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
Burnett shaky in Pirates loss
The Pittsburgh Pirates continued their Spring Training scheduled with a 5-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox Thursday. The Pirates are now 4-4-2 on the spring. This contest marked the Pirates third sellout of the spring in five home games, and the 8,455 people in attendance represented the third-largest crowd at McKechnie Field. Clay Buchholz picked up the win for the Red Sox and is 2-0 this spring, while A.J. Burnett earned his first loss. Burnett pitched 2.1 innings and while he did not allow ... Read More
Jordy Mercer goes deep as Pirates lose to Phillies
The Pittsburgh Pirates lost its first game in a week losing 3-2 to the Philadelphia Phillies in a Wednesday Spring Training game. The Pirates were 3-0-2 during this stretch. Charlie Morton started for the Pirates and had command troubles in the first inning. Morton walked lead-off hitter Ben Revere on five pitches with all four balls in the sequence missing the strike zone by a comfortable margin. Morton then had his pick off throw dropped by Deibinson Romero allowing Revere to advance to ... Read More
Nick Leyva is underrated part of Pirates success
After smacking a double off of the Clemente Wall, Pedro Alvarez is standing on second base. It’s a 3-2 game, in the bottom of the ninth inning of the National League Wild Card play-in game. With two outs, trailing by one and a berth to the second round of the playoffs on the line, Jordy Mercer steps up to the dish and lines a single into left field. Alvarez makes his way to third and looks up to his third-base coach to see if he’s going or if he’s staying put. In a season with 162 ... Read More
Pirates win; Brandon Cumpton undergoes Tommy John surgery
Francisco Liriano made a strong case to start Opening Day throwing three scoreless innings in a 4-3 Spring Training win Tuesday afternoon against the Tampa Bay Rays. In his three innings of work, Liriano surrendered one hit while striking out four batters. He also registered a single. "I just want to get better each start," Liriano said. "I was pretty happy with what I did today." "He's never going to be a guy who just goes out there to get his work in," Manager Clint Hurdle said. "He's ... Read More
Pirates earn tie; Vance Worley wins ‘B’ game
The Pittsburgh Pirates moved to 3-2-2 in Spring Training after a 1-1 tie against the Minnesota Twins Monday at McKechnie Field. Gerrit Cole started the game for the Pirates throwing the first three innings and had inconsistencies allowing three walks and two hits. One of those hits was a one-out home run by one of the Twins two top prospects Miguel Sano. Cole did strike out two batters. Additionally, he doubled in a third inning plate appearance. Arquimedes Caminero had another solid ... Read More
Sadler continues to impress; Pirates defeat Blue Jays
The Pittsburgh Pirates won 1-0 against the Toronto Blue Jays Saturday afternoon to move to 3-2-1 in Spring Training. This is the third time these two teams have faced each other in the past week. Casey Sadler extended his Spring Training scoreless innings streak to five and was the first starter to throw three innings for the Pirates this season. Sadler did not allow any hits over the course of his three innings of work and also struck out three batters. On the spring, Sadler has allowed no ... Read More