Pirates/MLB category, Page 137
U mad, bro?: Steelers’ preseason anxiety meets Pirates’ late-season despair
It’s late August in Pittsburgh. For local sports fans, that marks the annual nexus of Steelers preseason obsession, meeting yearly late-season Pirates fan dejection. Preemptive quarterback concerns. Acute offensive line panic. Defensive back denial. All stirred with long-simmering Pirates angst and frustration. We mix it, shake it, chill it and...
First Call: ESPN projects Steelers to regress; Pirates’ brutal upcoming stretch; remembering Len Dawson as a Steeler
In Thursday’s “First Call,” ESPN.com is setting the bar low for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022. Tough times for the Pirates are about to continue. A trio of ex-Buccos pitchers are on the mound Thursday night. And we remember Len Dawson as a Steeler as the NFL mourns his passing....
Pirates farm report for Aug. 24, 2022: Jared Triolo triples, homers for Altoona
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 59-58) lost to Rochester (Nationals), 3-1. RF Cal Mitchell (.330) went 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI. 1B Mason Martin (.210) was 2 for 3. SS Diego Castillo (.278) was 1 for 4 with a double. RHP Jerad Eickhoff (4.30) started and went five innings,...
Matt Olson’s grand slam punctuates 7-run 8th inning as Braves pound Pirates
At first glance, the Atlanta Braves handed the Pittsburgh Pirates their worst loss of the season. Kyle Wright tossed seven scoreless innings, the Braves batted around the order twice and Matt Olson delivered a dagger by smacking a grand slam that bounced into the Allegheny River. The worst part? The...
Pirates rookie Oneil Cruz sets Statcast record for hardest hit with 122.4-mph single
When Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz blistered a baseball at an exit velocity of 122.4 mph against the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday, it smashed a major-league record for the hardest hit in the Statcast era. Believe it or not, Cruz didn’t clear the fence. Cruz crushed Kyle Wright’s first-pitch slider...
Pirates announce 2023 schedule, to play Chicago White Sox in home opener
The Pittsburgh Pirates will open the 2023 season with a three-game series at Cincinnati starting March 30 and, for the first time, host the Chicago White Sox in the home opener April 7. The Pirates announced their 2023 regular-season schedule, which will feature visits from 22 teams as part of...
Now healthy, Pirates counting on 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes to help lengthen their lineup
Derek Shelton was excited about the prospect of Ke’Bryan Hayes returning to the Pittsburgh Pirates lineup after watching the third baseman run the bases, take batting practice and do infield drills. When Hayes stood next to the Pirates manager in the home dugout at PNC Park in the first inning...
Pirates farm report for Aug. 23, 2022: Bubba Chandler throws 5 no-hit innings for Bradenton
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 59-57) got past Rochester (Nationals), 3-2. LF Cal Mitchell (.327) went 2 for 4 and broke a 2-2 tie in the eighth inning with his eighth home run. 3B Diego Castillo (.280) went 1 for 3 with an RBI. 1B Mason Martin (.207) went 1 for 4 with...
Max Fried outduels JT Brubaker as Braves beat Pirates, who lose 4th consecutive game
When Michael Chavis homered off Max Fried in the second inning, it gave the impression that the Pittsburgh Pirates had a chance at hitting the Atlanta Braves left-hander. It was but a blip. Fried retired the next 16 batters, and the Braves batted around the order in a five-run fifth...
Pirates activate 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes from IL, option INF Kevin Padlo to Indianapolis
After missing 10 games with a mid-back muscle strain, third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes is back with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates activated Hayes from the 10-day injured list Wednesday, and he is in the starting lineup for their game against the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park. The Pirates were 2-8...
Michael Harris II gets last laugh as Braves outduel Pirates in battle of top rookies
Roansy Contreras made the deepest start of his major league career, going seven innings for the first time against the star-studded lineup of the reigning World Series champion Atlanta Braves. Oneil Cruz simply went deep, crushing a solo home run with a 41-degree launch angle and at an exit velocity...
Pirates rookie shortstop Oneil Cruz searches for consistency amid struggles at the plate
The Pittsburgh Pirates have marveled at how Oneil Cruz dropped to one knee to hit a pitch in the dirt for his first major-league home run, used his extended reach to connect on pitches far outside the strike zone and set a team Statcast record with a 118.4-mph single. What...
First Call: Ex-Steeler shines at QB in Cleveland; Roquan Smith willing to stay in Chicago; Ravens extend preseason streak
An ex-Steelers quarterback is on fire with his new team this preseason. The Roquan Smith dream seems to have died for Pittsburgh fans. The Ravens just can’t lose in August. And Pittsburgh has two champions in a pair of very unique sports. All that in Monday’s “First Call.” And the...
Ben Cherington’s challenge: Build Pirates into a winner while sustaining strong farm system
When asked about the progress the Pittsburgh Pirates have made under his direction, general manager Ben Cherington painted a picture that was — quite literally — worth almost a thousand words. Nine hundred sixty-one, to be exact. Cherington started his soliloquy Friday by touching on a farm system whose talent...
Pirates farm report for Aug. 21, 2022: Homers by Carter Bins, Hoy Park lift Indy to victory
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 58-57) won 8-2 over Iowa (Cubs). C Carter Bins (.203) smacked a two-run homer. 2B Hoy Park (.228) hit a solo shot. 1B Brendt Citta (.229) was 2 for 3 with two RBIs. DH Jamie Ritchie (.237) also knocked in a run with a double. RHP Johan Oviedo...
Reds collect 13 hits, draw six walks to roll past Pirates for series win
Jake Fraley hit a solo home run and a two-run double, so the Pittsburgh Pirates knew there was trouble when the Cincinnati Reds desginated hitter was almost as dangerous when he wasn’t swinging the bat. That Fraley went 2 for 2 with three walks, four runs scored and three RBIs...
Pirates shuffle bullpen, adding LHP Cam Vieaux, optioning RHP Yohan Ramirez
The Pittsburgh Pirates continued to shuffle their bullpen, making a move before Sunday’s game to add a left-hander to the mix. The Pirates selected the contract of lefty Cam Vieaux and optioned right-hander Yohan Ramirez. To make room on the 40-man roster, they designated catcher Jose Godoy for assignment. Vieaux,...
Manny Banuelos, exemplifying how to persist in the major leagues, enjoying current ride with Pirates
The pain in his arm persisted. His velocity had dropped to what would be considered standard for a decent high school prospect. By the summer of 2016, Manny Banuelos had good reason to believe he had been cursed by the baseball gods. “I remember 2016, when I got released from...
Reds rough up Tyler Beede and pile it on in the 9th, beating the Pirates, 10-1
Saturday evening’s game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds featured two teams battling to avoid beginning Sunday as the National League Central cellar dweller. After the Pirates’ walk-off win Friday, the Pirates and Reds were tied for last place, 20.5 games back of the division-leading St. Louis Cardinals. In...
Pirates farm report for Aug. 20, 2022: Miguel Yajure picks up win for Indy
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 57-57) handled Iowa (Cubs), 6-2. 2B Ji-hwan Bae (.300) went 2 for 4 with a triple, two RBIs and his 10th stolen base. 1B Mason Martin (.206) went 1 for 3 with a walk, an RBI and his 12th stolen base. C Jose Godoy (.201) went 2 for...
‘A love-hate relationship’: How Pirates rookies like Bligh Madris swing through a slump
When Bligh Madris saw the cutter coming, he didn’t hesitate to swing and send it to right field. What went down as a simple single in the seventh inning Friday night was more monumental to Madris. For the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie outfielder, the hit not only marked the end of...
Pirates activate RHP Nick Mears from 60-day injured list, round out 40-man roster
Following a competed rehab assignment, the Pittsburgh Pirates activated pitcher Nick Mears from the 60-day injured list Friday evening and optioned him to Triple-A Indianapolis. The 25-year-old right-hander had been shut down in March following surgery to his throwing elbow. His reactivation puts the Pirates’ 40-man roster back at 40....
Pirates farm report for Aug. 19, 2022: Cal Mitchell, Mike Burrows headline Indy win
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 56-57) scored three in the seventh to beat Iowa (Cubs), 3-2. LF Cal Mitchell (.322) went 2 for 3 with a double and a three-run homer, his seventh. RHP Mike Burrows (4.31) started and threw five scoreless innings, allowing four hits and one walk and fanning six. LHP...
Michael Chavis hits RBI single in bottom of 9th for walk-off win as Pirates beat Reds
When the Cincinnati Reds visited the Pittsburgh Pirates, it became a battle to stay out of the basement in the NL Central. The Pirates needed a rally in the bottom of the ninth to do it. Kevin Newman doubled to tie the score, and Michael Chavis hit a bases-loaded single...
Pirates GM acknowledges challenges of ‘rebuild,’ return of manager Derek Shelton
With the Pittsburgh Pirates being on pace to lose 99 games, general manager Ben Cherington used the word “rebuild” in public for the first time and gave a vote of confidence Friday to Derek Shelton. The Pirates manager made waves earlier this week during a guest appearance on 93.7 FM,...
