Good morning, Pittsburgh. Here's your day in sports for Tuesday, September 29, 2015. What's on tap for today: The Penguins (2-3-0) will take the hour-long bus ride to Johnstown, Pa where they will host the Tampa Bay Lightning at the historic Cambria County War Memorial Arena. The game -- and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of arena upgrades -- were given to Johnstown for winning the first Kraft Hockeyville USA contest. The War Memorial is most famous for being the arena where the ... Read More
Pirates fail to cash in; lose to Cardinals
It was a familiar sight for Pittsburgh Pirates fans as the team gave itself opportunities against the St. Louis Cardinals, but could not convert. The Pirates stranded 16 runners and left the bases loaded four times in a 3-0 loss Monday night. "We didn’t meet the demands of the game tonight," manager Clint Hurdle said. J.A. Happ ended his outing retiring the last 11 batters and faced the minimum amount of Cardinals through six innings. He threw 56 pitches, 43 of which were ... Read More
Biggest regular season series ever at PNC Park?
When the Pittsburgh Pirates take the field Monday to start a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals, huge playoff implications will be on the line. First place in the NL Central, and not having to face Chicago Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta in a one-and-done playoff game is the prize, and will go a long way to the Pirates’ World Series chances. With the Cardinals three games above the Pirates with six games left, the Pirates still control their own destiny to winning the ... Read More
Pirates set to battle Cardinals pivotal NL Central series
Following an 8-2 road trip, the Pirates return home for a six-game homestand to conclude the regular season. An important three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals is on tap first. Recalling the road trip, despite a setback Sunday, Tony Watson was pleased with the team's overall body of work. “It’s never easy going to the West Coast, especially this time of year and we faced some good arms, some Cy Young candidates obviously," Watson said. "We’ve had and will continue to have tough ... Read More
AM Joe: Steelers turn to Vick; Bucs host Cardinals
Good morning, Pittsburgh. Here's your day in sports for Monday, September 28, 2015. What's on tap for today: Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin will hold his weekly press conference today at noon, and more information is expected to be revealed about the extent of starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's left knee injury and how the Steelers plan to move past the loss of their franchise player. ROOT Sports Pittsburgh The Penguins (2-2-0) will travel to Quebec City, Quebec for the first ... Read More
Pirates dominated by Arrieta again in loss
The Pittsburgh Pirates saw Jake Arrieta for the third time in as many weeks, and the results were not favorable. Arrieta had a perfect game through six innings and the Chicago Cubs avoided a sweep winning 4-0 Sunday night. Arrieta [21-6], entered play with a 2-1 record to go with a 0.93 ERA in four starts against the Pirates. In Sunday's contest, Arrieta pitched seven scoreless innings striking out nine batters and allowing one hit, the leadoff single from Gregory Polanco in the seventh ... Read More
Pirates get solid from Liriano in win
Francisco Liriano threw 7.2 innings and reached 200 strikeouts as the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Chicago Cubs, 4-0. Hitters came in batting .100 with two strikes against Liriano [12-7], and in this game, Cubs batters were 0-for-16. By reaching 200 strikeouts, Liriano is one away from tying a career-high set in 2010 with the Minnesota Twins. The victory secures the Pirates a series win and a 5.5 game lead for the top spot in the National League Wild Card race over the Cubs. Much of the ... Read More
AM Joe: Cubs, Pirates both get help; StL lead down to three
Good morning, Pittsburgh. Here's your day in sports for Saturday, September 26, 2015. What's on tap for today: The Chicago Cubs (89-64) clinched a playoff berth yesterday anyway, despite losing to the Pirates (94-60), as the San Francisco Giants lost to the Oakland A's last night. The Pirates got some help of their own as the Milwaukee Brewers beat the St. Louis Cardinals to bring the Pirates to three games out of first place. Even more worrisome for the Cardinals is the potential loss ... 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
AM Joe: Bucs face Cubs in crucial NL Central matchup
Good morning, Pittsburgh. Here's your day in sports for Friday, September 25, 2015. What's on tap for today: Since losing three-of-four to the Chicago Cubs (89-63) in Pittsburgh, last week, the Pirates (93-60) have won six of their last seven games. Despite their recent success, they haven't gained much ground on their NL Central rivals. They remain four games behind the St. Louis Cardinals and just three games ahead of the Cubs, who the Pirates will visit at Wrigley Field for a three-game ... Read More