In the first four innings of Monday's season opener against the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates starter Gerrit Cole gave up one hit and one walk on 50 pitches. But all that was derailed in one frame. In the fifth inning, Cole faced all nine of Boston's batters and gave up five runs on six hits. Those five runs were all the Red Sox would need to take home the “W” on opening day at Fenway Park, beating the Pirates by a final score of 5-3. That fifth inning started innocuously enough when ... Read More
Column: No clear answer for team MVP
In many respects, it's hard to name an MVP for this year's Pittsburgh Pirates team. There isn't one name that truly sticks out — for once, center fielder Andrew McCutchen won't be topping this list. So, where does that leave us? The following had good seasons, but they still weren't the team MVP, so apologies to: David Freese: On the surface, this appeared to be a desperation signing by Pittsburgh. At the very least, it was a concession that third baseman Jung Ho Kang wouldn't be able ... Read More
Pirates defeat Brewers, 6-3, Tuesday night
The Pittsburgh Pirates opened up their series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night with a 6-3 win. The Pirates (75-75) scored quickly in the first inning off the Brewers’ starting pitcher, Matt Garza (5-8, 4.52 ERA). Andrew McCutchen hit a double toward the deep left side of the field, scoring both Adam Frazier and Josh Bell. On the hill for Pittsburgh was 24-year-old Steven Brault (0-3, 4.26 ERA), who was starting his seventh game in a major league uniform. Brault looked solid ... Read More
Pirates win in Cincinnati in extra innings
It took extra innings, but the Pittsburgh Pirates took the first of a three-game road series by a 9-7 score Friday night against the Cincinnati Reds. The game was tied at six heading into the 10th inning, when the Reds brought in closer Tony Cingrani. A total of eight Pirates batters would step up to face him. Cingrani (2-5) started the inning with a four-pitch walk to Jung Ho Kang, which was followed by a Sean Rodriguez single and a Francisco Cervelli bunt single that was upheld after a ... Read More
Takeaways from Thursday’s 15-2 Pirates victory
The Pittsburgh Pirates had their way with the Philadelphia Phillies in a 15-2 routing Thursday night that secured a series split. Those 15 runs are a season-high and place the Pirates at 71-74 on the season with 17 regular-season games remaining. Here are my three takeaways from the game: 1. Offense finally shows up The Pirates offense has disappointed for most, if not all, of the second half of the 2016 season, but Thursday night felt as though a “help wanted” ad was finally ... 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
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
Cubs, Hendricks blank Pirates, 3-0
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks has the lowest Earned Run Average among qualified pitchers and Tuesday night, the Pittsburgh Pirates found out why. All Hendricks (13-7) did was allow three hits in seven innings lowering his ERA to 2.09 as the Cubs bested the Pirates, 3-0. This victory put the Cubs at 21-6 in August, and the 21 wins is the most in a month since May 1977. Meanwhile, the Pirates now fall to 3-11 against the Cubs this season. All the runs needed for Kendrick ... Read More
Sixth inning keys Pirates’ 5-3 win vs. Brewers
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Jordy Mercer turns 30 Saturday, and he decided to give himself an early birthday present: a grand slam, which came in the six inning off Milwaukee Brewers starter Matt Garza. It was Mercer's 10th homer of the season. Mercer's blast helped the Pirates (65-61) secure a 5-3 victory over the Brewers. Garza (4-6, 4.89 ERA) had Mercer in an 0-2 count before the grand slam. This season, Alex Dickerson, Seth Smith and Adam Eaton are the only other Major League players ... Read More
McCutchen, Mercer help Pirates end road skid
The Pittsburgh Pirates entered this game 2-8 in its last 10 road games, but that did not matter in a 5-1 defeat of the Los Angeles Dodgers Friday night. A three-run first inning set the Pirates on a path for victory against Dodgers starter Ross Stripling (3-4). After the Pirates successfully challenged a Josh Harrison lead-off single, Starling Marte's single set up the rest of the inning. Andrew McCutchen singled on a 1-2 Stripling pitch bringing home the first run of this game. The ... Read More