It turns out the Ryan Vogelsong start that will occur Wednesday night is not the only change to be announced in the past 24 hours. A.J. Schugel, a right-handed pitcher, has been called up to the Pittsburgh Pirates from the Indianapolis Indians, the team's Triple-A affiliate. To allow for Schugel to get called up, Michael Morse was designated for assignment. Schugel does have major league experience as he was called up on April 12, 2015 with the Arizona Diamondbacks when Gerald Laird went ... 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
Pirates pregame 9/30: Let’s play two part deux
The Pittsburgh Pirates are in must-win situation if it wants to keep its National League Central hopes alive. The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Pirates by a 3-0 score Monday night and reducing its magic number to two meaning a win in either doubleheader game would result in the NL Central title. “We’ve been in a footrace the entire year, and I don’t think we’re scared of who’s behind us, we just go out and play hard," Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal said. The Pirates are not panicking ... Read More
Cole’s gem pushes Pirates winning streak to seven
The Pirates are getting hot at the right time. They stormed into Wrigley Field on Friday afternoon on a six-game winning streak and ace Gerrit Cole kept things rolling as he and the bullpen held the Cubs to just two runs in a 3-2 series-opening victory for the visiting Bucs. Cole gave up just four hits and one run while striking out eight over seven innings of work. He helped his own cause with some offensive work in the top of the third inning. Jordy Mercer set the table with a ... Read More
Pirates pregame 9/13: Harrison regaining offensive stride, Morse finds success
The Pittsburgh Pirates will look for another series win in this afternoon's contest against the Milwaukee Brewers. After dropping the first game by a 6-4 score in 13 innings, the Pirates came back to win 6-3 and 10-2. In this afternoon's game, Francisco Liriano will face Taylor Jungmann. Liriano is 6-6 with a 4.26 ERA in 15 career games [14 starts] against the Brewers. He is 0-2 with a 4.85 ERA in two starts this year. In his last start, Liriano got a win against the Cincinnati Reds ... Read More
AM Joe: Bucs close to 2.5 games back on Cardinals
Good morning, Pittsburgh. Here's your day in sports for Saturday, September 12, 2015. What's on tap for today: The rest of the NFL kicks off the 2015 season today, starting at 1:00 p.m. KDKA-TV, CBS The Pirates (85-56) Have a Sunday matinee at 1:35 as the go for the series win in their four-game slate with the Milwaukee Brewers (62-80). Francisco Liriano will start for the Bucs. A win would put them just two games back of St. Louis for first place in the NL Central. ROOT Sports ... Read More
Pirates put up 10 runs against the Brewers
Jeff Locke made it through 6.1 innings as the Pittsburgh Pirates won 10-2 Saturday night against the Milwaukee Brewers. The difference-maker for the Pirates in this game was a five-run third inning. Gregory Polanco led off with a walk to reach base for the 48 of his past 59 games. Josh Harrison then added a single and Andrew McCutchen did the same, recording his 91st RBI in the process. This placed the Pirates in front by a 1-0 score. Aramis Ramirez then hit a double, which brought home ... Read More
Pirates pregame 9/10: Burnett returns to the mound
The Pittsburgh Pirates return to PNC Park for their first home game in the month of September. The opponent is a familiar one in the Milwaukee Brewers. This is the last series between these two teams in 2015. The Pirates have lost their past six contests against the Brewers and are 6-9 against them this season. Tonight, A.J. Burnett makes his return to the Pirates rotation and will face Wily Peralta. Burnett is returning from right elbow inflammation and missed 37 games overall. He is ... 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
Locke shines as Bucs roll over Marlins
Jeff Locke pitched seven innings for the first time since July 19 and the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Miami Marlins by a 7-2 score. Both teams scored in the first inning. Josh Harrison led off with a walk. Two batters later, Andrew McCutchen recorded his 32nd double of the season, placing the first run on the board. Locke (7-8) was one strike away from getting out of the first inning, however, he allowed a solo home run to Martin Prado on a 2-2 count. The Pirates pulled away with a ... Read More