Get out the brooms, because the Pittsburgh Pirates just swept the Atlanta Braves. Sunday at PNC Park, the Pirates beat the Braves 6-5 in 10 innings after winning 6-4 on Saturday and 5-4 on Friday. Pittsburgh starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (6.55 ERA, 1.64 WHIP) turned in a pretty mediocre second start of the season, giving up three runs on eight hits in six innings. Two of those runs came as a result of home runs — Dansby Swanson launched a 390-foot one-run homer in the first inning and ... Read More
Column: Great, now what?
Mercifully, the Pittsburgh Pirates' season (78-83) ended Sunday afternoon after a 10-4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Let's be honest for a second, what reason is there for you to waste your time with another recap about how the bullpen didn't hold up their end of the bargain? None? That's what I thought, too. So, let's take a look at what needs to change for next season. This season has been over for some time now, arguably when the offseason ended and both Jeff Locke and Jon ... Read More
Pirates’ defensive miscues helps Nationals clinch NL East
When Washington Nationals president of baseball operations and general manager Mike Rizzo hired Dusty Baker as the team's manager, fans were unsure of what to think. Baker had been out of baseball for two seasons and was tasked with getting a team considered a National League favorite back into the playoffs after a surprise absence in 2015. After Saturday night's 6-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates — and with a little help from a 10-7 Philadelphia Phillies victory over the New York ... Read More
Stallings’ 11th-inning hit propels Pirates over Nationals
Jacob Stallings has been a known commodity among Pittsburgh fans because his father Kevin Stallings coaches the Pitt Panthers men's basketball team, but Friday night he was able to provide a more formal introduction where it was his bat that did the talking. With each remaining game turning into essentially a must-win scenario to keep any very, very slim playoff hopes alive, the Pirates returned to PNC Park following an 11-game road trip and beat the Washington Nationals 6-5 in 11 innings ... Read More
Rodriguez’s blast halts Pirates’ skid
Tuesday night the Pittsburgh Pirates trailed the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 after eight innings. It was a familiar scene. The Pirates are 0-65 when behind after eight innings, not to mention they're on a four-game losing streak and have lost 12 of their past 14 games. But, in the top of the ninth inning, the Pirates managed to get runners in scoring position, and pinch-hitter Sean Rodriguez, who came to the plate with no outs and runners on second and third, just needed to hit the ball deep ... Read More
Pirates base running gaffes costly in loss to Brewers
Less than a week after earning a four-game road sweep against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Pittsburgh Pirates fell to the same Brewers 1-0 Friday night at PNC Park. This loss comes after a 1-5 mark during the team's last homestand, and now the Pirates fall to 67-65 on the season which is 2.5 games behind St. Louis for the second and final National League wild card spot. The Pirates did out-hit the Brewers in this game by a 7-3 margin, but it was what was done on the base paths that did the ... Read More
Pirates place Gerrit Cole on DL, recall Steven Brault
The Pittsburgh Pirates have announced starting pitcher Gerrit Cole has been placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to Aug. 25 with posterior inflammation of the right elbow. Left-handed pitcher Steven Brault, tonight’s starter against the Chicago Cubs, has been recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis in the corresponding move. LHP Steven Brault has been recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis and will start tonight in Chicago. — Pirates (@Pirates) August 29, 2016 Cole, who is 7-9 this ... Read More
Four-run sixth highlights Pirates’ win vs. Braves
A day after the Pittsburgh Pirates made some tough decisions at the trade deadline, the team gave fans something to cheer for. For the first time since last Wednesday, the Pirates (53-51) found themselves in the win column with a 5-3 road victory Tuesday night against the Atlanta Braves (37-69). Tony Watson made his debut as the Pirates' closer and pitched a scoreless inning to earn his first save since April 22, 2015 (and his sixth career save). He struck out one batter and walked another ... Read More
Pirates bench the difference in win
Pittsburgh Pirates reserve Adam Frazier had seen Philadelphia Phillies reliever Edubray Ramos during the Arizona Fall League baseball season and used this knowledge to his benefit. Frazier was able to hit his first career home run, a solo shot over the Clemente Wall in right field, to help lead the Pirates to the 5-4 win over the Phillies on Sunday. "It was up and in," he said. "I figured he was going up and in with a fastball after missing with two off-speed pitches, so I just tried to ... Read More
Liriano exhibits control, power in win
A day after the Pittsburgh Pirates (49-46) walked nine batters, starting pitcher Francisco Liriano didn't allow any free passes, and three relievers followed his lead to give the team the series win against the Milwaukee Brewers (40-53) after a 5-3 victory Thursday night. Liriano's (4.96 ERA) 13 strikeouts was his highest total since Aug. 19, 2013, against the San Diego Padres. But what remained eye-catching was the fact that Liriano allowed zero walks. This season, Liriano leads all Major ... Read More