This afternoon, the Pittsburgh Pirates announced that they have have recalled infielder Jung Ho Kang from his Triple-A rehab stint in Indianapolis and have reinstated him from the 15-day disabled list. To make room for Kang on the active roster, the Pirates sent infielder Jason Rogers to Indianapolis. On Sept. 17, Kang injured his left knee on a slide from Chicago Cubs outfielder Chris Coghlan. Kang missed the remainder of the season, as well as the National League Wild Card game, and ... Read More
Viva la amore: Cervelli’s love advice spreads to fans
For anyone wondering who came up with Francisco Cervelli's "That's Amore" Pirates scoreboard segment, you have Chris Martin to thank. No, not that Chris Martin. This one is a production coordinator for game presentation. Game presentation manager Matt Zidik challenged his staff of four that included Martin, Paul Denillo, Jon Cofer and Martin Corbett to come up with creative new ideas. This one was the adventure of a lifetime that ended up with the final product titled "That's Amore" in which ... Read More
How does Pirates’ Locke compare with other teams’ fifth starters?
The Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitching staff has had an adventurous start to the 2016 season. After posting the second-best ERA in baseball last season, the Pirates find themselves with a current ranking of 19th on the backs of a 4.21 staff ERA. The reasons for this are myriad, but the fulcrum of Pirates fans' angst continues to be Jeff Locke. For better or worse, Locke's career resume to this point has left him as the designated punching bag for fans. Though the optimism that permeates ... Read More
Pirates come up short against Cubs, Jake Arrieta
Remember when Chicago Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta walked the first two batters he faced? Yeah, that was the highlight of Tuesday's night's game. Pittsburgh Pirates color commentator Steve Blass joked that the turning point of the game came during the National Anthem. Blass may not have been far off, as the Cubs defeated the Pirates, 7-1. Call it the "Arrieta Effect" — the Cubs' ace pitcher is now 6-0 on the season and has a 17-game winning streak, which is tied for the fourth-longest since ... Read More
Hughes gives high praise to Pirates prospect Glasnow
Yesterday, it was announced the Indianapolis Indians pitcher Tyler Glasnow was named International League Pitcher of the Week. The award did not surprise Jared Hughes, who recently was with the Indians as part of his rehab assignment. “I really had never seen him before spending time with him in Indy," he said. "I’ve seen him in Spring Training, but that’s always tough to judge. Watching him in Indy was pretty impressive. It’s funny because he won player of the week but (Steven) Brault or ... Read More
Gerrit Cole’s off night costs Pirates
An 87 mile-per-hour fastball was the only thing needed to confirm that the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs are indeed in a rivalry. The game was long decided when Pirates pitcher Kyle Lobstein hit Cubs second baseman Ben Zobrist with a pitch in the seventh inning of a 7-2 Cubs win. An inning earlier, Starling Marte was hit by a pitch for the sixth time this season, a mark that ties Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Brandon Guyer for the Major League lead. After Zobrist was hit, home plate umpire ... Read More
Pirates pregame 5/2: Never too early for an important series
The Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs currently represent the top two National League Central teams being separated by three games from each other. With that in mind, the Cubs come to PNC Park for a three-game series which may have large implications when it comes to early-season series. Last season, the Pirates posted an 8-11 mark against the Cubs and want to get off to a better start in order to avoid this possibility happening again. It has been a good start to the season for the ... Read More
Pirates prospect Glasnow named IL Pitcher of the Week
The Pirates say that Tyler Glasnow has to work on his control and consistency with his third pitch, a changeup. Glasnow seems to have taken note of their wishes and it showed on the field. Glasnow was named the International League Pitcher of the Week for April 25 to May 1. During that time, Glasnow whiffed 18 batters over 11 innings, while leading his team to two victories. On the season, Glasnow has 37 strikeouts, which leads Triple-A. Another week, another award! Tyler Glasnow is the IL ... Read More
Pirates lose extra-inning affair to Reds
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