The Pittsburgh Pirates will be playing for its sixth sweep of the season this afternoon when it takes on the Philadelphia Phillies. This is possible because the Pirates won a 1-0 game Friday in 13 innings and then a 4-3 game yesterday in which Gerrit Cole earned his major league leading 10th win of the season. Today’s starters: The Pirates will send A.J. Burnett to the mound to face Cole Hamels. The two pitchers have a combined 25 years of major league experience. Burnett lost his ... Read More
Pirates pregame 6/10: Hurdle relates to Hart’s inactivity
The Pittsburgh Pirates look to avoid being swept when it takes on the Milwaukee Brewers tonight. The Pirates have been swept on two occasions this season, both on the road. The first sweep was the opening series against the Cincinnati Reds and the second was May 1-3 against the Cardinals as part of a five game losing streak. A loss for the Pirates tonight would be the first three game losing streak since they lost four May 13-16. The Brewers are 4-1 in their past five games. Tonight’s ... Read More
Pirates pregame 5/24: Tabata in lineup; Liriano hopes to rebound
The Pittsburgh Pirates are looking for its third series sweep of the season this afternoon when it takes on the New York Mets. The Pirates were 4-1 and 8-2 winners in games one and two. Today’s starters: The Pirates will send Francisco Liriano [1-4 4.15 ERA] to the mound against Jonathon Niese [3-4 3.72 ERA]. Liriano is 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA in one career start against the Mets. He struck out nine batters in the start over the course of 5.1 innings. He lost his last start against the ... Read More
Pirates lose two-run lead in loss
It was a night to forget for Corey Hart. In Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, Hart struck out three times and his not being able to run down a fly ball in right field allowed the winning run to cross home plate. “You make decisions and you live with them as a manager," manager Clint Hurdle said. "I haven’t managed a perfect game yet in the years I’ve been doing it.” The Pirates took a 2-0 lead in the top of the fifth inning. Neil Walker fell behind 1-2 in the count ... Read More
Pirates pregame 5/13: Rodriguez, Hart back in lineup; Taillon comeback
The Pittsburgh Pirates are looking for their second five game winning streak this season which would happen if the team defeats the Philadelphia Phillies tonight. Last night, the Pirates won 7-2 at Citizens Bank Park. Josh Harrison and Andrew McCutchen each hit their third home runs in the victory. McCutchen had not hit a home run in a month, which spanned 98 at-bats. Harrison had gone 62 at-bats without a homer and it was the first three run home run of his career. Tonight’s starters ... Read More
Pirates pregame 4/14: Marte out of starting lineup
The Pittsburgh Pirates [3-4] will play the Detroit Tigers [6-1] in the second of a three game series tonight at 7:05 p.m. Last game out: The Pirates won its Opening Day game by a 5-4 score in front of 39,933 fans, the largest-ever crowd to attend a regular season game at PNC Park. The loss represented the first of the year for the Tigers. Josh Harrison hit the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the first inning into the right-center field seats for a home run. Corey Hart ultimately ... Read More
Pirates win home opener in front of largest ever regular season crowd
The 39,933 fans that sold out PNC Park already were excited to see their Pittsburgh Pirates return for the first time since a Wild Card loss, but a Josh Harrison first pitch home run in addition to Gerrit Cole's pitching provided the ingredients to a 5-4 home opener victory over the Detroit Tigers Monday. Harrison's home run came in the bottom of the first after Cole pitched a hitless 13-pitch first inning. Anibal Sanchez [1-1] gave up his first run of the season on the homer and it came on a ... Read More
Pirates lose in extra innings
In the second of a three game season opening series, the Pittsburgh Pirates shook off a 2-hour 34 minute rain delay but could not do the same with the Cincinnati Reds falling 5-4 early Thursday morning in 11 innings. Both starters had high pitch counts in this game with Gerrit Cole departing after five innings for the Pirates and Mike Leake 5.2 with the Reds. Both received no decisions. Cole threw 92 pitches, 56 of which were strikes while allowing five hits and three runs. Cole also ... Read More
Pirates outfield considered among the best in 2015
Many have wondered which of the Pittsburgh Pirates trio of outfielders is the fastest. It was an idea tossed around at PirateFest, the annual way the team thanks fans for their support, this question was raised and it was split right down the middle. This is a great problem to have as speed and power have led to the discussion that the Pirates outfield is the best in all of Major League Baseball. "We're all out there, speedsters, guys that can run down balls," Andrew McCutchen said to ... Read More
Consistency key for Alvarez, first base
It is no secret that the Pedro Alvarez once again goes into a Pittsburgh Pirates season as a key factor to the team's success, however this year Alvarez moves across the diamond to first base. Alvarez committed a Major-League leading 25 errors in 122 games, his fewest played since the 2011 season. The Pirates tried to be patient with Alvarez and did everything from extra reps before games to rest but nothing worked. This coupled with Josh Harrison's breakout season meant the Pirates scaled ... Read More