With the MLB Draft and the news of top prospect Gerrit Cole likely making his Pirates debut on Tuesday making the headlines today, the Pirates had to get back to business after a much needed off day. While the city is buzzing about seeing the pitching phenom in a few days, it was another relatively new Pirates that impressed again and stopped the Pirates three-game losing skid with a 2-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Francisco Liriano has been excellent in all but one start since coming off ... Read More
Gerrit Cole “very likely to make debut on Tuesday”
With Jeanmar Gomez on the 15-day DL and Wandy Rodriguez leaving his last start early because of inflammation in his forearm, the Pirates have an opening for next Tuesday's start. While Charlie Morton and James McDonald were both thought to be possibilities, it looks as if the Pirates will go another route against the defending World Series champs. According to Michael Sanserino of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates top prospect Gerrit Cole "will very likely make his debut on Tuesday ... Read More
McGuire and Meadows are eager to begin journey with Pirates
On the night of the MLB Draft, many dreams come true. For the Pirates, they were fortunate enough to draft not just one, but two high schoolers in the first round and make their dream come true. The Pirates selected outfielder Austin Meadows with the No. 9 pick in the first round and Reese McGuire with the No. 14 pick in the first round. Meadows said the whole process has been a humbling one and he didn't even hear his name called. “It’s been a great, humbling experience. I wasn’t even in the ... Read More
Neal Huntington: “They were the best players available on our board”
Going into the 2013 MLB Draft, the Pirates were hoping to be able to land Reese McGuire or Austin Meadows with the No. 9 pick. As they say, you can't predict baseball. The Pirates, who had two first round picks, were able to land not just Meadows, but also McGuire at the No. 14 spot. “I would like to thank out scouting department for their outstanding work, time, energy and effort. The exhausting work is tremendous for our strength as an organization," Pirates General Manager Neal Huntington ... Read More
Pirates select Reese McGuire with 14th pick in MLB Draft
Continuing to show their commitment to the draft, the Pirates followed up the selection of Austin Meadows with the selection of Reese McGuire. The Pirates have been linked to McGuire for quite some time now and the value of getting McGuire at No. 14 couldn't have worked out better for the Pirates. After the Mets took Dominic Smith, the Pirates had just the Mariners and Padres standing between them and McGuire. Since the Mariners took Mike Zunino a year ago as their catcher of the future, they ... Read More
Pirates take Meadows with ninth pick in MLB Draft
The last three years, the Pirates have used its first round draft pick on a pitcher. In 2010, the team took high school pitcher Jameson Taillon. The Pirates took back-to-back college pitchers in 2011 and 2012 with Gerrit Cole (UCLA) and Mark Appel (Stanford), but Appel decided to return to school for his senior year. With Appel's decision to return to Stanford, the Pirates received two first round picks and a whole lot of money to sign them. While General Manager Neal Huntington has taken ... Read More
June 5, 2013: The day the sports world stood still in Pittsburgh
I'm not a fan of using words like "tragedy" or "heroes" when it comes to sports or athletes. We all know who the the real heroes are and what the real tragedies are. That doesn't mean that there are certain times when a collection of bad things will happen to your favorites teams that just leave you in a state of shock. For Western Pennsylvania, that day was Wednesday, June 6. The news first broke that morning that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger would have to undergo minor ... Read More
Pirates get swept in Atlanta, nearly get no-hit
Atlanta - The Pirates wrapped up a tough road series with a 5-0 loss against the Braves. The story of the game was Julio Teheran, who came four outs away from pitching a no-hitter against the Bucs. Teheran struck out eleven batters and didn't allow a hit until there were two outs in the top of the eighth inning. Brandon Inge had the lone hit for the Pirates, as he picked up a pinch-hit off of Teheran to end the no-hit bid. Wandy Rodriguez started for the Pirates, and was removed to the ... Read More
Snedden’s Take: Chicken Soup for the 2013 Pirates Fan’s Soul
June looks to be the key month for the 2013 Bucs, and by the time we flip the calendar to July we should have a better idea of where this team is going. The Pirates have a tough stretch of games that started Monday when they headed to Atlanta to face the N.L. East-leading Braves in a three-game set, followed by a trip to Wrigley Field to play the resurgent Chicago Cubs next weekend. They follow this road swing with a home stand that includes defending World Series champion San Francisco for ... Read More
Pirates drop second straight to Braves in extra innings
ATLANTA - The Bucs lost their second straight game, and dropped their second consecutive series in Atlanta tonight by the score of 5-4. Jeff Locke was on the hill for the Pirates and didn't have his best stuff. He allowed three runs through 5.2 innings. He was pulled after 103 pitches for recently called up Ryan Reid who blew the lead almost instantly. Reid allowed a two-run homer to B.J. Upton in the bottom of the sixth which tied the game up at 4-4. Tony Watson and Jason Grilli each ... Read More