Thursday night, the Pittsburgh Pirates lost their third-consecutive game to the Miami Marlins, falling 4-3 in extra innings. But perhaps the biggest news from the game came with the injury report: Francisco Cervelli, Andrew McCutchen, David Freese and Jordy Mercer all left the game with various injuries. Cervelli injured his foot and left in the third inning, McCutchen left the game in the sixth inning with general thumb discomfort, Mercer was hit by a pitch on the elbow and left in the ninth ... Read More
Liriano lacks command in Pirates loss to Rangers
Control has been an issue for Francisco Liriano of late and because of this, his success as a pitcher has hit a snag. With the Pittsburgh Pirates looking for a series win against the Texas Rangers, command and control once again eluded Liriano in a 6-2 defeat. Liriano (4-4) was given a 2-0 lead which in the past has allowed for him to get into more of a comfortable mindset. Jordy Mercer led off the game with his seventh double of the season and immediately was batted in by Andrew ... Read More
Column: Patient approach leads to another Pirates win
Sometimes it is not what about what is done when a team fails to score a run in any given inning, but there are occasions in which that does not tell the full story. While David Freese's three-run home run will be the talk of this game, perhaps more eyes should be turned to the opening three innings of the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-4 victory Wednesday night over the Arizona Diamondbacks. In those first three innings, the Pirates came away with three hits. No big deal, right? Wrong. The ... Read More
Starling Marte leads defensive effort in Pirates’ win vs. Rockies
Starling Marte knew his Pittsburgh Pirates were up by one run, and — when the Colorado Rockies' Charlie Blackmon singled and Dustin Garneau was waved home — Marte knew it was up to him to keep it that way. "I knew when I threw the ball he was out," Marte said. That was just one of several spectacular plays in Friday's game, and the Pirates put on a defensive clinic in their 2-1 victory over Colorado. You may want to rethink running on Starling. https://t.co/5hFca6fCvv ... Read More
Pirates earn split in Cincinnati
Wednesday was supposed to be Josh Harrison's day off, but a Starling Marte ejection quickly changed things. Marte was ejected along with manager Clint Hurdle when a call was reversed by replay in the sixth inning. Marte was ruled out at second base on a stolen base attempt as a result. Harrison turned around and hit one of four Pittsburgh Pirates home runs on the game in a 5-4 victory against the Cincinnati Reds. This Pirates win puts the team at 18-15 on the season while earning a ... Read More
Pirates’ comeback attempt falls short in St. Louis
The Pittsburgh Pirates fell by a 6-4 score Saturday afternoon when Matt Carpenter hit a walk-off two-run home run securing the victory for the St. Louis Cardinals. Jeff Locke had another quality start, allowing three runs in six innings of work and coming away with a no-decision. Locke teammates spotted him a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Carpenter led off the inning with a double, and Locke then walked both Stephen Piscotty and Matt Holliday. Randal Grichuk then singled two runs ... Read More
Big win against the Brewers has the Pirates saying “finally”
Under .500 for the first time this season, the Pittsburgh Pirates needed a win to end a four-game losing streak. The response was perhaps one of the most encouraging signs this season. Following a game in which the Pirates had 10 walks, they recorded their first shutout of the season, a 5-0 victory Saturday night against the Milwaukee Brewers. Monkey off of his back "Finally, honestly." Those were the two words Andrew McCutchen had for Root Sports after the game after his first home ... 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
Freese addition gives Pirates flexibility, time to develop prospects
David Freese stuck the dagger in the 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates when blasted a second inning home run in Game Five of the National League Divisional Series. Now, he’s competing for a job with them. With Jung Ho Kang now likely to start the season on the disabled list, Freese went from unemployed to a near lock to being the Pirates’ opening day starter at third base. When Kang returns, likely in mid-April, Freese is slated to be the right-handed platoon partner with John Jaso at first ... Read More