Prior to a recent Pirates game Jared Hughes, came up to me to discuss my Kris Watts feature and made a statement that confirmed what had become a popular school of thought. "I'll tell you what," Hughes said, "so many catchers have made the transition into becoming a manager. Right away I think of Mike Matheny, Mike Scioscia, Brad Ausmus and it makes so much sense. They already have a lot of guys to manage, more than anyone else." His words were supported by many people and prove that there ... Read More
Pirates pull away following late rally in win
The Pittsburgh Pirates won its first game of a six-day road trip with a 10-7 victory against the Kansas City Royals. It was the Royals that struck first in the first inning when Eric Hosmer singled in Alcides Escobar. Hosmer was thrown out trying to stretch his single into a double. A four-run second inning served as the Pirates response. Both Pedro Alvarez and Francisco Cervelli each singled in runs placing the Pirates in the lead. Travis Ishikawa then drove the ball to left field for a ... Read More
Pirates potentially lose Mercer; swept by Brewers
The hits keep coming for the Pittsburgh Pirates following a 6-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. Not only did the Brewers battle back and spoil Jeff Locke's start, but Jordy Mercer was removed from the game in the second inning. Mercer was injured trying to tag Carlos Gomez to start a double play. Gomez stepped on Mercer's leg well short of second base and the Pirates shortstop went down in pain. After being checked out by Todd Tomczyk and Ben Potenziano was placed on a cart. Pirates PR ... Read More
Pirates pregame 7/8: Don’t Stop Believin’
The Pittsburgh Pirates stopped holding onto that losing feeling against the San Diego Padres after a 3-2 victory Tuesday night. Gregory Polanco recorded the game-winning hit, a triple of Joaquin Benoit. In tonight's game, Charlie Morton will face Andrew Cashner. Morton is 4-1 with a 2.65 ERA in six career starts against the Padres. Morton won his start against the Padres earlier this season. He lost his last start against the Cleveland Indians. Morton surrendered three runs on four hits ... Read More
Pirates need to beat division foes to get over hump
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jared Hughes knows wins never come easy against fellow National League Central teams, and so far the Pirates have had a hard time getting those wins. The Pirates have been a woeful 14-20 against fellow National League Central teams this year. Breaking it down, the club is 2-4 against the Cardinals, 4-6 against the Cubs, 6-3 versus the Milwaukee Brewers and a dreadful 2-7 vs. the Cincinnati Reds. “There are a bunch of good teams in the NL Central,” Hughes said. ... Read More
Dugout advice saves Hughes’ career
It was the middle of another long season in the minor leagues, and in the Altoona, Pa. dugout, Jared Hughes was talking with his catcher Kris Watts. Hughes was frustrated with his progress in Altoona and was struggling to find answers. Watts decided this was the time to approach his teammate and motivate him to become the fearless pitcher he remembered. "We've got half a season left, let it all out on the table. Don't worry about mechanics or anything, just have fun, play hard and play any ... Read More
Loyalty in baseball conflicts with ‘the line’
Loyalty is a concept that can take a lifetime for many people to perfect. In baseball, however, it is extremely complicated and can come in between winning. Many can see loyalty in the sport a different way which makes it all the more complicated. Take Pirates reliever Jared Hughes for example. He has been on both sides of the coin where he was kept on the roster and early in his career had stints in both the major and minor leagues. For Hughes, the loyalty is about the battle and the ... Read More
Pirates earn first walkoff win of season
Coming into this game the Pittsburgh Pirates were 0-6 in extra innings and had yet to record a walkoff win. Both changed early Saturday morning after a Starling Marte single scored Chris Stewart in the 13th inning. "I don’t know if I’ve been involved in a game of this magnitude to go 13 innings like that," manager Clint Hurdle said. "It was a wonderful game to watch.” Not many fans could have expected a pitcher's duel between Jeff Locke and Kevin Correia but that was exactly what ... Read More
Pirates secure series sweep
It took a while for Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Jordy Mercer to hit his first home run of the season, however his second came in Wednesday's 5-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants and represented the winning run. This is the first Pirates sweep in San Francisco since May 14-16 2004 and the third sweep in the past four series. The Pirates have won 11 of their past 13 games and at 29-24 are a season best five games above .500. As was the case in the first two games, it was the Giants who ... Read More
Pirates pregame 5/22: team discusses inconsistency; Morton to return Monday
An eight game homestand continues for the Pittsburgh Pirates as the New York Mets come to town for a three game series. The Mets come into the series with a 24-18 overall which places them half a game behind first place in the National League East. Tonight’s starters: The Pirates will send right-handed starter Gerrit Cole to the mound against Noah Syndergaard. Cole is coming off a loss to the Chicago Cubs in which he allowed two runs on seven hits in six innings of work. Cole is 0-2 in ... Read More