Pirates/MLB category, Page 234
Mitch Keller’s spring ERA up to 7.50, Pirates shut out by Blue Jays
For the second consecutive outing, prized young pitcher Mitch Keller allowed a multiple-run inning during a Grapefruit League outing. Monday, Keller allowed two extra-base hits, including a Danny Jansen home run, during the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 4-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fla. The 23-year-old expected to settle...
Pirates address spring training health concerns after 2 coronavirus cases found in Florida
The Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday advised fans, players and staff at spring training “to listen to and rely upon the advice and guidance of the public health experts” after two adults tested positive for coronavirus in Hillsborough and Manatee counties. The Pirates’ spring training stadium, LECOM Park, and minor-league complex...
Pirates’ Steven Brault shut down from throwing because of shoulder strain
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Steven Brault has been “shut down” for at least two weeks because of a left shoulder muscle strain, the team announced Monday. A left-hander who made 19 starts last season and was arguably the best member of the Pirates’ rotation from June through August, Brault has allowed...
Gregory Polanco homers, Pirates win 2nd consecutive Grapefruit League game
Gregory Polanco homered and reached base three times, and the Pittsburgh Pirates won for the second consecutive day in Grapefruit League play, 13-9 against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday at LECOM Park. Limited to 64 games of any type — majors or minor league rehab, regular season or spring...
Kevin Gorman: Development of No. 1 pick Quinn Priester paramount for PiratesVideo
With broad shoulders and a lean, muscular physique, Quinn Priester looked the part while mingling with the major league pitchers in the Pirate City clubhouse. Only nine months ago, Priester was getting ready to graduate from Cary-Grove High School in suburban Chicago. Now, the Pittsburgh Pirates first-round draft pick is...
Pirates finally get first spring training winVideo
It took nine games, but the Pittsburgh Pirates finally got new manager Derek Shelton his first victory of spring training. That it came against the Minnesota Twins only made it sweeter for Shelton, who spent the previous two seasons as their bench coach. Jose Osuna’s RBI double in the sixth...
Kevin Gorman: Tarrick Brock pushing Pirates to be aggressive, smart on bases, in outfield
Tarrick Brock doesn’t flinch when informed the definition of his job description — outfield and baserunning coordinator — involves two of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ biggest problems. At times, the Pirates have looked like the “Bad News Bears” on the basepaths and the Keystone Cops in the outfield. It’s not just...
Pirates hard-throwing prospect Cody Ponce eyes role
BRADENTON, Fla. — It seems Cody Ponce is a bit of a soothsayer. Before leaving for spring training last year with the Milwaukee Brewers, the right-handed pitching prospect made a prediction to his father. Ponce said he would be traded before the 2019 season ended. Ponce was right. The Pirates...
Pirates lose big to Orioles, remain winless in spring training
Another February day, another loss in Grapefruit League play for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Starter Trevor Williams allowed four runs and six baserunners while retiring only three in an 11-4 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Friday at LECOM Park. The Pirates fell to 0-7 this spring, losing on consecutive days...
Keone Kela hit hard as Pirates lose to Orioles, remain winless in spring trainingVideo
The Baltimore Orioles clubbed 19 hits for a 13-0 win Thursday in Sarasota, Fla., that kept the Pittsburgh Pirates winless during spring training. Among the eight pitchers for the Pirates (0-6) who were hit the hardest was closer Keone Kela. He allowed three extra-base hits, including a Pat Valaika two-run...
Kevin Gorman: Steven Brault wants to make music on the mound as a starter for the PiratesVideo
Steven Brault made a major jump for the Pittsburgh Pirates last season, when he began working out of the bullpen and finished as one of their most consistent starters. Well, with the exception of one game. The left-hander went 4-6 with a 5.16 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 113 1/3...
Red Sox hit 3 homers against Pirates, win in rain-shortened gameVideo
The Boston Red Sox got a three-run seventh inning off Sam Howard for a 6-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday in a rain-shortened game at LECOM Park. The game was called after 7 1/2 innings. Jett Bandy broke a tie game with a sacrifice fly to center for...
Kevin Gorman: Pirates need Gregory Polanco to be even better than before injuryVideo
Gregory Polanco was feeling the good energy at spring training and kept repeating the same words over and over: Happy. Healthy. Strong. Tough. The Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder is happy to be healthy and stronger after a tough season, one where his surgically repaired left shoulder didn’t respond the way...
Joe Musgrove throws 2 scoreless innings, but Phillies rally in 7th to top Pirates
Joe Musgrove made his spring-training debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates an efficient one, as the right-hander threw two scoreless innings in a 6-2 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday at LECOM Park. Musgrove hit leadoff batter Roman Quinn with a pitch, but catcher Luke Maile threw out Quinn on...
Kevin Gorman: Future can’t get here fast enough for Pirates prospect Ke’Bryan Hayes
BRADENTON, Fla. Ke’Bryan Hayes is in his second spring training with the Pittsburgh Pirates and, once again, looking like their third baseman of the future. Maybe even the very near future. The Pirates’ top position prospect has been dreaming about making his major league debut, especially since being snubbed for...
Gerrit Cole makes Yankees spring debut against Pirates
Gerrit Cole got off to a fast start in his spring training debut for the New York Yankees, throwing a 97 mph heater on his first pitch and striking out two in a hitless inning against Pittsburgh on Monday night. The teams played to a 3-3 tie. “It went well,”...
Pirates pitcher JT Brubaker keeps head up after trying seasonVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — JT Brubaker could be bitter about how last season unfolded. The Pittsburgh Pirates used 32 pitchers last year — not counting catcher Jacob Stallings and outfielder JB Shuck — because of injuries and poor performance. Furthermore, 14 pitchers started at least one game, though two were technically...
Lonnie Chisenhall, former Pirates outfielder, announces retirement
The final game of Lonnie Chisenhall’s major-league career was for the Cleveland Indians. A year’s worth of his final paychecks, though, came from the Pittsburgh Pirates. During a ceremony to retire his number at the North Carolina middle school he attended, Chisenhall acknowledged his MLB career is over. “I’ve only...
Tim Benz, Mark Madden tackle Penguins’ recent losses, Pitt violations, Steelers’ needs, Pirates spring training
Last Monday, it was tough to come up with a negative thing to say about the Pittsburgh Penguins. This Monday, it’s tough to find something good. The Pens have lost three games in a row. They’ve given up 14 goals in the defeats, and the Philadelphia Flyers are closing in...
Kevin Gorman: Derek Holland makes a pitch as perfect personality for PiratesVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — Derek Holland didn’t blink when the first batter he faced as member of the Pittsburgh Pirates hit the second pitch he threw for a home run over the right-field fence. When JaCoby Jones took the 33-year-old left-hander deep in a split-squad game against the Detroit Tigers on...
Newcomers make positive impact but Pirates lose twice
BRADENTON, Fla. — A split-squad game against the Detroit Tigers gave the Pittsburgh Pirates a chance to take a good look at three of their offseason acquisitions. The initial impressions were positive. Left-hander Derek Holland allowed two runs on three extra-base hits but struck out five. Catcher Luke Maile went...
Twins help make Derek Shelton’s spring-training debut memorableVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — The first spring training game as Pittsburgh Pirates manager was a different feeling for Derek Shelton, a first that was humbling and humorous. That the Pirates’ Grapefruit League opener ended in a 2-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins at LECOM Park did little to dampen a day...
Kevin Gorman: Travis Williams set to steer Pirates toward chasing championship
BRADENTON, Fla. — When the Pittsburgh Pirates finished their fourth decade without a World Series championship, it became obvious they needed a change in direction. Firing the highest-ranking members of the front office and coaching staff was but a start. Changing the clubhouse culture after a 93-loss season is the...
Mitch Keller throws 2 scoreless innings, Pirates lose spring training opener to TwinsVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — Mitch Keller is competing for a spot in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ starting rotation, so throwing two scoreless innings was a good start for the spring training opener. That’s especially true after the 23-year-old right-hander, the team’s top pitching prospect, allowed 10 runs in four games and had...
Pirates unveil starting lineup for Derek Shelton’s 1st game in spring training opener
BRADENTON, Fla. — Derek Shelton makes his debut as Pittsburgh Pirates manager and unveiled the starting lineup for the Grapefruit League opener at 1:05 p.m. Saturday against the Minnesota Twins at LECOM Park. Guillermo Heredia will bat leadoff and play center field, followed by Bryan Reynolds as designated hitter, second...
