A 12 inning 6-4 victory for the Pittsburgh Pirates that a win today or a Chicago Cubs loss, would secure home field advantage for the NL Wild Card Game. With manager Clint Hurdle's announcement that Gerrit Cole will get the Pirates and the Cubs equally slam dunk decision in starting Jake Arrieta for Wednesday's game, the location is one of the few things left to determine. A.J. Burnett hopes to be able to solve the puzzle with his 10th win of the season when he faces Brandon ... Read More
Marte lifts Pirates in extra innings
Starling Marte's second game-winning home run of the season gave the Pirates a 6-4 win in 12 innings over the Cincinnati Reds Friday night. This also gave the Reds their 13th loss, the most since 1945. "This is a big win for us, a resilient win for us because we’ve done this a few times this year," Jordy Mercer said. Jay Bruce entered play 2-for-21 lifetime against Francisco Liriano, however had two hits against him in this contest. The first was a second inning single which was ... Read More
Pirates pregame 10/2: Reds series wraps up regular season
Though the Pittsburgh Pirates missed out on their chance to win the National League Central, it still has plenty to fight for as it faces the Cincinnati Reds this weekend. "We’re still chasing," manager Clint Hurdle said. "We’re focused on winning the game today. Our goal is to nail down the opportunity to play at home.” The Reds are on a 12-game losing streak currently, and a loss would be the longest drought since 1945. In tonight's contest, Francisco Liriano faces Keyvius ... Read More
COLUMN: Hurdle to blame for Morton’s struggles
Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle admitted that Wednesday's game was important and handed the ball to Charlie Morton. Whoops. Morton made it through two-plus innings before Hurdle emphatically took him out of the game. Mind you, it was the most emphatic removal I have ever seen. The movement up the step was decisive and so was the long, exaggerated arm point to signal the pitching change. From the beginning, Morton looked tired and over-matched, this after having an additional day ... Read More
Pirates headed to wild card game with loss to Cardinals
Many Pittsburgh Pirates fans had not yet filed in their seats by the time Charlie Morton was removed from the game. A two-plus inning start from Morton ended the Pirates chances of winning the National League Central as they lost 11-1 Wednesday night to the St. Louis Cardinals. “This is a game I want to come in and win," Morton said. "Folks showed up and everyone was excited and I gave it up. It’s just heartbreaking.” Morton [9-9] made his second shortest start of the season behind only ... Read More
Cervelli’s slam helps Pirates division dreams stay alive
Pittsburgh Pirates fans gave a standing ovation when Francisco Cervelli stepped to the plate in the sixth inning of Wednesday afternoon's game. In what manager Clint Hurdle called a "must-win game," Cervelli's fourth inning grand slam helped the team defeat the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-2, and kept the Pirates division chances alive. “The understatement of the day would be that was a great swing," Hurdle said. "It’s been a while since he hit one.” Gerrit Cole [19-8] pitched seven innings ... Read More
Pirates pregame 9/30: Let’s play two part deux
The Pittsburgh Pirates are in must-win situation if it wants to keep its National League Central hopes alive. The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Pirates by a 3-0 score Monday night and reducing its magic number to two meaning a win in either doubleheader game would result in the NL Central title. “We’ve been in a footrace the entire year, and I don’t think we’re scared of who’s behind us, we just go out and play hard," Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal said. The Pirates are not panicking ... Read More
Pirates fail to cash in; lose to Cardinals
It was a familiar sight for Pittsburgh Pirates fans as the team gave itself opportunities against the St. Louis Cardinals, but could not convert. The Pirates stranded 16 runners and left the bases loaded four times in a 3-0 loss Monday night. "We didn’t meet the demands of the game tonight," manager Clint Hurdle said. J.A. Happ ended his outing retiring the last 11 batters and faced the minimum amount of Cardinals through six innings. He threw 56 pitches, 43 of which were ... Read More
Pirates set to battle Cardinals pivotal NL Central series
Following an 8-2 road trip, the Pirates return home for a six-game homestand to conclude the regular season. An important three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals is on tap first. Recalling the road trip, despite a setback Sunday, Tony Watson was pleased with the team's overall body of work. “It’s never easy going to the West Coast, especially this time of year and we faced some good arms, some Cy Young candidates obviously," Watson said. "We’ve had and will continue to have tough ... Read More
Pirates dominated by Arrieta again in loss
The Pittsburgh Pirates saw Jake Arrieta for the third time in as many weeks, and the results were not favorable. Arrieta had a perfect game through six innings and the Chicago Cubs avoided a sweep winning 4-0 Sunday night. Arrieta [21-6], entered play with a 2-1 record to go with a 0.93 ERA in four starts against the Pirates. In Sunday's contest, Arrieta pitched seven scoreless innings striking out nine batters and allowing one hit, the leadoff single from Gregory Polanco in the seventh ... Read More