Doubleheaders always bring the potential of unique accomplishments, and Tuesday's contests between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the New York Mets brought some of those into play. Both games ended the same, a 3-1 Pirates victory giving the home team nine consecutive wins over the Mets, the most in franchise history. Often times in doubleheaders, relief pitchers appear in one game, but both Mark Melancon and Neftali Feliz appeared in each of the victories. Feliz allowed the lone run in Game ... Read More
Nicasio struggles as Pirates fall to Rangers
The lone time the Pittsburgh Pirates faced Yu Darvish was Sept. 9, 2013. That date was when the Pirates clinched their first winning season since 1992. It also was the last time Texas Rangers manager Jeff Banister (then the Pirates bench coach), saw Darvish pitch until Saturday night. Darvish was making his return from Tommy John surgery and last pitched Aug. 9, 2014. The Rangers fed off the return with a 5-2 win. Darvish (1-0) allowed a run on three hits in five innings and was on a ... Read More
Assessing pros and cons of Pirates win
The Pittsburgh Pirates led the Atlanta Braves 9-0 after two innings Tuesday night, but that lead was blown. Ultimately the Pirates prevailed 12-9, but there were not many style points that came in this win. As a fan of late night television, perhaps it is best to look at things from a Jimmy Fallon perspective and try to balance good from bad. This time there are no punchlines. Pro Twenty-one hits- It was a performance that proved to be a season-high on the offensive end of ... Read More
Pirates beat Reds 4-1 Friday night after long road trip
It was a long 12 days away from PNC Park for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but a 4-1 victory Friday against the Cincinnati Reds has extended the Pirates' current win-streak to a season-high five games. The Pirates now improve to 14-9 on the season, while the Reds drop to 9-14. The win had four big takeaways: Nicasio has best start of season Seven games isn't a large sample size, but it was telling enough that, coming into this game, Juan Nicasio was 0-2 with a 5.12 ERA in 19.1 innings pitched ... Read More
Pirates’ signing of Justin Masterson makes perfect sense
In signing pitcher Justin Masterson to a minor-league deal late Thursday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Pirates consummated a long-running flirtation. Masterson was rumored to be a target of the team at various points in the off-season. In relying mainly on a sinker/slider combination to go along with a four-seam fastball, he easily fits the bill of what the Pirates look for in starting pitching. The right-hander’s resume is a mixed bag of unrealized potential and occasional bright spots. In ... Read More
Nicasio’s stellar performance leads Pirates to sweep Cardinals
Just a season ago, the Pittsburgh Pirates put themselves in a large hole with a poor month of April. Now, the Pirates have gotten off to a strong start in April with an opening series sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals, following a 5-1 victory Wednesday night. The Pirates are now 3-0, but they are doing their best not to make too much of this sweep. “I don’t think we’ll ever surprise ourselves when we play well, we’re past that point,” said manager Clint Hurdle. “We expect to play well. We ... Read More
Pirates pregame: Bullpen effective at changing speeds
Last night, Jordy Mercer took a changeup to the opposite field for the game-winning hit in the 11th inning as the Pittsburgh Pirates outlasted the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-5. Tonight, the Pirates will attempt to make a statement with an opening series sweep against the Cardinals, a team coming off a season-high 100 wins last season. Pittsburgh righthander Juan Nicasio will get the start for the Pirates, and his mound opponent will be Mike Leake. Nicasio is coming off a spring training ... Read More
Pirates confirm Juan Nicasio as fifth starter in rotation
This afternoon, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle confirmed that Juan Nicasio will be slotted in as Pittsburgh's fifth starter in the rotation. Nicasio, who signed with the Pirates on Dec. 10, has earned this right after coming off of impressive play in Spring Training. Rob Biertempfel of the Trib had the news first. Juan Nicasio will be in #pirates starting. rotation. Ryan Vogelsong to bullpen. — Rob Biertempfel (@BiertempfelTrib) March 30, 2016 The 29-year-old right hander came into ... Read More
Liriano gets opening day nod
Clint Hurdle told reporters Friday that because of Gerrit Cole's injury, it will be Francisco Liriano gets the opportunity to pitch opening day Sunday for the Pittsburgh Pirates April 3 against the St. Louis Cardinals. Cole has not yet appeared in a game because of right rib inflammation. As a result his first Spring Training appearance has been delayed and will be Sunday against the Detroit Tigers. Hurdle further told reporters that while Cole is now healthy Cole did not start his ... Read More
Pirates offseason analyzed: New additions
It has been a busy time all around baseball as the 2015 season is over and teams are trying to find the right pieces to make a run toward the 2016 World Series. The Pittsburgh Pirates are no different and have welcomed some faces, while saying goodbye to other ones. Hellos: Oct. 24 Pirates acquire Trevor Williams - This was a bizarre acquisition as this was later revealed to be compensation for the Pirates losing their "pitching guru" in Jim Benedict, someone whose opinion had high ... Read More