PNC Park -- The Pirates (54 – 36), fresh off of a 5 – 0 victory against Oakland on Wednesday, are back at PNC to finish the first half off against the Mets (40 – 48) in the first of three starting tonight. Charlie Morton (1 – 2, 3.38 ERA) will face Jeremy Hefner (4 – 6, 3.39 ERA). Leading Off -- Pedro Alvarez will now be participating in Mondays All-Star Home Run Derby (8pm, ESPN) due to Carlos Gonzalez pulling out due to a finger injury. He is unsure on who will be throwing to him ... Read More
Pirates Blow Offensive Chances, Lose To Phillies 3-1
The Phillies invaded Pittsburgh looking for some revenge on the three-out-of-four that the Pirates took in Philadelphia and they got off to a good start as they stifled a couple prime offensive chances for the Bucs in a 3 – 1 victory on Tuesday night. The Pirates had something going in the third with two out. Marte reached on a fielder’s choice and stole second. Russell Martin would then work a walk and Andrew McCutchen would hit a shot up the middle. Phillies second baseman, Chase Utley, ... Read More
Pirates Win In 14, Sweep Brewers 2 – 1
In a game that went 6+ hours and included a 2 hr 20 min rain delay in the second inning, The Pirates battled their way to a 14-inning victory thanks to a Russell Martin pinch-hit walk off single against the Milwaukee Brewers to complete a 3-game sweep by the score of 2 - 1. Charlie Morton and Kyle Lohse started the game at 1:35pm and lasted only two innings each as a storm system slowly came through causing a 2 hour, 20 minute rain delay. Before the delay, Morton and the Pirates allowed an ... Read More
Pirate Bats Stay Hot In 10 – 3 Victory Over Brewers
PNC Park -- The Pirates continued to break out the bats and Gerrit Cole recovered from a shaky first inning as the Buccos continued to exercise their demons against the Brewers 10 – 3 on Friday night. It was Gerrit Cole’s fourth victory in as many tries to start his ML career. It ended an eventful day that saw the organization introduce Austin Meadows earlier that afternoon. The Brewers got to Cole fast in the first as Nori Aoki walked on four pitches to start the game off and Jean Segura and ... Read More
Father before athlete: What it’s like to be a big league daddy
Growing up, the 25 men on the Pittsburgh Pirates dreamt about reaching the Major Leagues. When they finally reached that level, they held the title that little boys everywhere were jealous of: Major Leaguer. Playing baseball in the backyard, kids would emulate their favorite player in hopes of one day making it to "The Show." For some athletes, the title of Major Leaguer or professional athlete isn't the only title that matters. Ask some of the Pirates and they'll tell you there is one that ... Read More
You won’t forget your first time
There's nothing like the first time. There really isn't. Wait, I guess that was phrased poorly. There's nothing like making your Major League debut. Yeah, that's better. It's nothing that I or any of you reading this can relate to. It's an honor that the elite athletes get to experience in their respective sports. For the Pirates, there have been some memorable debuts lately. Andrew McCutchen performed well in his in 2009. Pedro Alvarez showcased his power when he arrived on the scene in 2010. ... Read More
Are the current steroid punishments taking fans away from the game?
Within the week, the MLB's ongoing investigation of the Biogenesis Clinic in Florida has heated up immensely. But I want to take a step away from the moral values and the legal issues of this case and look at something else. I want to look at undoubtedly the biggest reasons why you, the fans, watch sports in the first place. Entertainment. Growing up in the 1990's, I was immersed into baseball in the prime of the Mark McGwire vs. Sammy Sosa home run battle. I was eight years old in 1998 and, ... Read More
Frank the Tank leads Pirates to 2-0 win
With the MLB Draft and the news of top prospect Gerrit Cole likely making his Pirates debut on Tuesday making the headlines today, the Pirates had to get back to business after a much needed off day. While the city is buzzing about seeing the pitching phenom in a few days, it was another relatively new Pirates that impressed again and stopped the Pirates three-game losing skid with a 2-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Francisco Liriano has been excellent in all but one start since coming off ... Read More
Gerrit Cole “very likely to make debut on Tuesday”
With Jeanmar Gomez on the 15-day DL and Wandy Rodriguez leaving his last start early because of inflammation in his forearm, the Pirates have an opening for next Tuesday's start. While Charlie Morton and James McDonald were both thought to be possibilities, it looks as if the Pirates will go another route against the defending World Series champs. According to Michael Sanserino of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates top prospect Gerrit Cole "will very likely make his debut on Tuesday ... Read More
Pirates take Meadows with ninth pick in MLB Draft
The last three years, the Pirates have used its first round draft pick on a pitcher. In 2010, the team took high school pitcher Jameson Taillon. The Pirates took back-to-back college pitchers in 2011 and 2012 with Gerrit Cole (UCLA) and Mark Appel (Stanford), but Appel decided to return to school for his senior year. With Appel's decision to return to Stanford, the Pirates received two first round picks and a whole lot of money to sign them. While General Manager Neal Huntington has taken ... Read More