The Pirates have been one of the better teams in baseball so far this season. There's really no denying that. Unfortunately, every good team will have its bad days. The Pirates fell victim to Murphy's Law as they walked eight and hit three batters as a team, en route to a loss to the Nationals by the score of 5-4. "We've played very good ball to this point. Every once and awhile you have a game where you're not in sync," Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle said. "All of those walks and hit batters ... Read More
Pirates led by Martin, Jones and Locke in blowout win over Cardinals
ST. LOUIS -- Clint Hurdle always calls baseball, alternately, a funny or a wonderful game. This episode probably qualifies as both. Jeff Locke began the season as the Pirates' No. 5 starter, and now is riding a scoreless streak of 13 innings after going the first seven on Sunday as the Bucs downed the Cardinals, 9-0, to vault over St. Louis in the National League Central. It can be reasonably assumed that Locke has earned a promotion to the No. 4 slot, previously occupied by Jonathan ... Read More
Pirates grind out win over Braves, finish homestand 7-2
Jonathan Sanchez lasted three innings but only allowed two runs as the Pirates took the four-game series from the Braves by a 4 – 2 margin. The Braves got on the board in the second by scratching together four straight singles by Chris Johnson, Reed Johnson, Gerald Laird, and Andrelton Simmons to make it 2 – 0. The Pirates would immediately answer back in the bottom with three straight hits of their own. Pedro Alvarez led off with a single, Russell Martin would then hit an RBI double, and ... Read More
Wandy’s marvelous in return; Pirates face minimum 27 in 6-0 over Braves
PITTSBURGH -- Pitching on a healthy left hamstring, Wandy Rodriguez hamstrung the Atlanta Braves. Jumping back into the fray after having to skip one turn due to a strain of his left hamstring muscle, Rodriguez utterly silenced the team with the Majors' best record and most home runs, holding them to one hit through seven innings of the Pirates' 6-0 victory at PNC Park. In becoming the second Pirates starter in three days to hurl seven innings of one-hit ball -- allowing only a ... Read More
Pirates unable to sweep D’backs, lose 10-2
Tom Singer - Sometimes you're the broom, and sometimes you're the mess. The Pirates had no trouble deciding which they were on Wednesday, when they entered Chase Field hoping to sweep the D-backs and instead were whisked out of town. With Jonathan Sanchez looking nothing like the left-hander who impressed in Spring Training and in his first start of the season, the Bucs took a 10-2 series-ending loss on the chin. The haymakers were delivered by A.J. Pollock, who drove in four with a ... Read More
Pittsburgh March Madness – Championship Round
It took just over two weeks, but the field of 64 athletes, coaches and announcers from Pittsburgh storied history is finally down to the last two. #1. Mario Lemieux from the North Side Region made it through some tough competition. For a man who is no stranger to overcoming obstacles, he was able to make it to the end rather easily. Facing Lemieux will be the #1. seed from the Mt. Washington Region. Roberto Clemente is the greatest Pirate of all-time. He lived to help others and ... Read More
Pittsburgh March Madness – Final Four
After a few days off, it's time for the Final Four of Pittsburgh March Madness. For two weeks, the fans have voted for 64 different athletes as they went head-to-head in a March Madness-type bracket. We here at Pittsburgh Sporting News ranked 64 of the most influential athletes, coaches and announces throughout the history of our prestigious city. After many upsets and questionable picks, only four remain. North Side Region: #1 Mario Lemieux - The savior of the Penguins franchise both ... Read More
Pittsburgh Sporting News – Elite 8
And then there were eight. The field quickly went from 64 of the best sports figures in Pittsburgh history, down to just eight. From the North Side Region, #1 Mario Lemieux and #3 Jack Lambert moved on. From the South Side Region, #5 Myron Cope, who is fresh off an upset of #1 "Mean Joe" Greene, will join #2 Chuck Noll in the regional finals. On the right side of the bracket, #1 Roberto Clemente was able to hold off #4 Sidney Crosby as he advances to take on #3 Franco Harris in the Mt. ... Read More
Pirates embrace Opening Day, give fans a reason to believe this year
Despite the snowfall, it is Opening Day for the 2013 Major League Baseball season. While the last two seasons are well documented -- they'll forever be known as the Collapse Part 1 and the Collapse Part 2 -- the Pirates are focused on this year only. After a longer than usual Spring Training in Bradenton, Fl., the Pirates are back to Pittsburgh and are set to take on the Cubs for a three-game set. While the season is a marathon, not a sprint, Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle didn't want to take ... Read More
Pittsburgh March Madness – Mt. Washington/Station Square Sweet 16
Yesterday, we advanced four from the North Side and South Side Regions to Elite 8. For the first time in the entire tournament, a No. 1 seed was knocked off! In the South Side Region, #5 Myron Cope upset #1 "Mean Joe" Greene as Myron continues to make a run in the tournament. Also in the South Side Region, #11 Ben Roethlisberger's run came to an end as legendary Steelers coach #2 Chuck Noll advanced to the Elite 8. In the North Side Region, #1 Mario Lemieux took care of #4 Hines Ward easily. ... Read More