It was a very successful first half of the season for the Pittsburgh Pirates as it has the third best record in the major leagues. With that in mind it is time to revisit some of the successes in the first half of the season. 10. Home opener- This was mentioned in an earlier article so I will keep the description short. A home opener always makes every baseball fan excited as they have waited a long time for the season to begin. The familiar sights, smells and sounds bring a smile to every ... Read More
Pirates leave their mark on All-Star game
Though the National League Team lost the 2015 MLB All-Star Game, three Pittsburgh Pirates made contributions. Andrew McCutchen started for the NL and got the chance to bat leadoff. When he batted in the bottom of the sixth he was 2-for-10 in his career at the All-Star Game. McCutchen faced Chris Archer of the Tampa Bay Rays who has earned some consideration for the AL Cy Young Award. The Pirates center fielder wasted no time hitting a home run to left field to cut the NL deficit to one run ... Read More
Pirates Pregame 7/12: ‘Sunday Night Baseball’ visits PNC Park for Bucs, Cardinals
Adding to their recent stretch of games involving rain and extra innings, the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in another five-hour marathon game on Saturday night by a score of 6-5 in 14 innings. “It seems like every single game is going to be tight and we’re going to have to battle and claw our way through everything," Pirates catcher Chris Stewart said. Tonight will be the second Sunday Night Baseball telecast for the Pirates in as many years and both have come ... Read More
Pirates Pregame 7/10: Gerrit Cole discusses the Bucs starting pitching success
35,183 Pittsburgh Pirates fans packed PNC Park hoping to see a victory against the St. Louis Cardinals, however after a 4-1 loss Thursday night left disappointed. The Pirates hope to reverse their fortune while also avoiding the rain, something that has not happened as of late tonight. Tonight Gerrit Cole will face off against Lance Lynn. Cole is making his 18th start of the season and his 12 wins are a major league best total. It was a tale of two starts for Cole in his last start, a win ... Read More
Locke falters after rain delay in Pirates loss
The St. Louis Cardinals used a four-run fifth after a 36-minute rain delay to defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates by a 4-1 score. Jeff Locke [5-5] allowed two hits through four innings before the four-run inning. Randal Grichuk led off the inning with a single and Xavier Scruggs reached after a Jordy Mercer error. Carlos Martinez [10-3] moved both runners over with a sacrifice bunt and then Matt Carpenter's single put the first two Cardinals runs on the scoreboard. Yadier Molina was responsible ... Read More
Pirates pregame 7/9: Cardinals arrive for highly anticipated series
In the series some are calling "the main event", the Pittsburgh Pirates will begin a four-game series tonight against the St. Louis Cardinals. This is a match-up between the lone two teams to win 50 games this season. The Pirates are coming off their first sweep of the San Diego Padres in Pittsburgh since 1994 and won each of the three games in come from behind fashion. The Cardinals meanwhile were down to their last strike in last night's game before Jhonny Peralta hit a two-run home run that ... Read More
Pirates bats come through in eighth inning to secure sweep
Andrew Cashner was nearly unhittable for seven innings. A night after driving in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eight, Gregory Polanco did it again in a 5-2 Pittsburgh Pirates victory over the San Diego Padres. With the win, the Pirates earned their first sweep of the Padres since April 12-14, 1994. “Cashner was tough and we weren’t getting a lot of good pitches to hit," manager Clint Hurdle said. "We took it professional and didn’t take it personal and we kept showing up and ... Read More
Pirates pregame 7/8: Don’t Stop Believin’
The Pittsburgh Pirates stopped holding onto that losing feeling against the San Diego Padres after a 3-2 victory Tuesday night. Gregory Polanco recorded the game-winning hit, a triple of Joaquin Benoit. In tonight's game, Charlie Morton will face Andrew Cashner. Morton is 4-1 with a 2.65 ERA in six career starts against the Padres. Morton won his start against the Padres earlier this season. He lost his last start against the Cleveland Indians. Morton surrendered three runs on four hits ... Read More
Polanco triple helps snaps Pirates home skid against Padres
A Gregory Polanco triple in the bottom of the eighth inning allowed the Pittsburgh Pirates to take a 3-2 victory against the San Diego Padres. "It was a pretty swing and he had a lot of good swings all night," manager Clint Hurdle said. The victory ends a 14-series losing streak to the Padres at PNC Park. "We can knock this one off our to-do list," said Hurdle. "It's a long time coming." Francisco Liriano had a ball deflect off his right arm and dealt with a long rain delay, however ... Read More
Four Pirates selected to MLB All-Star Game
The Pittsburgh Pirates met prior to Monday night's game with the San Diego Padres for an annual tradition, a meeting led by manager Clint Hurdle to determine which players made the 2015 MLB All-Star Game. This year the magic number was four as A.J. Burnett, Gerrit Cole, Andrew McCutchen and Mark Melancon each made the team. “To be able to place four men on the All-Star team, I think we represented our city and our team," Hurdle said. "I believe they will go in and represent the National ... Read More