Andrew McCutchen had been waiting for a while to get a significant hit and it came in the sixth inning on Wednesday night when he recorded his first triple of the season. Two innings later he had a single, good for the 1,000th hit of his career. The Pittsburgh Pirates secured a winning record in April with their 8-1 victory against the Chicago Cubs. The win puts the Pirates at 12-10 for April, an improvement over 2014's 9-16 mark. Despite the Pirates victory, it was the Cubs who scored ... Read More
Cole eclipses seven innings in Pirates win
The Pittsburgh Pirates struck first in a road series against the Arizona Diamondbacks winning 4-1. This is the first road contest following a 10-game home stand, which ties a season high. Pirates starter Gerrit Cole [3-0] earned the win pitching 7.2 innings while allowing seven hits, a run, two walks and seven strikeouts. Cole threw 108 pitches, 78 for strikes - a 72.2 percent strike rate. It was Cole's longest outing since May 7 last season. "He was crisp and his pitch count was in better ... Read More
Pirates complete sweep of Brewers
The Pittsburgh Pirates earned a sweep against the Milwaukee Brewers winning 5-2 Sunday afternoon. The win pushes the Pirates to .500 for the first time this season. For a second consecutive game, it was a chaotic first inning for both sides. In the top half, the Brewers had the bases loaded with two outs and Gerrit Cole [2-0] got Gerardo Parra to fly out to left field ending the threat. In the bottom half of the frame, the Pirates got three consecutive singles with Andrew McCutchen's ... Read More
Pirates pregame 4/19: Hurdle talks Cole’s progression, Shrek
The Pittsburgh Pirates have a chance to get its first three game series sweep of the season this afternoon against the Milwaukee Brewers. This season the Pirates are 4-1 against the Brewers. Today’s starters: In today's series finale, Gerrit Cole [1-0 3.27 ERA] will toe the rubber against Matt Garza [1-1 4.22 ERA]. Cole has a 1-2 career record against the Brewers posting a 3.27 ERA in five career starts. His last appearance against the Brewers was a 4-0 loss on Aug. 29 in which he pitches 7.1 ... 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 rotation provides plenty of depth
The Pittsburgh Pirates have assembled its starting pitching rotation well ahead of Sunday's 3 p.m. deadline to finalize a 25-man roster. Last season, the Pirates ranked eighth in all of Major League Baseball and fifth in the National League with a 3.47 ERA and ranked fourth with a 3.05 ERA in the second half of the season. Pirates starters combined for a 3.60 ERA, seven shutouts, two complete games, a .249 batting average against and 798 strikeouts in 971 innings of work. Though the ... Read More
Alvarez, defense keys in Pirates tie
The Pittsburgh Pirates saw its first two pitchers on staff have good outings in a 3-3 extra inning tie Wednesday evening against the Baltimore Orioles. Francisco Liriano was the first to pitch and threw three innings while allowing his first run of Spring Training. Liriano now has a 0.75 ERA. He allowed three hits and struck out two batters in his time on the mound. Liriano was replaced by Gerrit Cole who threw three scoreless innings allowing one hit and one walk while striking out three ... Read More
Worley continues to make starting case; Pirates lose
Vance Worley's six-inning start had some peaks and valleys in the Pirates 7-5 loss to the Atlanta Braves Thursday. Worley threw six innings allowing seven hits, five runs and striking out three batters. The vast majority of the damage came in the first inning in which the Braves scored five runs. The highlight was a Chris Johnson two-run homer, his first of the spring. Jace Peterson, Christian Bethancourt and Kelly Johnson also registered RBI in the frame. The Braves opened the game with four ... Read More
Pirates win two games; Sanchez makes big league roster
On the day that Buster Olney predicted that the Pittsburgh Pirates would win the World Series, the team won both of its split squad games. The Pirates are now 8-7-2 after a 6-5 win against the Philadelphia Phillies and a 4-2 victory against the Minnesota Twins. Vance Worley got the start against the Phillies and was the first pitcher to be stretched out to five innings this spring. Worley allowed six hits, three runs and struck out four batters, all in a no-decision. Worley has walked one ... Read More
Liriano to start opening day; Pirates lose to Astros
Jeff Locke's quest for a spot in the Pirates rotation took a hit during Tuesday's 13-7 loss to the Houston Astros. On a day when Francisco Liriano was revealed to be the Opening Day pitcher in Cincinnati, Locke pitched three-plus innings, allowing seven hits, six runs and a walk. “I just left some pitches over the plate,” Locke said. “They just fell in.” Locke is battling with Vance Worley for the final position in the Pirates rotation and currently, the Spring Training statistics favor ... Read More