Charlie Morton's up and down Spring Training continued with an 8-3 victory over the visiting Toronto Blue Jays Saturday at McKechnie Field. Morton [1-1] saw his ERA fall from 7.71 to 6.46 this spring after pitching six innings and allowing three runs. Morton also surrendered six hits and walked two batters. Morton's three runs came on a first inning Daric Barton home run, a second inning Munenori Kawasaki double and a fourth inning Danny Valencia homer. “I thought he showed progress as ... Read More
Pirates major league roster shaping up; team wins shortened game
Jeff Locke pitched 5.2 innings as the Pittsburgh Pirates won a rain-shortened game 4-2 Friday against the Minnesota Twins. The game was called due to rain in the bottom of the eighth inning. Locke is now 1-1 on the season and lowered his ERA from 9.00 to 6.59. He allowed: eight hits, two runs, walked three and struck out two batters. Antonio Bastardo picked up his first save and allowed a hit while striking out two batters in his inning of work. Blake Wood got the final out of the sixth ... Read More
Jose Tabata among 12 Pirates cuts
With just 10 days until Opening Day, the Pittsburgh Pirates continued to trim their roster on Friday, cutting 12 players. Among those who were cut included outfielder Jose Tabata, who was competing for the final bench spot as a fourth outfielder. Along with Tabata, also cut on Friday include: Steve Lombardozzi, Charlie Leesman, Josh Wall, Bobby LaFromboise, Deolis Guerra, Brad Lincoln, Gorkys Hernandez, Brent Morel, Gustavo Nunez, Sebastian Valle and Deibinson Romero. LaFromboise was ... Read More
Worley continues to make starting case; Pirates lose
Vance Worley's six-inning start had some peaks and valleys in the Pirates 7-5 loss to the Atlanta Braves Thursday. Worley threw six innings allowing seven hits, five runs and striking out three batters. The vast majority of the damage came in the first inning in which the Braves scored five runs. The highlight was a Chris Johnson two-run homer, his first of the spring. Jace Peterson, Christian Bethancourt and Kelly Johnson also registered RBI in the frame. The Braves opened the game with four ... Read More
Middle-infield looks solid for Pirates
There were questions going into the 2014 season about the lack of offense at the middle-infield positions for the Pirates. At second base, Neil Walker had shown glimpses of power, but injuries plagued him forcing him to sit when things seemed to be coming around. At shortstop, there wasn't much to look forward to. Clint Barmes could barely keep his head above the Mendoza line and a young Jordy Mercer looked to be at least a full year or two away from being a solid starter. To the surprise ... Read More
Pirates 11 hits not enough in Spring Training loss
The Pittsburgh Pirates fell to 10-9-3 in Spring Training play with a loss Tuesday to the Baltimore Orioles. Jared Hughes allowed six hits and five earned runs in one-third of an inning losing his first Spring Training game. Radhames Liz started the contest for the Pirates and pitched three innings allowing four hits however kept the Orioles off the scoreboard. Liz, a former Oriole, is in the running for a potential bullpen spot. It was not until the fourth inning that the Orioles ... Read More
Burnett, Cervelli have on-field reunion in victory
The Pittsburgh Pirates used three home runs to power a 7-6 Spring Training victory Monday against the Tampa Rays. The game was the first time A.J. Burnett and Francisco Cervelli, both former New York Yankees, played together since 2011. Burnett received a no-decision throwing 4.2 innings while allowing three hits and five runs. Two of those runs came in the first inning on an RBI ground out from Asdrubal Cabrera and a run-scoring single from James Loney. "I told him [Cervelli] where I ... Read More
Morton has rough outing in Pirates loss
Charlie Morton had a start to forget in Sunday's 14-2 Spring Training loss to the Houston Astros. Morton allowed seven runs on nine hits in his 4.1 innings pitched and as a result lost his first game of the spring. The Pirates are now 7-8-3 in Spring Training. The highlight of the game for the Pirates was Jordy Mercer's second home run of the spring. The blast came in the sixth inning and was hit off Dan Straily. Mercer is 7 for his last 11 at the plate and is hitting .294 this ... Read More
Pirates win two games; Sanchez makes big league roster
On the day that Buster Olney predicted that the Pittsburgh Pirates would win the World Series, the team won both of its split squad games. The Pirates are now 8-7-2 after a 6-5 win against the Philadelphia Phillies and a 4-2 victory against the Minnesota Twins. Vance Worley got the start against the Phillies and was the first pitcher to be stretched out to five innings this spring. Worley allowed six hits, three runs and struck out four batters, all in a no-decision. Worley has walked one ... Read More
ESPN’s Buster Olney predicts Pirates as World Series winner
So, just how good are the Pirates? From 20 straight losing seasons, to back-to-back appearances in the playoffs, the Pirates have gone from basement dwellers to actually contenders. It's one thing for Pittsburgh fans to say it (you know their teams are ALWAYS going to be great, right?). It's also another thing for the local media to say it. But when the worldwide leader in sports says it, you know the Pirates are making noise. On Friday morning, Buster Olney of ESPN released his playoff ... Read More