Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco dominated in just about every facet of Tuesday night's game. Polanco's 3-for-5 night at the plate came with a career-high five RBIs as part of a 12-1 Pirates win over the Arizona Diamondbacks at PNC Park. Really this should be no surprise, as through the first quarter and change of this season, you could easily make the case for Polanco being the team's MVP. Perhaps Starling Marte is the lone competition standing in the way of the outright ... Read More
Bizarre ninth seals Pirates loss
It appeared that the ninth inning would be a quick one with Pittsburgh Pirates closer Mark Melancon on the mound. He threw the first five pitches for strikes and struck out Mark Reynolds and Carlos Gonzalez looking then Gerardo Parra came up. Parra hit a swinging bunt with two strikes on him that barely stayed in fair territory and gave Francisco Cervelli a seemingly automatic throw to first to keep the game tied heading into the bottom of the ninth inning. Instead, his fifth error of the ... Read More
Pirates pregame: The one where defense wins championships
While rain has fallen all day in Pittsburgh, there will still be a baseball game at PNC Park as the Pittsburgh Pirates play host to the Colorado Rockies for the second of a three-game series. This afternoon, Jonathon Niese (4-2, 5.28 ERA) will pitch against Tyler Chatwood (5-3, 3.20 ERA). Niese is 3-3 with a 5.64 ERA in 10 career starts against the Rockies. This season hasn't been kind to him — he's tied for third in the National League in home runs allowed (11) and ranks among NL leaders ... Read More
Starling Marte leads defensive effort in Pirates’ win vs. Rockies
Starling Marte knew his Pittsburgh Pirates were up by one run, and — when the Colorado Rockies' Charlie Blackmon singled and Dustin Garneau was waved home — Marte knew it was up to him to keep it that way. "I knew when I threw the ball he was out," Marte said. That was just one of several spectacular plays in Friday's game, and the Pirates put on a defensive clinic in their 2-1 victory over Colorado. You may want to rethink running on Starling. https://t.co/5hFca6fCvv ... Read More
Pirates’ 10-game homestand continues tonight vs. Rockies
The Pittsburgh Pirates are in the middle of a 10-game homestand and tonight will start a three-game set against the Colorado Rockies when the Pirates' Gerrit Cole (4-3, 3.05 ERA) takes on the Rockies' Eddie Butler (2-1, 4.74 ERA). The Rockies come to PNC Park on a two-game losing streak but are 6-4 in their last 10 contests. With a 20-20 record, the Rockies are tied for second place in the NL West, three games behind the San Francisco Giants. The NL West has been a recipe of success ... Read More
Column: It’s time for Arquimedes Caminero to be DFA’d
After an unsettling ninth inning, one thing became clear in the Pittsburgh Pirates' 3-1 loss Wednesday night to the Atlanta Braves: Arquimedes Caminero needs to be DFA'd. This isn't an emotional reaction, it's one that has been building. Caminero had a great season last year, but, this season, his pitches are finishing on more of a straight angle, and his quicker pace of play may have created a mental block. And when a player struggles for an extended period of time, bad habits can be hard ... Read More
Matt Joyce thriving off bench for Pirates
Matt Joyce had a rare start Monday. He made it count. The Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder had three hits, three RBIs and scored twice. And his outing in the Pirates' win against the Atlanta Braves was capped when Joyce launched a home run into the right field bleachers in the bottom of the seventh inning. It was only his sixth start of the season, yet, he's made his presence felt. In mostly a pinch-hitting role, Joyce has a .372/.500/.767 line this season. His five home runs are ... Read More
Assessing pros and cons of Pirates win
The Pittsburgh Pirates led the Atlanta Braves 9-0 after two innings Tuesday night, but that lead was blown. Ultimately the Pirates prevailed 12-9, but there were not many style points that came in this win. As a fan of late night television, perhaps it is best to look at things from a Jimmy Fallon perspective and try to balance good from bad. This time there are no punchlines. Pro Twenty-one hits- It was a performance that proved to be a season-high on the offensive end of ... Read More
Column: Cervelli’s contract well worth it
Normally the Pittsburgh Pirates stick strong to its principles and one of those involves not discussing contract negotiations during the season. It can be a distraction to both player and team alike as each wants to focus on the season, so normally the off-season is when extensions are granted The Pirates already broke this rule once this season when they gave Gregory Polanco an extension and now have done so once more with Francisco Cervelli. This one was more than worth bending the ... Read More
Pirates extend Cervelli’s contract through 2019
Was Francisco Cervelli going to be the next Russell Martin? For a while, it looked that way, as there were no talks of an extension between the Pirates and Cervelli in his contract year. That all changed on Tuesday afternoon, as the Pirates announced they have agreed to terms with Cervelli on a three-year contract extension that would keep the fan-favorite catcher in the city through 2019. The deal is believed to be for $31 million, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports. Sources: ... Read More