The Pittsburgh Pirates will look to avoid an eighth consecutive loss against the Milwaukee Brewers Friday night. Thursday, the Pirates fell 6-4 in 13 innings. A.J. Burnett made his return to action for the first time since July. He earned a no-decision after allowing three runs in five innings. Burnett allowed all three of his runs in the first inning, increasing his second-half ERA to 11.12. By the end of his start it was down to 9.00. The loss also ended a 19-game winning streak for the ... Read More
Pirates pregame 9/10: Burnett returns to the mound
The Pittsburgh Pirates return to PNC Park for their first home game in the month of September. The opponent is a familiar one in the Milwaukee Brewers. This is the last series between these two teams in 2015. The Pirates have lost their past six contests against the Brewers and are 6-9 against them this season. Tonight, A.J. Burnett makes his return to the Pirates rotation and will face Wily Peralta. Burnett is returning from right elbow inflammation and missed 37 games overall. He is ... Read More
Kang’s grand slam leads Pirates over Reds
The Pittsburgh Pirates game into Wednesday night's game, the 138th of the regular season, without a grand slam. One swing of Jung Ho Kang's bat in the sixth inning changed that, and his first career grand slam led the Pirates to victory over the Cincinnati Reds. On the mound, J.A. Happ also continued his string of success, allowing two runs over six innings while striking out a season-high 10 batters. It was the first time he struck out 10 or more batters since Aug. 7, 2014. Despite all of ... Read More
Liriano dominates Reds; Pirates secure winning season
Francisco Liriano picked up his first ever regular season victory against the Cincinnati Reds as the Pittsburgh Pirates emerged victorious in a 7-3 contest Tuesday night. Liriano [10-7] threw six innings and struck out 10 batters, the first time he has punched out a double-digit total of hitters since July 23 against the Washington Nationals. This is also Liriano's fourth 10-win season of his career. According to Pirates PR with Liriano's 10 strikeouts he has 178 on the season. He joins ... Read More
Happ dominant in Pirates victory
The last time the Pittsburgh Pirates traveled to face the St. Louis Cardinals, J.A. Happ's turn was skipped in the rotation. This was partially because of past performance against the Cardinals, but also recent struggles at the time. Friday night, Happ struck out eight batters in seven scoreless innings as the Pirates won by a 9-3 score Friday night. Happ [4-1] was 1-8 with a 6.79 ERA in 10 career starts against the Cardinals coming into the start. His appearance tonight marked the first ... Read More
Andrew McCutchen named Player of the Month
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen added another honor on Thursday, perhaps strengthening a case at a second possible MVP award. McCutchen was named the National League’s Player of the Month for August, after batting .348/.470/.609 with five home runs, 19 RBI and 18 runs scored. The Pirates were 19-8 in an August, riding the backs of another torrid summer by McCutchen. After a month of April that saw McCutchen hit just .194, Cutch has certainly turned things up, hitting .330 in ... Read More
Morton goes for sweep; Bucs rearrange rotation, schedule twin bill with Cubs
The Pittsburgh Pirates are looking to earn their Major League-leading 14th sweep of the season this afternoon when they play against the Colorado Rockies. In the two previous contests, the Pirates emerged victorious by 5-3 and 4-3 scores respectively. Today, Charlie Morton will face Jorge De La Rosa. Morton is 5-1 at PNC Park with a 2.82 ERA and the Pirates have posted a 12-5 record in Morton's 17 starts this season. In his last start, Morton lost his first decision in over a month, ... Read More
Harrison, Polanco star in Pirates victory
Josh Harrison came into his eighth inning pinch-hit appearance with hits in just two of his last 14 at bats, but when the Pittsburgh Pirates needed him most, he came through. Harrison’s RBI single off Scott Oberg scored the go-ahead run and resulted in a 5-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Friday evening. "You've got to be ready when you're pinch-hitting," Harrison said. "If you get a pitch you think you can handle, you put a swing on it. I just wanted to stay fastball ready and ... Read More
Locke shines as Bucs roll over Marlins
Jeff Locke pitched seven innings for the first time since July 19 and the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Miami Marlins by a 7-2 score. Both teams scored in the first inning. Josh Harrison led off with a walk. Two batters later, Andrew McCutchen recorded his 32nd double of the season, placing the first run on the board. Locke (7-8) was one strike away from getting out of the first inning, however, he allowed a solo home run to Martin Prado on a 2-2 count. The Pirates pulled away with a ... Read More
Pirates’ Morton loses first decision in more than a month
Brad Hand departed the game for the Miami Marlins in the ninth inning, however by then it was too little too late for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Hand [4-3] just missed his first ever complete game but threw a career-high eight-plus innings in a 5-2 victory Tuesday night against the Pirates which evened the four-game series at one victory apiece. Prior to the ninth inning, the top half of the first presented the Pirates high point against Hand. With two outs in the first inning, Andrew ... Read More