Pirates/MLB category, Page 96
Pirates farm report for Aug. 11, 2023: Greensboro’s Jack Brannigan homers for 5th straight game
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 50-60) lost 7-5 to Nashville (Brewers). 3B Malcom Nunez (.255) went 2 for 4 with a double and his fifth homer, a two-run shot. DH Domingo Leyba (.389) went 3 for 4 with a triple, his third homer, two runs scored and two RBIs. CF Ryan Vilade (.258)...
Reds take advantage of Johan Oviedo’s command issues to pound Pirates
After a string of seven consecutive losses was followed by three straight strong starts, the Pittsburgh Pirates were seeing some consistency and signs of growth from Johan Oviedo. That came crashing to a halt Friday night against the Cincinnati Reds, when the 24-year-old right-hander struggled from the start and couldn’t...
Pirates debunk PNC Park kitten rumor, say employees actually helped
A kitten found near PNC Park was not sprayed with pesticides by ballpark employees, despite rumors circulating on social media, a Pittsburgh Pirates spokesperson said Friday night. In fact, Pirates employees came to its aid, according to club spokesperson Brian Warecki. Warecki said in a statement that the cat was...
MLB Pipeline ranks Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes baseball’s No. 3 prospect in updated top 100
Led by 2023 No. 1 overall pick Paul Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates have six players ranked among MLB Pipeline’s updated top 100 prospects. Skenes, a 6-foot-6, 260-pound right-handed pitcher from LSU who made his professional debut Thursday in the Florida Complex League, is ranked the No. 3 overall prospect. The...
Pirates reliever Thomas Hatch impressive in debut with 4 scoreless innings against Braves
With a depleted bullpen, Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton turned to new reliever Thomas Hatch in the fifth inning Thursday with a plan that was more of a request: Give us whatever you have. The 28-year-old right-hander responded by tossing four scoreless innings against an Atlanta Braves lineup featuring seven...
Pirates farm report for Aug. 10, 2023: Roansy Contreras throws 3 scoreless for Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 50-59) dropped both ends of a doubleheader to Nashville (Brewers). In the first game, an 8-0 Nashville win, RHP Roansy Contreras (0.00) started and pitched three scoreless innings, allowing one hit, walking two and striking out two. RHP John O’Reilly (4.09) and LHP Rob Zastryzny (5.27) each pitched...
Reds rookie Elly De La Cruz, who looks like an Oneil Cruz clone, a gate attraction for Pirates
The first time Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Endy Rodriguez saw Elly De La Cruz was two years ago, when the Cincinnati Reds rookie was playing for Low-A Daytona and wasn’t even ranked among their top 30 prospects. Rodriguez remembers De La Cruz going 4 for 5 with three triples, long before...
Behind Bryan Reynolds ‘Matrix’ slide, Pirates get call at plate to beat Braves for series split
Bryan Reynolds lost the fly ball in the sky and got a bad jump from third base, so he “turned on the burners” before making what the Pittsburgh Pirates are calling “The Matrix” slide. A day after losing to the Atlanta Braves on a contested play at the plate, the...
Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz takes important step in recovery by starting running program
The Pittsburgh Pirates had one shortstop undergo surgery while another who is recovering from surgery started a running program that should serve as an important step toward his return. Where Tucupita Marcano underwent ACL reconstructive surgery Wednesday that will keep him out until next year, director of sports medicine Todd...
Pirates’ No. 1 draft pick Paul Skenes makes minor league debut
Paul Skenes made his professional baseball debut Thursday afternoon, and it was a quick one. The Pittsburgh Pirates’ No. 1 overall pick out of LSU, Skenes started for the FCL Pirates in their game against the FCL Twins at Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla. He tossed a 1-2-3 inning with...
Colin Selby shows his stuff as small-school success story in major league debut for Pirates
Colin Selby’s first major league pitch was a curveball “that didn’t do anything,” coming in so high and tight on Ronald Acuna Jr. that the Atlanta Braves star dropped to the dirt to avoid being hit. Asked if it was his way of announcing his presence with authority, the rookie...
U mad, bro?: Variety of spicy hot takes from Pirates, Penguins, Steelers fans
They say variety is the spice of life. If so, then this week’s “U mad, bro?” is spicy like ghost pepper chicken wings. Bubbling Pirates fans. Defensive Steelers fans. Fed-up college sports fans. And I even found a way to make Penguins fans angry after the team got Erik Karlsson....
Pirates farm report for Aug. 9, 2023: Jack Brannigan homers twice in Greensboro win
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 50-57) and Nashville (Brewers) were rained out. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader Thursday. Next: Thursday vs. Nashville (Brewers), doubleheader, 6:05 p.m. ALTOONA (Double-A, 49-52) split a doubleheader with Erie (Tigers). In the first game, a 4-2 Curve win, RHP Sean Sullivan (4-4,...
Braves beat Pirates on controversial call at plate in 8th inning
A controversial call at the plate is nothing new in a game involving the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Atlanta Braves, so there were bound to boos when the Braves scored the winning run on a contested call. Michael Harris tagged from third on Austin Riley’s sacrifice fly to Pirates second...
Tim Benz: Orioles’ suspension of team broadcaster highlights a bigger sports media issue
I’m happy to see that suspended Baltimore Orioles broadcaster Kevin Brown is being reinstated Aug. 11. But he never should’ve been suspended at all. According to The Athletic, the Orioles shelved Brown after a MASN game broadcast at Tropicana Field in Tampa-St. Petersburg on July 23. As AwfulAnnouncing.com pointed out...
Pirates OF Josh Palacios delivers ‘unbelievable’ highlights with circus catch, homer
Josh Palacios went upside down and all around, providing a pair of highlight plays by making a circus catch and rounding the bases for a home run that should have propelled the Pittsburgh Pirates to victory. Instead, Palacios only could stand at his locker and shake his head after an...
Pirates farm report for Aug. 8, 2023: 13th-round draft pick Charles McAdoo collects 6 hits, 8 RBIs
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 50-57) scored seven runs in the sixth inning but lost 9-8 to Nashville (Brewers). RF Miguel Andujar (.362) went 1 for 3 with a double, a run scored, and RBI and two walks. SS Nick Gonzales (.262) went 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored....
Braves rally with 3 runs in 9th off David Bednar to beat Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates had a one-run lead over the Atlanta Braves with one out in the ninth inning, a situation custom-made for two-time All-Star closer David Bednar to put the finishing touches on a victory. The Braves began a three-run rally, tying the game on Kevin Pillar’s RBI single followed...
Pirates add RHPs Thomas Hatch, Colin Selby, option Yerry De Los Santos, Osvaldo Bido
The Pittsburgh Pirates shook up their bullpen Tuesday, adding right-handers Thomas Hatch and Colin Selby and optioning Yerry De Los Santos and Osvaldo Bido to Triple-A Indianapolis. Hatch, 28, who was claimed off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday, was added to the active roster. He made six...
‘Just incredible’: Rookie Jared Triolo makes big play for Pirates with over-the-shoulder catch
Following a 78-minute rain delay, the Atlanta Braves were staging a rally. With one out, they had runners on first and third in the sixth inning when Michael Harris II hit a pop fly that floated past third base. Jared Triolo chased the ball into shallow right field, knowing a...
Pirates stun Spencer Strider with 6-run 3rd inning, hold on to beat Braves
The Pittsburgh Pirates had what appeared to be a monumental mismatch in facing Atlanta Braves right-hander Spencer Strider, the major-league strikeouts leader and one of seven All-Stars in the starting lineup for the team with the best record in baseball. And a mismatch it was, just not as expected. Well,...
Pirates farm report for Aug. 6, 2023: Lonnie White Jr. slugs grand slam in Marauders’ loss
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 50-56) had its series finale with Gwinnett (Braves) canceled because of rain and wet field conditions. The game will not be made up. Next: Tuesday vs. Nashville (Brewers), 7:05 p.m. ALTOONA (Double-A, 48-50) lost 13-4 to Richmond (Giants). The Flying Squirrels scored 11 runs in the final three...
Pirates claim righty reliever Thomas Hatch off waivers from Blue Jays
The Pittsburgh Pirates added a right-handed reliever by claiming Thomas Hatch off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday, filling the final spot on their 40-man roster. Hatch, 28, was 3-3 with a 5.40 ERA and 1.65 WHIP in 46 2/3 innings over 27 appearances, including four starts, in...
Johan Oviedo tosses 7 shutout innings, Pirates hit 3 homers to beat Brewers for series split
Johan Oviedo knew he would be overshadowed by Brandon Woodruff’s return to the Milwaukee Brewers’ starting rotation, yet the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander had no shortage of motivation. Oviedo, who had his worst start of his career against the Brewers last month at PNC Park, produced his best start of the...
Pirates farm report for Aug. 5, 2023: Ji Hwan Bae homers on rehab assignment with Indy
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 50-56) lost 5-1 to Gwinnett (Braves). CF Ji Hwan Bae (.222), on a rehab assignment for an ankle injury, went 1 for 3 with a home run and a walk. Only three other Indianapolis players managed hits, and they were all singles. LF Miguel Andujar (.362) went 1...
