Since last September, fans have been campaigning to have Tyler Glasnow despite months of resistance from Pittsburgh Pirates management but those efforts were certainly backed up by a 7-4 win against the Phillies in which the prospect could not pitch out of the fourth inning. Glasnow struggled so much with his control that the same fans pleading for his arrival were at PNC Park booing and showing their displeasure at a dud of an outing. It was expected that Pirates manager Clint Hurdle ... Read More
Pirates make several moves in advance of Saturday’s game
It was a busy Saturday before the Pittsburgh Pirates afternoon contest against the Philadelphia Phillies. The short version is that Tyler Glasnow (0-1, 6.75 ERA) will face Aaron Nola (5-8, 4.41 ERA), but how did we get here? Pirates option Schugel There had to be a player who would lose his spot with the team so that Glasnow got called up. That person ended up being A.J. Schugel. Schugel was a reliever the Pirates depended on to provide different lengths of appearances. He is 2-2 ... Read More
Pirates pitching lacks command in loss
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jeff Locke started and ended his 3-plus inning start Wednesday night against the Milwaukee Brewers the same way - with a walk. In fact, Locke combined with four Pirates relievers to allow nine walks in a 9-5 loss to the Brewers. Locke (8-6) came into the start on a five-game winning streak when pitching at PNC Park and had not lost since June 16. He allowed five runs on seven hits, while also walking five batters. After surviving the first inning, ... Read More
Short start proves too much for Pirates to overcome
The Pittsburgh Pirates have been finding ways to come from behind and win games but another short start, this time from Jonathon Niese forced a frequently used bullpen into action early leading to a 6-5 defeat to the Chicago Cubs. Niese lasted a season-low 3.2 innings a day after Chad Kuhl pitched and threw 76 pitches. He allowed five earned runs on eight hits with four of them coming in a two-run first inning. "I think it's just the consistency of the angle," manager Clint Hurdle said. ... Read More
Pirates look to sweep Cubs heading into All-Star break
The Pittsburgh Pirates battled to a comeback 12-6 victory Saturday evening over the Chicago Cubs. Josh Bell had the big hit, a grand slam in his second Major League at-bat. “We were having a blast,” said pitcher Arquimedes Caminero. “It was a fun time playing baseball, playing as hard as we could to win the game. That’s what we try to do when we go out there.” https://twitter.com/Jedidiah412/status/751958240980787200 This afternoon, the Pirates will try to earn a series sweep of the ... Read More
Hell’s Bell: Bell’s grand slam helps provides Pirates win
There already were fireworks by the fifth inning celebrating Pittsburgh's Bicentennial, but in Saturday's Pittsburgh Pirates game against the Chicago Cubs, Josh Bell was not satisfied. In his second major league game, Bell took a swing at a 1-1 Adam Warren (3-2) pitch and when he saw it in the air, gave a jump and fist pump all while screaming "let's go" as he rounded the bases for his first career home run. Bell had hit a grand slam 107 miles-per-hour off the bat and was the first ... Read More
Injuries and a birthday set stage for Saturday’s Pirates game
After a big comeback win Friday against the Chicago Cubs, the Pittsburgh Pirates hope there's another win in store when they take on the Cubs for the second game of the series. Saturday, Pirates rookie Chad Kuhl (1-0. 4.09 ERA) will face Chicago's Jon Lester (9-4, 2.67 ERA). The game will be Kuhl's third career Major League start. In his first, he defeated Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw; Kuhl tossed five innings and allowed three runs. In his most recent start, Kuhl battled ... Read More
Pirates’ Marte named to All-Star Game
It was thought that Starling Marte would not make his first career All-Star Game appearance when he placed second in the National League Final Vote, but Saturday afternoon that was not revealed to be the case. Marte will be heading to San Diego replacing Yoenis Cespedes. “It’s been a crazy 24 hours," he said. "It was definitely an emotional ride thinking it wasn’t going to happen. I am excited, this is something that I really have worked hard to go to and I’m really looking forward to the ... Read More
Niese’s miscues costly in Pirates’ loss
The Pittsburgh Pirates' reaction to Tuesday night's 5-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners can best be summarized by something simple: a hung head. Pittsburgh starter Jon Niese hung his head after Seattle's Nelson Cruz hit a towering home run, the 19th homer the Pirates starter surrendered this season. Cruz's ball stayed just fair, flirting with the left field foul pole and giving Cruz 20 home runs for the eighth consecutive ... Read More
Liriano’s inconsistencies continue in Pirates’ loss
Up 4-0 in Monday's game, it appeared the Pittsburgh Pirates were well on their way to a sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers. But before anyone could say, “Get out the brooms,” the Pirates gave up the lead and lost the game 5-4. The Pirates got the Dodgers on the ropes early when Los Angeles pitcher Scott Kazmir struggled through a 40-pitch first inning. Pittsburgh left fielder Starling Marte started the scoring with an RBI single. Right fielder Sean Rodriguez added to the tally by drawing a ... Read More