It was a game that the Pittsburgh Pirates appeared to be on the losing end of for almost the entire game. When the game was over, though, it was not the 9-3 12 inning loss that mattered. As the Pirates prepare to face the St. Louis Cardinals Saturday, they do so with the worry about both Gerrit Cole and Francisco Cervelli's health. Cole left in the third inning of Friday night's loss with right tricep tightness and Cervelli left with left hand pain. MLB on FOX's Ken Rosenthal reported ... Read More
Cole outpitched by Fernandez in Pirates loss
Normally highly anticipated pitching match-ups do not live up to their billing, but for six innings, Gerrit Cole and Jose Fernandez battled zero for zero. It was Cole who flinched first in a 3-1 Pittsburgh Pirates loss to the Miami Marlins Tuesday night. After Cole (5-4) retired his mound opponent, Ichiro Suzuki recorded a single on a 1-1 offering. On the next pitch, Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto singled putting a runner in scoring position. This brought Christian Yelich to the plate. ... 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’ 10-game homestand continues tonight vs. Rockies
The Pittsburgh Pirates are in the middle of a 10-game homestand and tonight will start a three-game set against the Colorado Rockies when the Pirates' Gerrit Cole (4-3, 3.05 ERA) takes on the Rockies' Eddie Butler (2-1, 4.74 ERA). The Rockies come to PNC Park on a two-game losing streak but are 6-4 in their last 10 contests. With a 20-20 record, the Rockies are tied for second place in the NL West, three games behind the San Francisco Giants. The NL West has been a recipe of success ... Read More
Cole, Kang shine in Pirates win
It was just less than two weeks ago that Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole had a start against the Chicago Cubs in which he did not get out of the fifth inning. The Pirates needed him to come through in a big way in order to avoid a sweep. This task became harder when Jon Lester was matching him pitch for pitch, but Cole was not going to let up. His eight-inning performance was one of the main keys to a 2-1 victory. Cole (4-3) had not thrown more than six innings this season, and ... Read More
Pirates get much-needed win over Cardinals
The Pittsburgh Pirates needed to rebound after being swept by the Chicago Cubs. The Pirates were flat-out embarrassed by the Cubs, so when Pittsburgh crushed the St. Louis Cardinals 10-5 on Sunday to secure a series win, it provided a little vindication. Pittsburgh's Gerrit Cole (3-3) had a 33-pitch first inning — 12 pitches more than should have been necessary after he failed to locate a strikeout pitch to Matt Holliday. On that play, Pirates' catcher Chris Stewart couldn't block the pitch, ... Read More
Gerrit Cole’s off night costs Pirates
An 87 mile-per-hour fastball was the only thing needed to confirm that the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs are indeed in a rivalry. The game was long decided when Pirates pitcher Kyle Lobstein hit Cubs second baseman Ben Zobrist with a pitch in the seventh inning of a 7-2 Cubs win. An inning earlier, Starling Marte was hit by a pitch for the sixth time this season, a mark that ties Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Brandon Guyer for the Major League lead. After Zobrist was hit, home plate umpire ... 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 sightseeing: Three takeaways from San Diego
The Pittsburgh Pirates dropped two of three road games against the San Diego Padres. There certainly were some things to like and things that were not so favorable. Here are just a few of each. Jeff Locke does not have a finishing pitch Anytime you are a pitcher who does not have blow-it-by-you velocity, you have to paint corners and find other ways to succeed. Add that inability to inconsistent performance and a lack of confidence from fans, and you have Jeff Locke. Locke was ... 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