The Pittsburgh Pirates game into Wednesday night's game, the 138th of the regular season, without a grand slam. One swing of Jung Ho Kang's bat in the sixth inning changed that, and his first career grand slam led the Pirates to victory over the Cincinnati Reds. On the mound, J.A. Happ also continued his string of success, allowing two runs over six innings while striking out a season-high 10 batters. It was the first time he struck out 10 or more batters since Aug. 7, 2014. Despite all of ... Read More
Liriano dominates Reds; Pirates secure winning season
Francisco Liriano picked up his first ever regular season victory against the Cincinnati Reds as the Pittsburgh Pirates emerged victorious in a 7-3 contest Tuesday night. Liriano [10-7] threw six innings and struck out 10 batters, the first time he has punched out a double-digit total of hitters since July 23 against the Washington Nationals. This is also Liriano's fourth 10-win season of his career. According to Pirates PR with Liriano's 10 strikeouts he has 178 on the season. He joins ... Read More
Happ dominant in Pirates victory
The last time the Pittsburgh Pirates traveled to face the St. Louis Cardinals, J.A. Happ's turn was skipped in the rotation. This was partially because of past performance against the Cardinals, but also recent struggles at the time. Friday night, Happ struck out eight batters in seven scoreless innings as the Pirates won by a 9-3 score Friday night. Happ [4-1] was 1-8 with a 6.79 ERA in 10 career starts against the Cardinals coming into the start. His appearance tonight marked the first ... Read More
Pirates division title hopes waning after sweep by Brewers
The Pittsburgh Pirates were swept for the sixth time this season after losing 5-3 Thursday night to the Milwaukee Brewers. This is the second second-half sweep for the Brewers against the Pirates. This is the first time since June 20, that the Pirates have lost a game started by Francisco Liriano. Liriano [9-7] allowed four runs on seven hits in five innings. Domingo Santana recorded a double and Jason Rogers, who walked in the at-bat prior, advanced to third base. Hernan Perez hit a ... Read More
Cole fails to reach fifth inning in Pirates loss
Fans who turned on the television saw what has been a constant at Miller Park as the Pittsburgh Pirates fell by a 7-4 score Tuesday night against the Milwaukee Brewers. Gerrit Cole [15-8] allowed four first-inning runs and lasted four innings, his shortest outing since June 28, 2014 when he also pitched four innings. The victory is the 94th overall and fifth this season by the Brewers against the Pirates at Miller Park. In the bottom of the first inning, the first four batters reached ... Read More
Harrison, Polanco star in Pirates victory
Josh Harrison came into his eighth inning pinch-hit appearance with hits in just two of his last 14 at bats, but when the Pittsburgh Pirates needed him most, he came through. Harrison’s RBI single off Scott Oberg scored the go-ahead run and resulted in a 5-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Friday evening. "You've got to be ready when you're pinch-hitting," Harrison said. "If you get a pitch you think you can handle, you put a swing on it. I just wanted to stay fastball ready and ... Read More
Pirates mailbag: Glasnow, who starts at third, and Happ or Locke
The MLB Playoffs are just around the corner and the Pirates are in good position to make a run at the National League Central. If that does not pan out, they do hold the top spot in the NL Wild Card race. With that in mind, PSN readers submitted their questions and for the first time, I will take them on in this mailbox. Does Tyler Glasnow get called in before season's end and if not does he see PNC Park before Jameson Taillon? - Chris Carter At the end of the day, calling up Tyler ... Read More
COLUMN: Is Kang a serious ROY candidate?
Four months ago, if you would have asked if Jung Ho Kang would have a chance at winning the National League’s Rookie of the Year Award, the answer would have been a “no.” But then July rolled around, and Kang’s stats changed to .379 AVG/.443 OBP/.621 SLG (1064 OPS, 201 wRC+) and turned the competition on its ear as he helped the Pirates to a league best 17-9 in July. It does not come as a surprise that he’s good. With 40 home runs and a 1.198 OPS for the Nexen Heroes in 2014, the Buccos’ ... Read More
Pirates again use long ball to beat Giants
The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the San Francisco Giants by a 5-2 score Sunday night to take three games out of the four-game series. “There were a lot of different things that happened out there tonight that complicated things at times but we were able to stay in front of it, get outs when we needed them and add on runs when we needed them," manager Clint Hurdle said. It was an up and down day for Pedro Alvarez. Alvarez was responsible for two errors and was an official scorer decision ... Read More
Kang, Marte power Pirates to win
No more than 30 minutes earlier Starling Marte played hero hitting a game-winning home run, however he quickly tried to deflect the credit. "You should be talking to Jung Ho [Kang]," Marte said. "He hit two home runs, he was the real hero today." Marte's 15th home run of the season, his second career walk-off allowed the Pittsburgh Pirates to defeat the San Francisco Giants by a 3-2 score. “I was looking for a fastball away because it was tied in the ninth inning and that’s what ... Read More