.261) went 2 for 4. LHP Nick Dombkowski (1-2, 4.43) started and gave up three runs on six hits in 3⅔ innings. He walked one and struck out four. RHP...
Josh Fleming, Jason Delay deliver for Pirates in bounce-back win over Rockies to clinch series
The Pittsburgh Pirates turned to a pair of new arrivals for emergency spot starts, and left-handed reliever Josh Fleming and catcher Jason Delay required no extra incentive. Battery mates at Triple-A Indianapolis, both used their second chances to provide prominent performances as the Pirates bounced back from a double-digit defeat...
Rockies pound Jared Jones, bullpen to hand Pirates most lopsided loss of season
Jared Jones had matched his career high in earned runs when Colorado Rockies third base coach Warren Schaeffer noticed that Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Yasmani Grandal was lobbing the ball back to the mound. So Schaeffer, a Vandergrift native and Greensburg Central Catholic graduate, tipped Ryan McMahon to be on alert....
Pirates farm report for June 15, 2024: Matt Gorski, Joshua Palacios homer in Indy win
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 29-37) handled Jacksonville (Marlins), 6-2. CF Matt Gorski (.262) went 2 for 4 with double and his 13th home run. LF Joshua Palacios (.238) went 2 for 5 with a double and his first Triple-A homer of the season. SS Andres Alvarez (.267) went 4 for 4 with...
Pirates place Henry Davis on concussion IL, recall Jason Delay to serve as backup catcher
When Henry Davis took a foul ball off the face mask Friday night at Colorado, it proved to be worse than expected. Not only was the Pittsburgh Pirates catcher removed from the game but he was placed the catcher on the seven-day concussion injured list before Saturday’s game against the...
‘Exit velocity is king’: Pirates’ Oneil Cruz aware of, but not infatuated by, omnipresent metricVideo
As Major League Baseball reaches a decade in the Statcast era, advanced metrics are at the fingertips of fans, players and coaches alike. One analytic arguably reigns supreme by virtue of its ubiquitous presence in discussing the sport today: exit velocity. In the words of Pittsburgh Pirates designated hitter Andrew...
Andrew McCutchen, Bryan Reynolds, Jack Suwinski homer to push Pirates past Rockies
The high altitude of Coors Field proved to be the perfect antidote to the Pittsburgh Pirates’ slumbering lumber. Bryan Reynolds, Andrew McCutchen and Jack Suwinski homered to provide run support to propel the Pirates to a 5-2 win over the Colorado Rockies on Friday night in the first of a...
Pirates farm report for June 14, 2024: Indianapolis wins on Liover Peguero homer
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 28-37) beat Jacksonville (Marlins), 3-2, on a solo home run by SS Liover Peguero (.265) that snapped a 2-2 tie in the top of the ninth. It was Peguero’s fourth homer of the season. LF Matt Fraizer (.240) went 1 for 3 with two RBIs. 3B Malcom Nunez...
