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
Column: Series sweep could be beginning of the end
Wednesday night's 6-5 Chicago Cubs victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates not only resulted in a sweep but confirmed what has been believed for a while. The Pittsburgh Pirates are not a playoff team. They have yet to prove otherwise. This second half has had more ups and downs than a roller coaster for the team, which statistically had the easiest second-half schedule this season. Recently the Pirates had a 5-1 road trip that transitioned to a return to PNC Park and a 1-5 homestand. It ... Read More
Pirates bested by Cubs in 13th inning
The Pittsburgh Pirates had the opportunities to extend their road win streak to nine games, but they fell 8-7 to the Chicago Cubs in 13 innings. It was a case of the Pirates running out of bullpen arms, and reliever Jeff Locke (9-8, 5.39 ERA) threw his highest pitch total since Aug. 3 as a result. Locke threw three innings, allowing two runs on seven hits. Eventually, Locke seemed to tire, and he didn't record a single out in the 13th inning before Chicago's Miguel Montero recorded the ... Read More
Pirates tie season best comeback in win
A simple look at the Miller Park scoreboard Saturday night after three innings couldn't have been encouraging for Pittsburgh Pirates fans. The Pirates trailed the Milwaukee Brewers by three runs. But the Pirates were able to come back, putting up crooked numbers in both the fourth and sixth innings to come away with a series-clinching 9-6 victory. Pittsburgh starting pitcher Jameson Taillon made his shortest career major league outing, three innings, after allowing five runs on seven ... Read More
Exclusive: Locke opens up about move to Pirates bullpen
It has been a season of ups and downs for Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jeff Locke, which has culminated to this point, a return to the bullpen. Locke was given the news by Hurdle on Friday, and it became public knowledge the next day. This placement in the bullpen seems to be more long term and may last through the entire season. Locke's last start was Wednesday against the Atlanta Braves, and he allowed five runs in 4.1 innings. Since the All-Star Break, Locke is 0-2 with a 9.89 ERA ... Read More
Ivan Nova set to make PNC Park debut
Tonight, the Pirates take on the Cincinnati Reds in Game Two of a three-game series. The game also serves as pitcher Ivan Nova's Pirates debut. With the New York Yankees this season, Nova was 7-6 with a 4.90 ERA in 21 games, 15 of which were starts. Pirates manager Clint Hurdle offered a checklist of what he's looking for in Nova's start. “He needs to follow the glove, display sinker command, have the ability to use some secondary pitches if need be and possess rhythm and pace,” Hurdle ... Read More
Four-run first not enough for Pirates
The Atlanta Braves own Major League Baseball's worst record, yet it was hard to tell in their 8-4 victory Wednesday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates. In this game, the Pirates were out-hit 15-4, and thus far in the two games this series, the Braves have 25 hits to the Pirates nine. After allowing the Pirates to have a four-run first inning, the Braves scored at least one run in six consecutive frames. Early on it appeared the narrative would be the Pirates victimizing a starting ... Read More
Pirates swept again in Milwaukee
There was more to Sunday afternoon's 4-2 loss by the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Milwaukee Brewers. Not only were the Pirates swept this weekend, but they never had a lead at any point. Additionally, the Pirates have lost nine straight contests to the Brewers at Miller Park and are 17-64 there since the 2007 season. In each of the three games this series, the Brewers scored first. Friday and Saturday, the Brewers hit two-run home runs in the opening inning, but this time the run was ... Read More
MLB Trade Rumors: What should Pirates do at trade deadline?
The 2016 Pittsburgh Pirates (52-48) find themselves in a tough position with the trade deadline fast approaching and the team's position in the standings a bit different than in the past three years. Currently, the Pirates are third in the NL Central and trail the division-leading Chicago Cubs by 8.5 games; Pittsburgh is an additional two games out of making the playoffs as a wild card. So, at the trade deadline, should the Pirates be buyers or sellers — or should they simply stand ... Read More