Pirates/MLB category, Page 218
Pirates cough up lead, allow Twins to walk to victory
Love baseball? Stay up-to-date with the latest Pittsburgh Pirates news.When the baseball rocketed off Max Kepler’s bat in the sixth inning of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 5-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins, Cole Tucker made an instinctive move forward. It was a move he quickly regretted. All it took was one...
Pirates pitcher Cody Ponce’s debut memorable, even in defeat
Cody Ponce wasn’t in the game long enough to break a good sweat, but in the end, that little detail didn’t matter. He pitched only to the Chicago Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo and Javier Baez, two of the best players in the National League, in the 11th inning of the Pittsburgh...
Pirates place Michael Feliz on 45-day injured list
Michael Feliz’s season appears to be over. The Pittsburgh Pirates placed the right-hander on the 45-day injured list Monday with a right forearm/elbow strain. Feliz was injured Saturday night while pitching against the Chicago Cubs in Wrigley Field. “We realized we need to have some more tests run,” manager Derek...
Derek Holland stretches career to 12th season, finds new home with Pirates
Derek Holland’s phone erupted with an alert Sunday morning while he chatted with reporters on a Zoom conference call from Chicago. It was time for him to spit, the preferred method used for players’ covid-19 tests. What? No nasal swab? “Hell, no,” Holland said. “If they did, I’d retire. I’ll...
‘Burgh’s best to wear it, No. 28: Half-century after World Series triumph, Steve Blass remains ‘a Pirate for life’
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. 28: Steve Blass Steve Blass’ biography could have only one title: “A Pirate For Life.” And so it was named. Pittsburgh Pirates chairman of...
Pirates swept by Cubs, waste Steven Brault’s strong start
When analyzing the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 2-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs in 11 innings Sunday, you must consider the painful truths: • The Pirates (2-7) are not taking advantage of the gift runner rule inserted into baseball in this 60-game season. They have started four extra innings in two games...
Pirates place Mitch Keller, Michael Feliz on injured list, acquire pitcher Tyler Bashlor from the Mets
Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers Mitch Keller and Michael Feliz, who left the game Saturday night in Chicago, were placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday. On a busy day for transactions and news about pitchers, the Pirates also acquired right-hander Tyler Bashlor from the New York Mets in exchange for cash....
Toe tap led Pirates’ Colin Moran to head of class among home-run hitters
Colin Moran is swinging the bat so well through the Pittsburgh Pirates’ first eight games that even a foul ball deserves mention. His manager, Derek Shelton, can’t stop talking about one Moran hit Friday night against Chicago Cubs left-hander Kyle Ryan. “It was aggressive,” said Shelton, who mentioned it before...
Mitch Keller, Michael Feliz leave with injuries in Pirates’ 4-3 loss to Cubs
The Pittsburgh Pirates have scored five runs in the ninth inning of their two losses in the past two nights to the Chicago Cubs — a total of one in the other 16. Sounds like a team that doesn’t quit. Actually, right now that’s the best remark you can make...
Pirates’ Mitch Keller injured, leaves game against Cubs in 3rd inning
The Pittsburgh Pirates lost another starting pitcher Saturday night when Mitch Keller left the game at Wrigley Field in the third inning. Keller, who allowed home runs to Ian Happ and Javier Baez earlier in the inning, threw a 1-0 pitch wide and in the dirt to the Chicago Cubs’...
Pirates’ Steven Brault learns to adapt in strange season
The airplane lands. Players get on buses that speed directly to the hotel. Pittsburgh Pirates players are expected to spend all of their free time, eat all their meals and attend meetings in the hotel. Some don’t dare venture into a buddy’s room, even playing video games remotely. The smart...
Josh Bell, Colin Moran homer too late in Pirates’ 6-3 loss to Cubs
Josh Bell hopes five swings of the bat in the ninth inning Friday night will ignite the Pittsburgh Pirates’ offense. But back-to-back home runs by Colin Moran and Bell couldn’t turn around the Pirates’ fortunes in a 6-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs (5-2) at Wrigley Field. Bell, who displayed...
As virus hits Pirates’ division, players wearing N95 masks while traveling
A week into the regular season, the Pittsburgh Pirates already have learned how rapidly conditions can change while trying to play during a pandemic. For instance, while traveling to Wrigley Field for a three-game series that starts Friday night, the Pirates wore the more protective N95 masks medical personnel often...
Fantasy Sports podcast: Joe Musgrove over-slotted as top starter? Pirates hitting, bullpen woes.
A week into Major League Baseball’s return, we are already seeing some interesting trends in the fantasy sports world. So far, most of them aren’t great for the Pirates. Especially when you look at their bullpen and batting order. In our weekly fantasy sports podcast, Jeff Erickson and I dive...
AT&T SportsNet introduces ‘alternate channel’ to air Penguins/Pirates conflicts
After no live sports for months, all of a sudden Pittsburgh sports fans must choose between watching two local teams at the same time. The region’s cable sports network is going to handle coverage of both. A new alternate channel, PIT2, will provide coverage of two Pittsburgh Pirates games next...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Pirates search for answers after a night of missing the barrels
The Pittsburgh Pirates couldn’t quite put their finger on what went wrong Wednesday night against Brandon Woodruff and the Milwaukee Brewers, just like they couldn’t quite make much contact. Not that they didn’t search for answers. “Um,” Pirates third baseman Phillip Evans said, “I think he was just missing our...
Tim Benz: Pirates’ Mitch Keller fixing shortcomings he identified
During the Pirates’ rebooted training camp at PNC Park, starting pitcher Mitch Keller identified two specific goals to hone his arsenal. • Develop a changeup. • Get the spin and movement on his fastball to equal its often-electric velocity. So far, so good to start Year 2 of his big-league...
Index cards stuffed in Pirates players’ back pockets help put fielders in right spots
When Derek Shelton plants five players in the outfield grass — baseball teams normally use three — he is not trying to change the essence of the game or attract attention. The Pittsburgh Pirates employ a team of analysts and coaches who study where opposing batters are likely to hit...
Brewers homer twice off Joe Musgrove to beat Pirates
To say Brandon Woodruff was stingy against the Pittsburgh Pirates is an understatement. The Milwaukee Brewers right-hander was downright selfish in silencing their bats with swing-and-miss and soft contact. When Woodruff wasn’t striking out the Pirates – he had 10 Ks – he refused to let them hit balls out...
Pirates manager Derek Shelton’s patience with top of order pays offVideo
The Pittsburgh Pirates have a rookie manager who has mixed and matched lineups, experimented with playing a shortstop in the outfield and piggybacking pitchers, not to mention dealt with bullpen blues. Six games into his major league managerial career, Derek Shelton will be the first to say that he doesn’t...
Pirates’ Gregory Polanco on covid-19: ‘You have to take care’Video
As Gregory Polanco prepared for his first start in right field for the Pittsburgh Pirates since testing positive for covid-19, he issued a warning for those wondering what it’s like to have the coronavirus. “It’s something that, I mean, we’ve taken it seriously, but just a message for the people...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Pirates learn that close plays win close games in beating Brewers
Derek Shelton sounds ready to ride the roller coaster with the Pittsburgh Pirates, experiencing the highs and lows of being a major-league manager in a three-day span with plenty of firsts. He got the thrill of his first victory on Sunday, the agony of watching his team blow a four-run...
Bring the noise! Joe Klimchak pulls off MLB’s crowd noise plan at PNC Park
If you are a Pirates fan who has ever been to PNC Park, you know who Joe Klimchak is. You may not know his last name off the top of your head. But you know his face. And his voice. Klimchak is the longtime Pirates in-game host at the stadium....
U mad, bro? Fans torn on Ben Roethlisberger, shred Pirates bullpen, defend Stephon Tuitt
Steelers and Pirates fans shouldn’t be mad about anything. Because this week’s “U mad, bro?” is coming a day early. I was looking at the rest of the week’s schedule and realized it was best if we just got our rage out a little earlier than normal. Because, apparently, a...
Career firsts by pitchers Geoff Hartlieb, Nick Burdi lead Pirates to 8-6 victory
With trust in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ bullpen fading, Geoff Hartlieb and Nick Burdi stepped onto the mound Tuesday night and offered hope in an 8-6 victory against the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park. Both pitchers recorded firsts while helping the Pirates recover from a 6-2 deficit they faced in the...
