Pirates/MLB category, Page 114
Andrew McCutchen scratched after twisting left ankle, as scuffling Pirates endure injury bug
Andrew McCutchen was going through his normal pregame routine of taking fly balls in the outfield when he went to plant his foot and felt it give, then slipped and awkwardly twisted his left ankle. The Pittsburgh Pirates made an 11th-hour decision to scratch McCutchen from the starting lineup, where...
Pirates run into outs in shutout loss to Blue Jays, stretching losing streak to 5
The Pittsburgh Pirates got off to a strong start this season on the strength of their speed and aggressive baserunning. Against Toronto, the Pirates ran into outs. Pirates runners were thrown out twice at third base and once at home plate. As a result, they came up empty as the...
On the spot: With Vince Velasquez out, Pirates must find replacement for starting rotation
When the Pittsburgh Pirates placed Vince Velasquez on the 15-day injured list Friday, it marked the second time they were forced to replace a starting pitcher this season. The first was an easy decision: Johan Oviedo took the spot of JT Brubaker, who underwent Tommy John surgery. The second one...
Pirates place RHP Vince Velasquez on 15-day IL, activate reliever Chase De Jong
The Pittsburgh Pirates placed right-handed pitcher Vince Velasquez on the 15-day injured list with right elbow discomfort, one day after he was removed following the third inning of Thursday’s 3-2 loss at Tampa Bay. The Pirates also ended the rehabilitation assignment for right-handed reliever Chase De Jong, who was activated...
Mark Madden: Ke’Bryan Hayes is a brilliant fielder, but Pirates need more from his bat
Now that the Pittsburgh Pirates don’t stink for the first time in a while, it’s time to discuss them like a real baseball team. Weak links can be questioned and dissected. Is third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes a weak link? Hayes will keep playing even if that’s the case. He signed...
Tim Benz: Pirates need bounce-back effort against Toronto after big thud in Tampa
You can call the Pittsburgh Pirates’ three-game series in Tampa whatever you want. A reality check. A step back. A wake-up call. A litmus test. However you want to phrase it, one thing is definitely true: It was a giant disappointment. The Pirates were swept by the Rays in their...
Pirates farm report for May 4, 2023: Quinn Priester dazzles for Indy
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 12-17) beat Toledo (Tigers) 5-2. RHP Quinn Priester (2-3, 5.96) threw six shutout innings and allowed just two hits while striking out four. RHP Eli Villalobos (11.57) did not record an out in the eighth and allowed two runs on two hits and walked two. RHP Colin Selby...
‘It’s incredible’: Pirates reliever Colin Holderman throws immaculate inning against Rays
Colin Holderman hates to lose, so the Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed reliever brought some anger to the mound while trailing the Tampa Bay Rays in the bottom of the seventh inning. “I’ll tell you what, I was pretty mad going into it,” Holderman said on the AT&T SportsNet postgame show. “I...
Rays hold off 9th-inning rally to hand Pirates 4th consecutive loss, sweep series
Not much was going right for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the best team in baseball. They lost starting pitcher Vince Velasquez to right elbow discomfort. They surrendered three solo home runs. And the home-plate umpire had an expanded strike zone. In the ninth inning, the Pirates finally caught some breaks...
Pirates RHP Vince Velasquez ‘optimistic’ after leaving game with right elbow discomfort
When Vince Velasquez clutched his right elbow in the third inning Thursday afternoon, it was a sign something wasn’t right for the Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed pitcher. Velasquez retired the side, but when he walked off the mound he told Pirates manager Derek Shelton he was having right elbow discomfort and...
U mad, bro?: Fans agitated over too much early Pirates hype, too much heat on Mike Sullivan, too many dirty NHL hits
OK, so maybe we took the Steelers’ draft-night conspiracies a little far. I don’t think so. But some of you do. Maybe, just maybe, we started talking up the Pirates too much before the Rays stomped them down. And perhaps the NHL playoffs have degenerated into “West Side Story” gang...
Pirates farm report for May 3, 2023: Liover Peguero hits 1st homer of season for Curve
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 11-17) split a doubleheader with Toledo (Tigers). Indianapolis dropped the first game, 4-3. CF Josh Palacios and 2B Aaron Shackelford (.246) each went 1 for 3 with a triple and an RBI. LHP Kent Emanuel (8.74) started and allowed two runs on one hit and one walk in...
Pirates manager Derek Shelton blames ejection on ‘disagreement’ over how pitch clock was run
Derek Shelton started the day by having a discussion with MLB about how the pitch clock was handled by the umpire crew. He finished it watching the Pittsburgh Pirates play the Tampa Bay Rays in his office. Shelton was ejected in the top of the fourth inning of Wednesday’s 8-1...
Pirates lose composure, Rays take advantage to clinch series win
Whether it was manager Derek Shelton getting ejected or middle infielders Rodolfo Castro and Ji Hwan Bae committing costly errors, the Pittsburgh Pirates repeatedly lost their composure Wednesday night. The Tampa Bay Rays took full advantage. The Rays scored four unearned runs early and got a pair of solo home...
Tim Benz: Challenge gets tougher for Pirates in Game 2 with Rays
It was a bad night for the Pittsburgh Pirates to endure a few bad breaks. A lot has gone right for manager Derek Shelton’s team in 2023. But that wasn’t the case Tuesday in Tampa Bay. The Pirates lost Game 1 of their much anticipated three-game showdown against the American...
Pirates farm report for May 2, 2023: Tres Gonzalez homers in 1st game with Greensboro
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 10-16) and Toledo (Tigers) were rained out. The game will be made up as apart of a doubleheader Wednesday. Next: Wednesday at Toledo (Tigers), doubleheader, 11:05 a.m. ALTOONA (Double-A, 10-10) lost to Richmond (Giants), 6-2. RHP Kyle Nicolas (1-3, 5.32) surrendered five runs on eight hits, including a...
Rays hand Pirates 2nd consecutive loss in 1st-place showdown
Austin Hedges was angry. Probably not as much as his manager, Derek Shelton. Yes, it looked like Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Ryan Thompson committed a balk in, perhaps, the most crucial moment of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 4-1 loss Tuesday night at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. Down 3-1, runners...
Pirates vs. Rays: The series we all predicted could be a World Series preview
It’s the interleague showdown everyone around Major League Baseball has been eagerly anticipating since … well … maybe the third week of April. Sure, Pittsburgh Pirates versus Tampa Bay Rays in Florida starting Tuesday probably wasn’t circled on a lot of calendars to start the season. It’s getting lots of...
Pirates’ Mitch Keller living up to expectations as rotation’s anchorVideo
Pittsburgh Pirates starter Mitch Keller, now in his fifth season at the big-league level, has personified what it means to persevere since making his MLB debut in 2019. Strides made by the 27-year-old right-hander are clear for fans of the Pirates who have watched the club navigate through a rough...
Pirates farm report for April 30, 2023: Jackson Glenn’s 3 homers lift Greensboro to blowout victory
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 10-16) and Columbus (Guardians) were rained out. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on June 21. Next: Tuesday at Toledo (Tigers), 6:05 p.m. ALTOONA (Double-A, 10-9) and Reading (Phillies) were rained out and canceled. Next: Tuesday at Richmond (Giants), 6:35 p.m. GREENSBORO (High-A,...
Nationals pound 15 hits to beat Pirates, end their 5-game road winning streak
The red-hot Pittsburgh Pirates went into Sunday seeking a sweep, only to have the Washington Nationals rain on their road trip. After a 2-hour, 26-minute rain delay, the Nationals pounded 15 hits to roll to a 7-2 win Sunday afternoon in Washington, D.C. The Pirates had won 10 of their...
Pirates trade catcher Tyler Heineman to Blue Jays for minor league infielder Vinny Capra
The Pittsburgh Pirates traded catcher Tyler Heineman to the Toronto Blue Jays for infielder Vinny Capra on Sunday. Heineman, who started 52 games for the Pirates last season and three this year, was designated for assignment Wednesday. Heineman returns to Toronto, where he played 10 games for the Blue Jays...
Pirates reliever Cody Bolton tosses 2 scoreless innings in major-league debut at Nationals
Cody Bolton went from top-10 prospect for the Pittsburgh Pirates to one who wondered whether he would get a shot at pitching in the major leagues — and only did after reinventing himself. Four words best describe Bolton’s major-league debut Saturday in the second game of a doubleheader against the...
Pirates farm report for April 29, 2023: Henry Davis hammers another homer for Altoona
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 10-16) handled Columbus (Guardians), 8-5. RHP Luis Ortiz (2-1, 2.45) started and went six innings, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks with six strikeouts. CF Josh Palacios (.407) went 2 for 3 with a pair of home runs, his third and fourth, and five RBIs...
Drew Maggi collects 1st MLB hit, RBI in Pirates’ blowout win over NationalsVideo
Drew Maggi thought things would more or less die down when the Pittsburgh Pirates hit the road for six straight games away from home. Maggi had felt the love at PNC Park earlier this week, with Pirates fanatics warmly cheering on the 33-year-old and chanting his name when he made...
