Pirates/MLB category, Page 179
Report: Pirates draft pick Lonnie White Jr. chooses pro baseball over Penn State football
Pittsburgh Pirates draft pick Lonnie White Jr. has chosen to play professional baseball and bypass a football scholarship to Penn State, according to a report by PhillyVoice.com. The Malvern Prep outfielder, selected No. 64 overall in the MLB Draft in the Competitive Balance B round, was reportedly torn between the...
With strong Venezuelan roots, Tucupita Marcano one-third of Pirates’ return in Adam Frazier trade
The Pirates acquired three players from the San Diego Padres in the Adam Frazier trade Sunday — all with zero or minimal major-league experience. The closest to the majors is infielder/outfielder Tucupita Marcano. That’s because he played in 25 games for the Padres this season. He was named for the...
Pirates farm report for July 25, 2021: Matthew Fraizer smacks 18th homer for Greensboro
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 34-36) was beaten by Toledo (Tigers), 7-3. RHP James Marvel (3-3, 5.43) was tagged for seven runs on seven hits and four walks in 4.2 innings. Four relievers – RHP Matt Eckelman, LHP Dillon Peters, LHP Blake Weiman and LHP Braeden Ogle – held Toledo scoreless the rest...
Pirates trade All-Star Adam Frazier to Padres for prospects
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher J.T. Brubaker had to tell the truth Sunday when he heard Adam Frazier was traded to the San Diego Padres for three young prospects. “I’m happy for the guy. Dude’s an All-Star,” Brubaker said. Catcher Jacob Stallings didn’t hide from what many players in the Pirates clubhouse...
Pirates miss chance at sweep, drop series finale to NL West-leading Giants
Except for two pitches, J.T. Brubaker gave the Pittsburgh Pirates a chance to win Sunday at Oracle Park in San Francisco. But leadoff hitter Lamonte Wade Jr. homered twice off Brubaker, Pittsburgh Pirates bat went silent and the Giants finally looked like the team with the best record in baseball...
With trade deadline looming, Pirates’ Ben Cherington hopes to uncover `opportunities that make sense’
Ben Cherington offered no specific details Sunday when he appeared on his radio show on 93.7 FM and was asked about the upcoming trade deadline. But the Pittsburgh Pirates general manager indicated trades are an important component in rebuilding the team. “We have to stay focused on adding talent and...
Searching for a strong second half, Pirates RF Gregory Polanco finds success in choking up
After a first half that had his batting average hovering around – and often below – the Mendoza Line, Gregory Polanco spent his time sidelined by an injury searching for ways to have a strong second half. When he was on the injured list with a bilateral adductor strain —...
Gregory Polanco, Kevin Newman have 3 RBIs as Pirates pound 16 hits to beat Giants
Sparked by three-RBI games from a pair of hitters in Gregory Polanco and Kevin Newman who have been hovering around the Mendoza Line, the Pirates pounded the pitcher with the best ERA in baseball Saturday night. Boosted by a big lead, Pirates right-hander Wil Crowe finished with a career-best nine...
Pirates farm report for July 25, 2021: Mason Martin hits 19th long ball for Curve
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 34-35) lost 6-4 to Toledo (Tigers). RHP Mitch Keller (1-1, 3.21) was knocked around, giving up six runs, four earned, on seven hits and three walks in five innings. He struck out nine and allowed a home run. 1B Christian Bethancourt (.284) went 2 for 4 with his...
Pirates notebook: Derek Shelton keeping close watch on starters’ pitch, inning counts
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ discussions with right-hander JT Brubaker have revolved around his pitch selection and execution, though Derek Shelton has a deeper issue in the back of his mind at all times. Brubaker (4-9, 4.68 ERA) is scheduled to make his 18th start of the season against Alex Wood (8-3,...
Pirates get a gift from Giants, scoring 3 runs without a hit in 7th to snap 4-game skid
Derek Shelton laughed at the suggestion, that the perfect antidote for the Pittsburgh Pirates after getting swept by the team with the worst record in baseball was to play the team with the game’s best record. “I don’t know if you ever welcome a challenge of playing the team with...
Pirates farm report for July 23, 2021: Steven Brault pitches 4 perfect innings for Indy
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 34-34) beat Toledo (Tigers), 2-1. LHP Steven Brault (0-1, 1.29) made a brilliant rehab start as he continues to recover from a lat strain that has kept him out most of the season, pitching four perfect innings with six strikeouts. RHP Beau Sulser (5-3, 3.29) went the rest...
Pirates notes: Scoring change gives Adam Frazier another hit, NL batting lead
Even with a day off, Adam Frazier picked up another hit. This one moved the Pirates All-Star second baseman to the top of the National League batting leaders. MLB made a scoring change in the Pirates’ 9-7 win over the New York Mets on July 17, switching the third-inning error...
Pitcher Will Bednar, a Mars alum, signs with San Francisco Giants for $3.65 million bonus
Will Bednar, the Mars alum who led Mississippi State to the College World Series championship, signed with the San Francisco Giants on Friday for a reported bonus of $3.65 million. The Giants announced the signing of the 6-foot-2, 229-pound right-hander, the younger brother of Pittsburgh Pirates reliever David Bednar, just...
Pirates farm report for July 22, 2021: Matthew Fraizer blasts grand slam for Greensboro
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 33-34) was drilled by Toledo (Tigers), 7-2. RHP Cody Ponce (0-4, 5.29) was a hard-luck loser, giving up two runs on six hits with six strikeouts in six innings. LHP Joe Jacques and LHP Blake Weiman combined to give up five runs in three innings of relief. 3B...
After choosing Pirates over Clemson, Bubba Chandler says he’s ‘only scratched the surface’
Bubba Chandler was ready to be a two-sport athlete at Clemson until the Pittsburgh Pirates presented an opportunity to be a two-way professional baseball player — and an offer he couldn’t refuse. The Pirates announced the signing of Chandler, their third-round pick in the MLB Draft, on Thursday morning and...
U mad, bro?: Penguins fans fret about expansion strategy; Pirates fans still prickly about draft; Steelers’ forgotten past
This week’s “U mad, bro?” is all over the map. Penguins hockey. College hockey. Baseball drafts. Steelers from the 1930s. And English lessons. This is what they call the “dog days” of summer. I don’t have a dog right now. But based on the emails I received this week, if...
Pirates farm report for July 21, 2021: Mason Martin slugs 16th home run
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 33-33) was knocked around by Toledo (Tigers), 11-5. Veteran RHP Shelby Miller (1-1, 4.50) made his first start with Indianapolis but pitched only one inning, giving up a solo home run and striking out one. RHP Steven Wright relieved him and gave up eight runs on eight hits...
Back-to-back homers in 7th lead Diamondbacks past Pirates for series sweep
The Arizona Diamondbacks might have the worst record in baseball, but the Pittsburgh Pirates gave reason for debate over which team is the worst in the National League, if not the majors. Pavin Smith and Daulton Varsho hit back-to-back home runs off Duane Underwood Jr. in the seventh inning as...
Pirates infielder Erik Gonzalez ‘exceeding expectations’ in recovery from oblique injury
The Pittsburgh Pirates have three position players on the injured list. One is ahead of schedule and one right on schedule while another has suffered a setback. Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said infielder Erik Gonzalez (right oblique strain) is “exceeding expectations” in his recovery by taking ground...
Pirates agree to $3 million bonus with third-round pick, RHP/SS Bubba Chandler
The Pittsburgh Pirates agreed to a $3 million signing bonus, pending physical, to convince two-sport star Bubba Chandler to skip playing quarterback at Clemson and play professional baseball instead. The Pirates selected Chandler, a right-handed pitcher and switch-hitting shortstop, in the third round of the MLB Draft with the intention...
Pirates pitchers squander 4-run lead on the way to an 11-6 loss to Diamondbacks
The Pittsburgh Pirates finally supported starting pitcher Tyler Anderson on Tuesday night — for half the game — but it wasn’t nearly enough to secure a victory. Anderson allowed three runs in six innings and the Pirates bullpen collapsed in a 31-minute, eight-run seventh to help the Arizona Diamondbacks roll...
Pirates farm report for July 20, 2021: LF Anthony Alford has 4 hits, homer for Indy
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 33-32) outslugged Toledo (Tigers) 12-11 in 10 innings. C Joe Hudson (.226) hit the game-winning RBI single in the 10th. LF Anthony Alford (.324) went 4 for 5 with his eighth home run, two doubles and four RBIs. SS Dee Strange-Gordon (.273) went 2 for 3 with two...
Pirates notebook: Chase De Jong placed on IL after taking hit on left knee
The Pittsburgh Pirates placed starting pitcher Chase De Jong on the 10-day injured list Tuesday after he was hit on the left knee Monday night by a 89.5-mph line drive off the bat of the Arizona Diamondbacks’ David Peralta. De Jong, who has knee inflammation, is the sixth Pirates starter...
Pirates 2nd-round draft pick Anthony Solometo: Need to dominate batters ‘like an addiction’
Every athlete hopes to dominate the opponent, but Anthony Solometo takes his approach toward that end one intense step further. Something like what a shark feels when it sees blood in the water, he said. “It was kind of like an addiction,” the Pittsburgh Pirates’ second-round draft choice said Tuesday...
