Raise it! For the first time this season, the Pittsburgh Pirates have something in the win column after Friday's 5-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park in the home opener. Pittsburgh (1-2) lost its first two games of the season to the Boston Red Sox, and a scheduled third game was rained out. Ivan Nova got the start for the Pirates and allowed just one run on six hits in six innings. It was his first Opening Day start of any sort, and he struck out four and gave up no walks. Mike ... Read More
Pirates sign RHP Ivan Nova to three-year, $26 million contract
Merry Christmas, Pittsburgh Pirates fans. Per FanRag Sports' Robert Murray, the Pirates have signed free-agent RHP Ivan Nova to a three-year, $26 million contract — pending a physical. The deal reportedly also includes a $2 million signing bonus. Sources: #Pirates signing Ivan Nova to three-year, $26 million deal. $2 signing bonus. — Robert Murray (@RobertMurrayFRS) December 22, 2016 Nova came to Pittsburgh over the summer in a trade with the New York Yankees for Pirates prospects ... Read More
Good off-season could put Pirates back in the mix
The Pittsburgh Pirates have laid the groundwork to compete with the Chicago Cubs. Hear me out. Pittsburgh has a good core of veteran players and a talented group of prospects who broke into the Majors last season; and the Pirates have even more young players set to help in 2017. That's not to say the Pirates can muscle their way past Chicago — well, they possibly could if the Cubs have a few injuries or drastically under-perform after winning the World Series. But, right now, a ... Read More
Column: Great, now what?
Mercifully, the Pittsburgh Pirates' season (78-83) ended Sunday afternoon after a 10-4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Let's be honest for a second, what reason is there for you to waste your time with another recap about how the bullpen didn't hold up their end of the bargain? None? That's what I thought, too. So, let's take a look at what needs to change for next season. This season has been over for some time now, arguably when the offseason ended and both Jeff Locke and Jon ... Read More
Pirates-Cubs game ends tied after rain delay
The word “tie” is very, very rarely used in Major League Baseball. But, Thursday night at PNC Park in front of 19,991 fans, that's exactly what happened. The Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs tied 1-1 after an extended rain delay (one hour and 23 minutes) in the Pirates' final home game of the 2016 season. It was the first tie in the majors since 2005. The game, which was called in the top of the sixth inning, was declared a tie and not suspended because the game has no effect on the ... Read More
Pirates’ defensive miscues helps Nationals clinch NL East
When Washington Nationals president of baseball operations and general manager Mike Rizzo hired Dusty Baker as the team's manager, fans were unsure of what to think. Baker had been out of baseball for two seasons and was tasked with getting a team considered a National League favorite back into the playoffs after a surprise absence in 2015. After Saturday night's 6-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates — and with a little help from a 10-7 Philadelphia Phillies victory over the New York ... Read More
Pirates pregame: Pirates continue playoff push
After an 11-inning 6-5 victory Friday night, the Pittsburgh Pirates will host the second contest in a three-game series against the Washington Nationals. Ivan Nova (12-7, 4.19 ERA) will face the Nationals' Joe Ross (7-5, 3.48 ERA) in tonight's pitching match-up. Nova is coming off his worst start as a Pirate in which he pitched all of three innings allowing five runs on 10 hits against the Cincinnati Reds. PNC Park has treated Nova well as he is 3-0 with a 2.03 ERA in four total starts. He ... Read More
Pirates can’t secure four-game sweep of Reds
Pitcher Ivan Nova entered Sunday's game with a 5-0 record as a Pittsburgh Pirate, but after a 7-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, an ‘L’ was placed next to his name for the first time since July 29 with the New York Yankees. Not only did Nova lose, the Pirates missed out on a chance to earn a second consecutive four-game road series sweep. Just 10 days prior, Nova (12-7) fired a complete game one-run shutout, but, Sunday, the former New York Yankee made it through just three innings and tied ... Read More
Rodriguez’s blast halts Pirates’ skid
Tuesday night the Pittsburgh Pirates trailed the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 after eight innings. It was a familiar scene. The Pirates are 0-65 when behind after eight innings, not to mention they're on a four-game losing streak and have lost 12 of their past 14 games. But, in the top of the ninth inning, the Pirates managed to get runners in scoring position, and pinch-hitter Sean Rodriguez, who came to the plate with no outs and runners on second and third, just needed to hit the ball deep ... Read More
Pirates’ three-run first inning propels team over Reds
After breaking an eight-game losing streak, the Pittsburgh Pirates extended their win streak to two with a 4-1 victory Thursday night against the Cincinnati Reds with a huge performance from Pittsburgh starter Ivan Nova. This victory brings the Pirates back to .500 with an even 69-69 record. For the second time as a Pirate, Nova (12-6) pitched a complete game, this time on 94 pitches — he could have pitched for “the Maddux,” a complete game with no runs allowed and under 100 pitches, but Nova ... Read More