Pirates/MLB category, Page 172
Pirates shut down JT Brubaker from throwing for 5-7 days with shoulder impingement
The Pittsburgh Pirates shut down pitcher JT Brubaker from throwing for five to seven days after team doctors determined he has right shoulder impingement that caused discomfort. Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Brubaker “has some soreness with certain range of motion” but called the prognosis “very encouraging.”...
David Bednar’s new high-leverage relief role for the Pirates comes with a curveball
After giving up a leadoff double to Miguel Cabrera in the eighth inning, David Bednar returned to what fast has become a go-to pitch. After blowing hitters away with a 97-mph four-seam fastball that can touch triple digits, the Pittsburgh Pirates reliever has spent the summer cultivating a curveball. The...
Pirates farm report for Sept. 7, 2021: Aaron Shackelford hits for cycle in Greensboro rout
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A 52-56) beat Louisville (Reds), 11-4. CF Jared Oliva (.265) had a big night, going 3 for 5 with two doubles, two RBIs and a stolen base. C Christian Bethancourt (.275) added a double and SS Diego Castillo (.400) had a home run and two RBIs. Max Kranick (3-4,...
Ben Gamel’s big plays in 6th inning propel Pirates past Tigers
If there was a ringing in Ben Gamel’s ears after the Pittsburgh Pirates left fielder chased down a fly ball before crashing into the corner wall, it wasn’t the words of his father. “My dad always tells me, ‘Live to see another day,’” Gamel said of Frank Gamel, who was...
On the roster: Pennsylvania artist creates Heinz Field image of Steelers player names
This picture is worth 1,608 words. Word artist Dan Duffy handwrote the name of every Steelers football player dating back to 1933 in a way that it created what appears to be the likeness of Heinz Field. Duffy, who owns Art of Words, creates caligrams — words arranged in a...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Pirates farm director John Baker discusses ‘What’s Important Now’
John Baker was dressed in casual attire, wearing a green blazer over a Roberto Clemente T-shirt and tapered khakis, as he sat on the home dugout bench at PNC Park. He looked and sounded more like a professor giving a lecture than the Pittsburgh Pirates farm director talking baseball. When...
Pirates notebook: Kevin Newman makes ‘incredible play’ as Derek Shelton credits defense
Kevin Newman chased Jeimer Candelario’s pop fly with his back to the diamond, the Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop turning and running into shallow left field before making an over-the-shoulder catch for the final out in the top of the third inning of their 6-3 win over the Detroit Tigers. “Off the...
Ke’Bryan Hayes finds groove atop the order, as Pirates top Tigers to snap 6-game losing streak
Since trading Adam Frazier to San Diego on July 26, the Pittsburgh Pirates had tried eight players in their search for a leadoff hitter before Derek Shelton approached Ke’Bryan Hayes. The revolving door at the top of the order had coincided with the rookie third baseman’s batting average dropping from...
Pirates recall RHP Cody Ponce, claim RHP Conner Overton off waivers from Blue Jays
The Pittsburgh Pirates made some moves Monday to bolster a pitching staff that has become a revolving door because of injuries. With starter JT Brubaker and reliever Duane Underwood Jr. placed on the injured list Sunday – both with right shoulder inflammation – the Pirates recalled right-hander Cody Ponce (0-3,...
Mark Madden: Embarrassing moments have punctuated Pirates season
As the Pirates’ season mercifully winds down, one wonders: What is their most embarrassing moment from an embarrassing 2021 season? The cumulative is actually more embarrassing than anything. The Pirates are on pace to lose 106 games. They have lost six in a row and eight of nine. They are...
Pirates farm report for Sept. 5, 2021: Oneil Cruz’s prodigious homer helps Curve snap 7-game skid
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 51-56) split a doubleheader with Iowa (Cubs). In the first game, Indianapolis scored three times in the bottom of the seventh inning and won 4-3 on C Christian Bethancourt’s walk-off single. Bethancourt (.272) was 2 for 4 with two RBIs. RF Bligh Madris (.262) also knocked in two...
Cubs hit 2 grand slams, come back 3 times to finish sweep of Pirates
Just when it appeared the Pittsburgh Pirates were slamming their Windy City losing streak, Chicago slammed right back. Twice. The Chicago Cubs used two grand slams Sunday to answer an early one hit by Bryan Reynolds. They completed a four-game sweep 11-8. Counting defeats to the White Sox on the...
Pirates add JT Brubaker and Duane Underwood Jr. to injured list
The Pittsburgh Pirates continued their almost-daily tweaks to the roster Sunday, swapping out a pair of right-handers for a different duo of righties. JT Brubaker and Duane Underwood Jr. each were placed on the 10-day injured list because of right shoulder inflammation. Brubaker leads the Pirates in innings pitched (124...
Grand plans: Pirates prospect Nick Gonzales opens eyes with slams in back-to-back games
The Greensboro Grasshoppers had the bases loaded and were trailing by two runs when Nick Gonzales came to bat with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but no one could have predicted what came next. Not even after what Gonzales had done two days earlier. Gonzales hit three...
Pirates farm report for Sept. 4, 2021: Altoona reliever Oddy Nunez throws immaculate inning
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 50-55) and Iowa (Cubs) were rained out. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader Sunday. Next: Sunday vs. Iowa (Cubs), doubleheader, 12:35 p.m. ALTOONA (Double-A, 52-52) lost its seventh straight, managing just six hits in a 2-0 loss to Akron (Indians). RHP Jeffrey Passantino...
20 years later, events of 9/11 have lasting impact for Pittsburgh sports figures
Jason Kendall was relaxing at his home in Pittsburgh’s southwest suburbs when his phone rang about 9 a.m. on a sunny, seasonal, late-summer Tuesday. Seeing it was his brother calling, the then-Pittsburgh Pirates star catcher instinctively knew something was amiss. “You know how you get that phone call early enough,...
Cubs rally for 3 runs in 9th, beating Pirates on Frank Schwindel’s headfirst slide at 1st base
The Pittsburgh Pirates were one out away from a win when their latest defensive debacles against the Chicago Cubs came down to a dropped fly ball in right field and a headfirst slide to beat the tag at first base. Frank Schwindel hit a grounder deep to shortstop and slid...
JT Brubaker reinstated from IL to start Saturday against the Cubs, Kyle Keller optioned
JT Brubaker has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list and will try to snap the Pittsburgh Pirates’ four-game losing streak when he starts against the Chicago Cubs at 2:20 p.m. Saturday at Wrigley Field. The right-hander was placed on the IL on Aug. 25 with a right thumb contusion,...
Pirates farm report for Sept. 3, 2021: Altoona’s Mason Martin breaks up no-hit bid in 9th
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 50-55) lost to Iowa (Cubs) 9-7. RHP Cam Vieaux (7.67) started and went 1⅔ scoreless innings, striking out two and walking one. RHP Matt Eckelman (2-5, 4.88) ended up with the loss, allowing three runs (one earned) over 2⅓ innings. He also struck out three and walked one....
Anthony Alford’s 2 homers not enough as Pirates lose to Cubs
Steven Brault was sitting next to Michael Perez on the lower bench in the visiting dugout with an obstructed view of Wrigley Field when they heard Anthony Alford make contact with the pitch. It was so loud that the Pittsburgh Pirates battery mates turned and looked at each other, recognizing...
Wilmer Difo’s Wrigley Field pop-up mishap comically foreshadowed by ex-Pirate Sean Casey
During a radio appearance on WDVE on Thursday, former Pirate and Upper St. Clair native Sean Casey told a laugh-out-loud story about playing at Wrigley Field. Little did he know that the punchline would be recreated by his hometown team later that night. The Pirates are in the middle of...
Cubs win in 11th inning walk-off when Pirates 2B Wilmer Difo misses pop fly
The Pittsburgh Pirates had blown a three-run lead, rallied to tie the game in the ninth inning and put the Chicago Cubs in a spot where they had run out of position players in extra innings. Somehow, the Pirates found a new way to lose. Second baseman Wilmer Difo turned...
Pirates farm report for Sept. 2, 2021: Quinn Priester spins 6 scoreless for Greensboro
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 50-54) handled Iowa (Cubs), 6-2. Newly promoted SS Diego Castillo (.667) went 4 for 4 with a walk, an RBI and three runs scored. Castillo was acquired from the Yankees in the Clay Holmes trade at the deadline. LF Jared Oliva (.264) went 2 for 4 with a...
Batting 1st, Cole Tucker tries to make positive lasting impression on Pirates
Cole Tucker thought the ball had a shot of leaving the park, given the way it felt off the bat and the frequency with which the Chicago White Sox cleared the fence at Guaranteed Rate Field. Tucker was upset he had to settle for a double, even if it served...
Rookie DH Gavin Sheets homers twice as White Sox beat Pirates to sweep 2-game series
After being thrown out in his first attempt to cross home plate, Gavin Sheets took matters into his own hands. The 25-year-old rookie blasted a pair of home runs to lift the Chicago White Sox to a 6-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field....
