Chad Kuhl's first career at-bat Sunday probably won't be memorable. He struck out, as pitchers often do at the plate. But it wasn't a typical strikeout. The Pittsburgh Pirates rookie fouled off five pitches and took another two for balls before he failed to connect with the eighth pitch he saw. In doing so, Kuhl drove Los Angeles Dodgers' ace Clayton Kershaw's pitch count up to 37 on the night and 21 in the second inning. Kuhl then helped set the stage for fellow rookie Adam ... Read More
Assessing pros and cons of Pirates win
The Pittsburgh Pirates led the Atlanta Braves 9-0 after two innings Tuesday night, but that lead was blown. Ultimately the Pirates prevailed 12-9, but there were not many style points that came in this win. As a fan of late night television, perhaps it is best to look at things from a Jimmy Fallon perspective and try to balance good from bad. This time there are no punchlines. Pro Twenty-one hits- It was a performance that proved to be a season-high on the offensive end of ... Read More
Cole, Kang shine in Pirates win
It was just less than two weeks ago that Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole had a start against the Chicago Cubs in which he did not get out of the fifth inning. The Pirates needed him to come through in a big way in order to avoid a sweep. This task became harder when Jon Lester was matching him pitch for pitch, but Cole was not going to let up. His eight-inning performance was one of the main keys to a 2-1 victory. Cole (4-3) had not thrown more than six innings this season, and ... Read More
Alen Hanson, Josh Bell among 10 Pirates cuts
The Pittsburgh Pirates made a second round of cuts on Friday, which saw many of its top prospects among position players reassigned. The team cut 10 total players, which brings its current camp roster down to 45. Among those cuts included: first baseman Josh Bell, second baseman Alen Hanson, shortstop Gift Ngoepe, outfielder Willy Garcia, infielder Max Moroff and right-handers Nick Kingham and John Holdzkom. All were optioned to Class AAA Indianapolis. Infielders Adam Frazier, Dan ... Read More
Neal Huntington presser 7/26: Harrison, Lambo, Sadler among injury updates; Hanson continues progression
Pittsburgh Pirates General Manager Neal Huntington met with reporters prior to Sunday afternoon's game against the Washington Nationals and tackled topics ranging from injury updates, trade deadline conversation and some of the players on the major league roster. On Gorkys Hernandez: “Gorkys has gone out and played a couple of games with [Triple-A] Indianapolis and looks healthy. Our anticipation is if he continues this way we’ll activate him and have to make a decision.” Regarding Rob ... Read More
Pirates pregame 7/26: Ramirez discusses love for basketball; Scahill roots on teammates
Following a 9-3 loss by the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Washington Nationals, the home team hopes to take three of four against a team that is leading the National League East. Gerrit Cole [13-4 2.31 ERA] will face Joe Ross [2-2 2.70 ERA] in this afternoon's contest. Cole is 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA in two career starts against the Nationals. Cole lost his last start against the Kansas City Royals allowing three runs [two earned] on five hits over the course of 7.1 innings of work. Ross is ... Read More
It’s time for the Pirates to promote Alen Hanson
Now is the time for the Pittsburgh Pirates to bring up second baseman Alen Hanson from AAA Indianapolis. Josh Harrison is on the disabled list, and Starling Marte might be right behind him. Gregory Polanco, meanwhile, is struggling to get on base. Those are the top three Pirates in stolen bases this season, all either injured or underperforming. Hanson, who was Baseball America’s seventh best Pirate prospect prior to the start of the season, could help fix the club’s woes between the ... Read More
Down on the farm: Hanson gives Pirates flexibility at middle infield
During the Pittsburgh Pirates 20-year losing streak, having too much talent at one position was one of the few problems the Bucs ever had to deal with. However, a cluttered middle infield in the majors and upper minors could lead to that very problem. But it’s a good problem to have. Here is what we do know. Josh Harrison is entrenched at third base for the long term. In the off-season, the 27-year-old signed a four-year extension with the club, with team options for the 2019 and 2020 ... Read More
Pirates Land 6 Players in MLB.com Top 100 Prospects
The MLB named it's Top 100 prospects for the 2014 season and the Pittsburgh Pirates are well represented. Six players in the Bucco pipeline were named to the list which ranks second in the NL Central behind the Chicago Cubs seven players. Here are the Pirates representatives and their ranking. #74 Joshua Bell - Bell played 119 games for Class-A West Virginia last season bating .279/.453/.806 with 37 doubles, 13 home runs and 76 RBI. #67 Alen Hanson - Hanson played a combined 127 games ... Read More
Pirates have four prospects in Top 100
MLB.com put out their list of Top 100 Prospects tonight. The Pittsburgh Pirates have four prospects that made the list. Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon were the most notable. Cole, the right-handed prospect, is one of the top prospects that is league-ready for the Pirates. Last season he went 5-1 with a 2.55 ERA in Class A, 3-6 with a 2.90 ERA in Double-A, and 1-0 in six scoreless innings in his only start in Triple-A. The Pirates haven't said that they'll be bringing him up to Pittsburgh ... Read More