Pirates/MLB category, Page 72

Refreshing Pirates notes. I haven’t done this for a long time because the Pirates haven’t been relevant for a long time. So here goes: • At 16-7, it’s hard to imagine the Pirates stumbling to 90 losses. It’s easy to see them navigating a .500 season. But that might change...

Among all the other things that have been going right for the Pittsburgh Pirates so far in 2023, they’ve also quietly become one of the best base-stealing teams in baseball. During their 2-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday, the Pirates stole three bases, giving them 25 on the...

The Pittsburgh Pirates are riding an MLB-best seven-game winning streak, have swept back-to-back series for the first time in almost five years and are off to their best start in three decades. The Pirates (16-7) are the hottest team and the biggest story in baseball, a reversal of fortunes in...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 8-13) beat Memphis (Cardinals), 6-4. C Grant Koch (.308) hit a two-run homer. DH Miguel Andujar (.286) was 2 for 4 with two RBIs and now has 13 RBIs for the season. SS Josh Bissonette (.265), who was 3 for 4, and 3B Ryan Vilade (.321) also each...

Vince Velasquez reduced his repertoire to essentially two pitches, and his four-seam fastball and slider were so effective the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander produced his best performance of the season. Velasquez struck out 10 — nine on breaking balls — while tossing a two-hitter over seven scoreless innings in a 2-0...

Drew Maggi spent a lifetime chasing his dream of playing in the major leagues, but the two-hour drive from Altoona to Pittsburgh gave the 33-year-old infielder time to reflect on the journey by looking at photos from his 12 stops with six organizations over five minor-league levels. “It was a...

The Pittsburgh Pirates made several roster moves Sunday morning, including one that could involve a major league debut. The Pirates recalled infielder Drew Maggi from Double-A Altoona and placed outfielder Bryan Reynolds on the bereavement list. To make room on the 40-man roster, first baseman/designated hitter Ji-Man Choi (left Achilles...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 7-13) was throttled by Memphis (Cardinals), 7-2. RF Miguel Andujar (.274) went 2 for 3 with a two-run home run, his second. 3B Ryan Vilade (.375) went 2 for 4. 2B Nick Gonzales (.250) went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. RHP Osvaldo Bido (1-1, 2.81) started and...

One impressive streak came to an end for the Pittsburgh Pirates but not at the expense of the more important one. The string of 11 consecutive quality starts by Pirates pitchers ended when left-hander Rich Hill was pulled after five innings. Instead, they got a quality finish. Yohan Ramirez and...

Derek Shelton’s message to the Pittsburgh Pirates never wavered, even as they traded away top players amid a major rebuild and endured the embarrassment of successive 100-loss seasons. Shelton preached positivity and believing in the process, which has been rewarded with the best start in three decades and a contract...

The Pittsburgh Pirates returned from a 5-2 road trip that ended with a three-game sweep at Denver to play in front of a mere 14,051 at PNC Park this past Thursday. Bucco Fever isn’t spreading that quick. Perhaps people still are wearing masks. Or maybe the inevitable reality of 162...

That Andrew McCutchen is back with the Pittsburgh Pirates and they are within striking distance of first place in the NL Central is not lost on the 36-year-old right fielder/designated hitter, who has a point to prove. This isn’t the old Cutch, but rather a return to the Cutch of...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 7-12) was doubled up by Memphis (Cardinals), 8-4. RHP Quinn Priester (7.80) lasted only 1⅔ innings, giving up four runs on five hits and a walk with three strikeouts. LHP Cam Alldred came on and gave up three runs on four hits and three walks in 2⅓ innings....

Carlos Santana turned his right shoulder, shrugging off a brushback pitch by Cincinnati Reds reliever Ian Gibaut. Santana shrugged off another before taking a called strike on a changeup. “I knew he was going to try to pitch inside, but I never lost my focus,” Santana said. “I wanted to...

After four consecutive last-place finishes and two consecutive 100-loss seasons, the Pirates really don’t care who they are beating. They just care that they are winning. “We are hot. And we know it. There is no denying that,” said Pirates outfielder/first baseman Connor Joe. They are. And we can’t. Usually...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 7-11) lost 6-1 to Memphis (Cardinals). C Endy Rodriguez (.263) hit his third home run in the fourth inning, then left in the eighth with an apparent injury. LHP Caleb Smith (0-2, 7.53) started and worked five innings, allowing two runs on one hit, a home run. RHP...

The Pittsburgh Pirates spotted Roansy Contreras a four-run, first-inning lead with back-to-back home runs by Connor Joe and Jack Suwinski, then let the right-hander shut down the Cincinnati Reds. Contreras walked off to an ovation in the seventh inning after delivering the 10th consecutive quality start by a Pirates pitcher,...

As the calendar flipped months over the course of the 2022 offseason, a series of moves by Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington made one thing clear: upgrading the team’s options at first base, with a particular emphasis on dependable defense, was a major priority. November and December saw Cherington...

When the Pittsburgh Pirates announced their inaugural Hall of Fame, Kent Tekulve started to wonder where he stacked up against the franchise’s all-time greats. Teke came to a humbling conclusion. “You almost think about it that, if I get really lucky and they work down the list far enough that...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 7-10) dropped its second straight with a 12-7 loss to Memphis (Cardinals). 1B Malcom Nuñez (.222) went 2 for 5 with a solo home run and a two-run single. C Tyler Heineman (.444) was 2 for 4 with a triple, double and two RBIs. 3B Nick Gonzales (.283)...

The Pittsburgh Pirates concluded a 5-2 road trip through St. Louis and Denver on Wednesday with their second 14-3 victory of the three-game series sweep of the Colorado Rockies. Admittedly, it’s too early to make any definitive evaluations, but some surface differences have emerged between the 12-7 Pirates of 2023...

Before Tuesday night, Pittsburgh Pirates left-hand hitting Jack Suwinski never had hit a home run to the opposite field in the majors. But he homered into the left-field and right-field seats at Coors Field to lead the Pirates to a 5-3 victory against the Colorado Rockies. It marked his second...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 7-9) gave up two in the ninth to lose to Memphis (Cardinals), 5-4. RHP Yerry De Los Santos (0-2, 8.44) gave up back-to-back homers to Luken Baker and Oscar Mercado with one out. RHP Luis Ortiz (2.08) started and went five innings, allowing four hits and one walk...