Pirates/MLB category, Page 214
Cody Ponce shines in first start as Pirates blank Cardinals to sweep doubleheader
The Pittsburgh Pirates arrived in St. Louis in a two-game funk, with a roster depleted by injury and demoralized following a no-hitter by giving up 10 runs to the Chicago White Sox. A doubleheader was the last thing the Pirates needed. But a sweep of the Cardinals proved the perfect...
Former Pirates first-round pick Will Craig gets the call to make major-league debut at Cards
When Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton called Will Craig into his office Thursday morning, the conversation was short and sweet. The magnitude, however, was major. “I think my exact words were, ‘Hey, do you want to play in a big-league game?’” Shelton said. “A big smile came across his face.”...
Pirates place Keone Kela, Colin Moran on IL, recall reliever Nick Mears, 1B Will Craig
The Pittsburgh Pirates placed closer Keone Kela on the 10-day injured list and corner infielder Colin Moran on the seven-day concussion IL on Thursday. Both moves are retroactive to Aug. 24. Kela has been out with right forearm inflammation since leaving the Aug. 21 game against the Cleveland Indians in...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: After the Pirates played, the sports world spoke up, shut downVideo
The sports world spoke up and shut down. Many Black baseball players and select MLB teams followed the lead of the NBA by sitting out their games Wednesday night, shifting the focus of the season from covid-19 concerns to racial and societal injustice. If video of the shooting of Jacob...
‘Burgh’s Best to Wear It, No. 4: Ralph Kiner slugged homers, lived lavish lifestyle with Pirates
The Tribune-Review sports staff is conducting a daily countdown of the best players in Pittsburgh pro and college sports history to wear each jersey number. No. 4: Ralph Kiner Ralph Kiner enjoyed the spoils that accompanied being a baseball star in post-World War II America. He drove fancy cars, dated...
White Sox hit 4 home runs, pound Pirates for 2-game series sweep
A day after being no-hit by Lucas Giolito, Cole Tucker wanted to ensure there would be no encore. Knowing he was batting leadoff, Tucker made up his mind the moment he awoke. “Just from Pitch 1, I wanted to go out there and kind of change the narrative of how...
Pirates trade for lefty reliever Austin Davis, sending Phillies cash, player to be named
The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired left-handed reliever Austin Davis on Wednesday, sending cash considerations and a player to be named in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies. Davis, 27, was 0-0 with a 21.00 ERA and 3.67 WHIP in four appearances for the Phillies this season before being designated for assignment...
Unusual MLB season creates ‘really unique’ trade deadlineVideo
MILWAUKEE — The unusual circumstances surrounding the abbreviated baseball season are creating plenty of questions for teams looking to upgrade their rosters before Monday’s trade deadline. The expanded playoff format reduces the number of teams eager to write off the season and make moves aimed at the future. The lack...
Right-hander Cody Ponce to start for Pirates in doubleheader Thursday at St. Louis Cardinals
Right-hander Cody Ponce, who accompanied the team on the trip as part of the taxi squad, will start one of the games of Thursday’s doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. The Pirates are playing the games at Busch Stadium to make up for the...
Colin Moran, Keone Kela unavailable as Pirates continue to monitor their injuries
A day after Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton declared infielder Colin Moran and closer Keone Kela “available” to play against the Chicago White Sox, the team’s director of sports medicine said both players are still unavailable while being monitored for injuries. Moran is being evaluated for concussion-like symptoms after a...
First Call: Pirates might be ‘trying to sell everything,’ how they were no-hit by White Sox
Wednesday’s “First Call” is all about the Pirates, as we take a closer look at how they got no-hit in Chicago. Then we kick around some trade rumors involving the organization. South Side celebration Wanna know what it sounded like on Chicago’s South Side when White Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Pirates knew they were in danger of being no-hit by Lucas Giolito
With the way Lucas Giolito was showing command of his pitches and mixing his fastball and changeup, Derek Shelton knew by the fourth or fifth inning that “it was the best stuff I’ve seen him have.” The Pittsburgh Pirates manager saw plenty of Giolito the past two seasons in the...
Lucas Giolito throws MLB’s first no-hitter this season as White Sox blank Pirates
When Erik Gonzalez came to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning, Chicago White Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito was one out away from throwing a no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Gonzalez didn’t want to be a footnote as the final out. “I was a little bit mad,” Gonzalez said,...
Changes in approach, arm angle increased confidence of Pirates reliever Geoff Hartlieb
If Geoff Hartlieb looks like a different pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates this season, it’s entirely by design. He’s made adjustments head to toe, from his approach and arm angle to fixing his footwork. All of the changes have led to a more confident Hartlieb, who is embracing his newfound...
‘Burgh’s Best to Wear It, No. 6: Controversial Tony Pena trade helped Pirates win division championships
The Tribune-Review sports staff is conducting a daily countdown of the best players in Pittsburgh pro and college sports history to wear each jersey number. No. 6: Tony Pena Few players are good enough to contribute to a team by walking out the door, but Tony Pena found a way....
Pirates claim pitcher Carson Fulmer from Tigers
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ quest for pitching resumed Monday when they claimed right-hander Carson Fulmer off waivers from the Detroit Tigers. To make room for Fulmer on the 40-man roster, outfielder Guillermo Heredia was designated for assignment. Heredia was the Pirates’ starting right fielder in the season opener, but he appeared...
Pirates hope momentum from win streak carries onto the road
Ben Cherington believes his team is ready to play 15 games in the next 13 days. But the Pittsburgh Pirates general manager knows it is a grueling stretch, especially for a team that loses another player to injury nearly every day. One day, it’s Phillip Evans’ broken jaw. Then, Joe...
Tim Benz: One thing needs to be found in an otherwise lost Pirates season
In a season gone this wrong for the Pittsburgh Pirates, at least one thing needs to get right. Perhaps it started to happen this past weekend. The Pirates’ 5-4 win Sunday afternoon at PNC Park completed a three-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers. They scored 24 runs in three days....
Gregory Polanco’s home run in 8th inning leads Pirates to sweep of Brewers
Gregory Polanco never said he planned to hit the winning home run Sunday. All he did was turn to teammate Jose Osuna and say, “Watch, I’m about to hit this ball really hard.” He simply carried through with that promise. The fact the ball sailed over the wall in right...
Pirates hope Nick Tropeano can help in long relief, possibly in rotation
The Pittsburgh Pirates hope the addition of right-handed pitcher Nick Tropeano on Sunday can pay dividends in long relief or in the starting rotation. Tropeano had been in the Pirates’ alternate training site in Altoona before he was called up Sunday before the game with the Milwaukee Brewers. The Pirates...
Cole Tucker’s outfield glove story is as good as gold — or platinum, depending on the day
By Cole Tucker’s count, he’s only 34 days into his career as a center fielder but that hasn’t stopped him from wearing a Platinum Glove one day or a Gold Glove the next. When the Pittsburgh Pirates approached the shortstop about playing the outfield for the first time, there was...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Gregory Polanco snapping out of slump helps Pirates exhale
Before he broke out of his slump, Gregory Polanco heard about it every day. In the batting cage, from Pittsburgh Pirates hitting coach Rick Eckstein. Or in the office of Pirates manager Derek Shelton. They saw hard contact and believed Polanco would start hitting. And they wanted him to see...
‘Burgh’s Best to Wear It, No. 8: Before he hit all those home runs, Willie Stargell stared down bigotry
In his major league debut, Willie Stargell was upstaged by a 5-foot-8 catcher, but Stargell went on to seize the spotlight for the next 20 years. Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an 18-year-old amateur free agent in 1958 for a reported bonus of $1,500, Stargell bounced from Roswell, N.M.,...
Gregory Polanco snaps out of slump as Pirates pound Brewers for 2nd straight win
Derek Shelton predicted that Gregory Polanco’s bat was coming around. The Pittsburgh Pirates manager saw something special in the right fielder in spite of his low batting average and high strikeout rate. Shelton believed Polanco was too healthy and too talented for his struggles to continue, and the hard hits...
How the Pirates pitchers fighting for 1 spot became four-fifths of starting rotation
Derek Holland can be candid to a fault, so the Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander didn’t hesitate to call 2020 a circus, from the shutdown of spring training to what he calls Camp Covid to a shortened 60-game season interrupted by postponements. That has made this season something of a juggling act...
