It took 11 innings, but the Pittsburgh Pirates saw its comeback attempt come to an end. This game came down to a bullpen battle, and Ryan Vogelsong was the last to flinch as he fell to 1-1 on the season. Here are some takeaways from the game. Locke not to blame Jeff Locke has always been the easy target to blame, but his seven innings of work in which he allowed three runs on four hits should not draw ire. Every start, fans automatically appear to want Locke to fail. When he ... Read More
Pirates beat Reds to match April wins record
Getting outs on three pitches or less has always been a staple of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and starting pitcher Francisco Liriano found success accomplishing this Saturday night. He pitched 6.2 innings in a 5-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds at a rainy PNC Park. Liriano (1-1) had three three ball counts, and the zero walks he allowed was perhaps just as important — he came into this start leading National League pitchers with 17 walks, one behind the Major-League-high held by Felix ... Read More
Pirates pregame 4/30: Jared Hughes returns
Following a 4-1 victory Friday night against the Cincinnati Reds, the Pittsburgh Pirates will look for a series victory as Francisco Liriano (1-1 4.64 ERA) takes on Alfredo Simon (0-2 16.39 ERA). Liriano has a 1-5 record with a 3.96 ERA in 13 regular season starts against the Reds. One of those starts came this season, and he allowed three runs on five hits in five innings. Liriano threw 90 pitches in that appearance and struggled with control all night, having to consistently battle through ... 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
Has the Pirates’ 1B success changed Josh Bell’s timeline?
Going into the 2016 season, the first base position was one of great uncertainty for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Less than one month into the season, that uncertainty has given way to a new unknown. Has the team's production at first changed prized prospect Josh Bell's timeline? Bell has been not-so-quietly faring well against International League pitching for the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians, culminating in his being named IL Hitter Of The Week yesterday. On the season, Bell is slashing ... Read More
Has Josh Bell’s debut been pushed back by Jaso, Rogers?
Going into 2016, the first base position was one of great uncertainty for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Less than a month into the season, that uncertainty has given way to a new unknown: Has the team's production at first changed the timeline of prized prospect Josh Bell? Bell has been not-so-quietly faring well against International League pitching for the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians, culminating in Bell, yesterday, being named IL Hitter Of The Week. On the season, Bell is slashing ... Read More
Pirates sightseeing: Pirates win series, leave a lot to be desired
By no means was it pretty, but the Pittsburgh Pirates did just enough to take two of three games from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Here are my takeaways from the weekend that was. This bullpen is still a mess I feel as though every series I have been critical of the bullpen, so forgive me if there is repetition, but this is getting ridiculous. All weekend the bullpen did not rise up to the task and once again clearly was the weak link. Regardless of weather, it should not take eight ... Read More
Pirates sightseeing: Three takeaways from San Diego
The Pittsburgh Pirates dropped two of three road games against the San Diego Padres. There certainly were some things to like and things that were not so favorable. Here are just a few of each. Jeff Locke does not have a finishing pitch Anytime you are a pitcher who does not have blow-it-by-you velocity, you have to paint corners and find other ways to succeed. Add that inability to inconsistent performance and a lack of confidence from fans, and you have Jeff Locke. Locke was ... Read More
John Jaso has been a surprise success batting leadoff for the Pirates
John Jaso is not supposed to hit leadoff. He’s not a great runner. He’s not a threat to steal at any given moment. He won’t land that perfectly placed drag bunt. Jaso even plays first base. First basemen aren’t supposed to lead off; they’re supposed to hit home runs. In Jaso’s case, none of that matters. The leadoff hitter’s main goal is get on base. And Jaso knows how to get on base. While he might be the most unconventional leadoff hitter the Pittsburgh Pirates have had in years, ... Read More
Pirates Kang showed no signs of rust in Triple-A debut
Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Jung Ho Kang began his rehab assignment last night in Indianapolis. In joining the Triple-A Indians, Kang will look to fully return from the traumatic leg injury suffered in September of last season. In his first non-simulated game action since that fateful slide from Cubs outfielder Chris Coghlan ended his debut season, Kang went 0-for-3, contributing with a walk and run scored. Scheduled to play seven innings regardless of game situation or performance, ... Read More