The Pittsburgh Pirates never had a runner in scoring position in Wednesday night's game — yet it still took 12 innings for the Boston Red Sox to get the 3-0 win. With one out in the bottom of the 12th, Boston catcher Sandy León drilled a ball 359 feet to deep left center, scoring Jackie Bradley Jr. and Pablo Sandoval, both of whom got on base via walks given up by Pittsburgh reliever Antonio Bastardo. León made a base running error in the third inning that could have had the game ended ... Read More
Pirates secure rare Miller Park sweep
After Francisco Cervelli caught the final strike in the ninth inning of Sunday afternoon's game, the Pittsburgh Pirates not only defeated National League Central rival Milwaukee Brewers 3-1, but clinched a road series sweep for the first time since 2004. While this is reason enough for the Pirates to be satisfied by their extended weekend, the sweep was well timed as now the Pirates are half a game behind the St. Louis Cardinals for a Wild Card Spot. Ivan Nova (10-6, 4.55 ERA) allowed a ... Read More
Pirates end Miller Park skid in extra innings
Andrew McCutchen provided all of the offense the Pittsburgh Pirates needed in a 10-inning 3-2 road victory against the Milwaukee Brewers Friday night. This win snapped a nine-game losing streak dating back to July 17, 2015 for the Pirates at Miller Park. Miller Park has not been friendly to the Pirates, who are 41-88 at a place which can be called unfriendly confines. McCutchen started with a first-inning solo home run on a two-out, 3-2 slider over the left field wall. This home run, ... Read More
Pirates fielding, offense go quiet in loss
A sloppy second inning caused the Pittsburgh Pirates to lose 4-0 to the San Diego Padres Wednesday night at PNC Park. The Padres have fared well at PNC Park posting a 34-16 record and winning all 14 series played at PNC Park before the Pirates swept last season's three-game series. Now the Padres have a chance for a series win of their own. With Ryan Vogelsong (1-2) on the mound, the Pirates committed two errors in the second inning. After a one-out double from Jabari Blash, Christian ... Read More
Reviewing the Pirates impending free agents
With the 2015 season coming to an abrupt end for the Pittsburgh Pirates, they have plenty of time to evaluate their crop of impending free agents before they are set to hit the market. None of them are players they would have to break the bank to keep, though there are a few that the club will likely let find a new team for 2016. Also keep in mind that this list does not include pitcher A.J. Burnett or third baseman Aramis Ramirez, since both said they plan to retire at the end of the ... 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
Pirates use two-out scoring, bullpen to earn victory
Aramis Ramirez slid safely into third base for his first triple since Aug. 2, 2014 and his Pittsburgh Pirates teammates were grinning ear-to-ear. Why were they smiling? For one Ramirez is not known for his speed, and secondly, the Pirates scored all of their runs on two-out hitting, with this fourth inning triple being one of those runs. The Pirates used this to defeat the Colorado Rockies by a 6-3 score Tuesday night reducing their magic number to one game. If the Pirates win Wednesday or ... Read More
Pirates, Happ secure series victory
The Pittsburgh Pirates secured its 20th series victory with a 4-1 victory Wednesday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks. J.A. Happ [1-1] went six innings for the Pirates in his longest start with the team. He also surrendered two hits, his lowest total as a starting pitcher since September 12, 2014 against the Tampa Bay Rays. In the game, the Pirates recorded a three-run second inning. The inning started when Jung Ho Kang was hit by a pitch. Francisco Cervelli then added a single and ... Read More
Pirates earn first season series sweep against Mets in franchise history
Many saw the Pittsburgh Pirates rotation and thought that the team would be swept by the New York Mets. Instead it was the other way around, as the Pirates won 8-1 Sunday afternoon, securing their major league-leading 13th sweep of the season. The Mets came into the series losing just twice since acquiring Yoenis Cespedes. The starting pitcher trio of J.A. Happ, Charlie Morton and Jeff Locke allowed four earned runs in 17 innings while striking out 21 batters. Arquimedes Caminero [4-1] won ... Read More
Pirates continue extra-inning win streak
It took extra innings, however the Pittsburgh Pirates scored two runs to defeat the New York Mets by a 3-2 score in 10 innings Friday night. The Pirates are the first National League opponent to defeat the Mets in a game since July 30 [San Diego Padres]. Additionally the Pirates have won their past six extra inning games. The team is also 19-8 against National League East opponents. J.A. Happ told media throughout last homestand that he looked forward to getting the ball again and showing ... Read More