The Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs currently represent the top two National League Central teams being separated by three games from each other. With that in mind, the Cubs come to PNC Park for a three-game series which may have large implications when it comes to early-season series. Last season, the Pirates posted an 8-11 mark against the Cubs and want to get off to a better start in order to avoid this possibility happening again. It has been a good start to the season for the ... Read More
Pirates pregame 4/30: Jared Hughes returns
Following a 4-1 victory Friday night against the Cincinnati Reds, the Pittsburgh Pirates will look for a series victory as Francisco Liriano (1-1 4.64 ERA) takes on Alfredo Simon (0-2 16.39 ERA). Liriano has a 1-5 record with a 3.96 ERA in 13 regular season starts against the Reds. One of those starts came this season, and he allowed three runs on five hits in five innings. Liriano threw 90 pitches in that appearance and struggled with control all night, having to consistently battle through ... Read More
Pirates beat Reds 4-1 Friday night after long road trip
It was a long 12 days away from PNC Park for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but a 4-1 victory Friday against the Cincinnati Reds has extended the Pirates' current win-streak to a season-high five games. The Pirates now improve to 14-9 on the season, while the Reds drop to 9-14. The win had four big takeaways: Nicasio has best start of season Seven games isn't a large sample size, but it was telling enough that, coming into this game, Juan Nicasio was 0-2 with a 5.12 ERA in 19.1 innings pitched ... Read More
Saltalamacchia’s grand slam too much for Pirates
Detroit Tigers rightfielder J.D. Martinez knew the game plan when it came to facing Arquimedes Caminero, so Martinez sat on a 3-2 slider. He got his pitch and hit it hard, but it was just foul. Hard-hit contact was the difference in this game, and it was the reason why the Tigers came away with a 7-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates Wednesday night at PNC Park. For what it's worth, Martinez worked a walk in that at-bat and set the table for a Jarrod Saltalamacchia grand slam. “Those ... Read More
Pirates struggle with runners in scoring position, drop series to Reds
On Sunday, the Cincinnati Reds' Jay Bruce hit a game-winning RBI triple in the bottom of the ninth inning off Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Arquimedes Caminero to give the Reds the 2-1 win and the series. Though the game wasn't high-scoring, there certainly were things to take from it. Pirates struggle with runners in scoring position Not to borrow from "Sesame Street," but this first point is brought to you by the number '34'—the number of Pirates who were left on base in the three-game ... Read More
Pirates unable to capitalize on opportunities in season’s first loss
The fifth, sixth and seventh hitters in Saturday's Pittsburgh Pirates lineup went 7-for-10 at the plate, but, outside of John Jaso hitting leadoff, the rest of the lineup couldn't deliver. It was that middle of the order that was responsible for the lone run scored in the Pirates' first loss of the season, a 5-1 defeat against the Cincinnati Reds. This game mirrored Friday's win in many ways, but it was missing the big, crucial, timely hit. There were times in Saturday's game where the ... Read More
Starling Marte’s grand slam powers Pirates’ comeback win
Pittsburgh Pirates hitting coach Jeff Branson gave Starling Marte some last minute advice as the right-handed cleanup hitter prepared to face J.J. Hoover with the bases loaded. It was a simple message, really: Keep your foot down. For three games and 7.2 innings on Friday night (the fourth game of the season), the Pirates hadn't connected on a home run, but all of that was about to change. Hoover made a mistake and threw a pitch right down the middle of the plate, and Marte made him pay. ... Read More
Nicasio’s stellar performance leads Pirates to sweep Cardinals
Just a season ago, the Pittsburgh Pirates put themselves in a large hole with a poor month of April. Now, the Pirates have gotten off to a strong start in April with an opening series sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals, following a 5-1 victory Wednesday night. The Pirates are now 3-0, but they are doing their best not to make too much of this sweep. “I don’t think we’ll ever surprise ourselves when we play well, we’re past that point,” said manager Clint Hurdle. “We expect to play well. We ... Read More
Pirates Pregame: Polanco contract sets positive tone
The Pittsburgh Pirates will look to start the season 2-0 and lock-up a series win against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night. The game’s starters will be Jonathon Niese and Michael Wacha for the Pirates and the Cardinals, respectively. Niese is 4-3 with a 3.10 ERA in nine career starts against the Cardinals. Tonight’s game already has something in common with Sunday’s home opener, as Niese, like Francisco Liriano, is a left-handed starting pitcher. This is the first time the Pirates ... Read More
Pirates offseason analyzed: New additions
It has been a busy time all around baseball as the 2015 season is over and teams are trying to find the right pieces to make a run toward the 2016 World Series. The Pittsburgh Pirates are no different and have welcomed some faces, while saying goodbye to other ones. Hellos: Oct. 24 Pirates acquire Trevor Williams - This was a bizarre acquisition as this was later revealed to be compensation for the Pirates losing their "pitching guru" in Jim Benedict, someone whose opinion had high ... Read More