Under .500 for the first time this season, the Pittsburgh Pirates needed a win to end a four-game losing streak. The response was perhaps one of the most encouraging signs this season. Following a game in which the Pirates had 10 walks, they recorded their first shutout of the season, a 5-0 victory Saturday night against the Milwaukee Brewers. Monkey off of his back "Finally, honestly." Those were the two words Andrew McCutchen had for Root Sports after the game after his first home ... Read More
Locke not at fault for Pirates’ 8-4 loss to Milwaukee
Forgive me if you have heard this script before: The Pittsburgh Pirates' offense comes together and solves a pitcher in the seventh inning, only to immediately blow the momentum. It happened against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night, just over 24 hours from when the same thing happened against the Detroit Tigers. Predictably, the outcome was similar, and the Pirates lost to the Brewers, 8-4. This defeat drops the Pirates to 5-6, their first time under .500 in 2016. The losses have ... 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
Jordy Mercer’s 11th inning single gives Pirates 6-5 win over Cardinals
Jordy Mercer had been fooled twice by Seth Maness’ changeups, so Mercer wanted to make sure the third time was a charm. After all, he and his Pittsburgh Pirates teammates had been huddled by the PNC Park dugout heater for over six innings in a game that was deep in the 11th inning. So when Maness (0-1) took the bait and fired a third changeup, Mercer made him pay with an opposite field single that sailed past St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Matt Adams’s outstretched glove. Mercer’s ... Read More
Liriano fans 10 in Pirates Opening Day win
It's hard to believe, but the most important at-bat came two batters into the bottom of the second inning. Josh Harrison was facing St. Louis Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright, with Gregory Polanco on second base after a lead-off double that hit off the Clemente Wall in right field. Harrison took a 2-1 offering and hit a ground ball, which allowed Polanco to advance to third base. Not only did this move a runner forward, something which was not done in the first inning when the Pittsburgh ... Read More
Does Jordy Mercer need to hit to keep his job?
One of the myriad of Pittsburgh Pirates prospects that has been turning heads during the team's Spring Training workouts has been infielder Gift Ngoepe. The South African second-baseman/shortstop has shown great defensive flashes during the team's Grapefruit League action. Ngoepe is a light-hitter, but has stuck around in the Pirates system by virtue of that stellar defense. This is not to say that Ngoepe is not a capable hitter. Between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis last season, ... Read More
Marte lifts Pirates in extra innings
Starling Marte's second game-winning home run of the season gave the Pirates a 6-4 win in 12 innings over the Cincinnati Reds Friday night. This also gave the Reds their 13th loss, the most since 1945. "This is a big win for us, a resilient win for us because we’ve done this a few times this year," Jordy Mercer said. Jay Bruce entered play 2-for-21 lifetime against Francisco Liriano, however had two hits against him in this contest. The first was a second inning single which was ... Read More
Cervelli’s slam helps Pirates division dreams stay alive
Pittsburgh Pirates fans gave a standing ovation when Francisco Cervelli stepped to the plate in the sixth inning of Wednesday afternoon's game. In what manager Clint Hurdle called a "must-win game," Cervelli's fourth inning grand slam helped the team defeat the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-2, and kept the Pirates division chances alive. “The understatement of the day would be that was a great swing," Hurdle said. "It’s been a while since he hit one.” Gerrit Cole [19-8] pitched seven innings ... Read More
Pirates get solid from Liriano in win
Francisco Liriano threw 7.2 innings and reached 200 strikeouts as the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Chicago Cubs, 4-0. Hitters came in batting .100 with two strikes against Liriano [12-7], and in this game, Cubs batters were 0-for-16. By reaching 200 strikeouts, Liriano is one away from tying a career-high set in 2010 with the Minnesota Twins. The victory secures the Pirates a series win and a 5.5 game lead for the top spot in the National League Wild Card race over the Cubs. Much of the ... Read More
Pirates best Rockies to open four-game series
Starling Marte fell a triple short of hitting for the cycle as the Pittsburgh Pirates won 9-3 Monday night against the Colorado Rockies. Marte started with a first inning home run, his second in as many games. The ball left the bat at 106 miles-per-hour and quickly departed into the left field seats. The homer, hit off Jon Gray [0-2], was his 18th of the season. Jordy Mercer came into the contest hitting .185 in the month of September but after Andrew McCutchen caught the 27th and final ... Read More