Vance Worley pitched four shutout innings in his attempt to create separation in the battle for the fifth spot in the Pittsburgh Pirates starting rotation. The Pirates defeated the Baltimore Orioles 4-2 Sunday to move to 6-5-2 in Spring Training. The game was played in front of 7,603 fans, good for the fourth Pirates sellout of the spring. It was the Pirates that struck first on a first inning Neil Walker double off Wei-Yin Chen to score Josh Harrison. An additional run was tacked on in ... Read More
Pirates catching depth provides options
The Pittsburgh Pirates are heading into its 15th anniversary at PNC Park with a team that is expected to contend in the National League Central for the third consecutive season. After two straight seasons of making the playoffs, now the Pirates are being projected by many to make a run in the playoffs. A lot of this is because of the Pirates depth. Previous outcries from Pirates fans have now turned into words of thanks. This piece is the first of several breaking down Pirates positions. ... Read More
Marte, Pirates end Spring Training losing streak
The Pittsburgh Pirates ended what was a three0game Spring Training losing streak with a 5-2 road victory against the Boston Red Sox Saturday. Clayton Richard [1-0] picked up the win throwing two shutout innings and striking out three batters. The victory is his first since June 16, 2013. The game started with Gerrit Cole throwing 3.2 innings. His twos miscues were Mike Napoli's first and second home runs. Napoli's first was a solo shot that came in the second inning, and the second also ... Read More
Hughes, Sadler rocked in Pirates loss
The Pittsburgh Pirates saw its Grapefruit League losing streak run to three games with an 8-3 defeat Friday at the hands of the Minnesota Twins. With the loss, the Pirates fell to 4-5-2 on the spring. Casey Sadler was scored on for the first time this spring, in his third start. Sadler [1-1] threw 2.1 innings and allowed five hits, four runs and a walk. The Twins scored three runs in the first inning, the first of which came on one of the Pirates three errors, as Jordan Schafer reached ... Read More
Pirates use long ball in Spring Training win
The Pittsburgh Pirates ended a two game Spring Training losing streak with a 3-1 victory against the New York Yankees Friday evening. The Pirates are now 2-2 on the season. In the second inning, the Pirates put up two runs. Pedro Alvarez hit a one out opposite field single to extend his Spring Training hitting streak to three games. He scored on Tony Sanchez's first home run of the spring which was hit to right-center field. The homer was hit off Yankees left-hander Chris Capuano ... Read More
Sanchez sent home from Dominican League
Pirates Triple-A catcher Tony Sanchez has been cut by his Dominican Winter League team and sent home as reported by John Dreker of Pirates Prospects. Tony Sanchez was sent home from the Dominican for poor play. Hit .100 in 10 gms, 2 E's 2-for-12 throwing out runners H/T @kmthomp29 #Pirates— John Dreker (@JohnDreker) December 9, 2014 Sanchez — the Pirates #1 pick (4th overall) in the 2009 draft — hit .100 in 10 games while committing two errors behind the plate and only throwing ... Read More
Pirates make first September call-ups
The Pirates have made their first call-ups since rosters expanded to 40 at midnight last night. Catcher Tony Sanchez and pitchers Gerrit Cole and Stolmy Pimentel were officially called up. Cole, who had been optioned to Low-A Bristol after his previous start to allow another bench player, will make his scheduled start this afternoon in St. Louis. Sanchez batted .235/.422/.758 in 81 games with AAA Indianapolis this season while hitting 17 doubles,11 home runs and 45 RBI. Pimentel, who ... Read More
Wandy Struggles, Pirates Win Wild One 9-8
Pittsburgh-- After 17 combined runs, 24 combined hits and 2 1/3 combined innings by both starters, a Tony Sanchez one-out RBI single proved to be the winner as the Pirates (19-26) fought off the Orioles 9-8 on Wednesday night. Starters Wandy Rodriguez and Chris Tillman both failed to get out of the second inning as both teams combined for 14 runs in 2 1/3 innings of play. The Pirates struck first in the first with RBI's by Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte (2 RBI) and Ike Davis. The Orioles ... Read More
Melancon Blows Save, Pirates Lose 4-3
Mark Melancon had a rare loss of control in the ninth with the Pirates hanging to a 3-2 lead. The closer allowed a two-run walk-off single to Khris Davis after allowing a single and back-to-back walks to load the bases. It is the fifth time the Pirates have blown a lead after eight innings as Jason Grilli has blown three saves and Melancon two. There was some good news that came out of this game as Wandy Rodriguez -- activated off of the DL today -- went five inning while allowing only two ... Read More
Volquez Outduels Wainwright in Pirates 2-1 Victory
Edinson Volquez matched Adam Wainwright pitch-for-pitch on Sunday afternoon as he allowed the Pirates to stick around with the Cardinals enough to pull out a 2-1 victory in the final game of the Pirates opening series homestand. Volquez was the sixth-straight Pirates starter to allow the lead-off hitter to reach base (Bonifacio 3 times, Carpenter 3 times) when Matt Carpenter singled into center. He followed by retiring the next 14 Cardinals before allowing a one-out single to ... Read More