Following Monday afternoon's loss to the Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle announced that A.J. Burnett will return to pitch for the team Thursday against the Milwaukee Brewers. Hurdle laid out the rotation for assembled media and this was later confirmed by the Pirates. Francisco Liriano and J.A. Happ will throw as scheduled in the remaining two games against the Reds and Burnett will follow along with Charlie Morton and Jeff Locke. This news means a few ... Read More
Pirates miscues give Reds win
The Pittsburgh Pirates defense betrayed Jeff Locke, as the team fell by a 3-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds Monday afternoon. Locke [7-10] only allowed four hits in his five-plus innings of work, however the Pirates defense did him no favors committing four errors in this game. Two of those errors were committed by Sean Rodriguez who made his first start this season at shortstop. Though Rodriguez takes ground balls at the position every day there is on-field batting practice, he committed ... Read More
Cole, Cervelli finally show chemistry
Gerrit Cole was not all smiles in the dugout. The Pittsburgh Pirate ace rarely shows emotion on the mound, and that didn’t change when he exited the field at Busch Stadium after the seventh inning Sunday night. But manager Clint Hurdle and Cole’s teammates couldn’t stop high-fiving the young pitcher. High-fives in the dugout usually signal that a pitcher is done for the game, and Cole earned every hand slap after he exited a game where he blanked the St. Louis Cardinals through seven ... Read More
Cole’s pitching helps Pirates cause in series win
It was 13 years ago when Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole sat in the stands of Angel Stadium rooting for John Lackey to win game seven of the 2002 World Series for the then Anaheim Angels. Fast forward to Sunday night and Cole was pitching against Lackey. The Pirates defeated the Cardinals 7-1 to earn a series sweep. In fact, Cole [16-8] hit a single off Lackey [11-9] in the top of the seventh inning which placed the Pirates in front by two runs. It was Cole's first RBI in 2015 and ... Read More
AM Joe: A win is a win is a win
Good morning, Pittsburgh. Here's your day in sports for Sunday, September 6, 2015. What's on tap for today: It's Fan Appreciation Night at Consol Energy Park as the Wild Things (41-54) wrap up their 2015 season against the Windy City Thunderbolts (41-54) at 2:35 p.m. 93.5 WJPA-FM The Pirates (80-54) and the Cardinals (87-48) will play the rubber match of their three-game series at Busch Stadium. Pirates ace Gerrit Cole hopes to bounce back after a sub-par performance last outing. ... Read More
Pirates offense quiet in 4-1 loss to Cardinals
The Pittsburgh Pirates saw its chances for a sweep end Saturday afternoon with a 4-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Charlie Morton [8-7] saw all of his damage come in a second inning at-bat against Stephen Piscotty. Piscotty singled on the play and Josh Harrison was given a throwing error. The combination of the two things allowed for two runs to score. Morton was charged with one earned run as a result of this sequence. Jaime Garcia [8-4] was making his first start of the season against ... Read More
Happ dominant in Pirates victory
The last time the Pittsburgh Pirates traveled to face the St. Louis Cardinals, J.A. Happ's turn was skipped in the rotation. This was partially because of past performance against the Cardinals, but also recent struggles at the time. Friday night, Happ struck out eight batters in seven scoreless innings as the Pirates won by a 9-3 score Friday night. Happ [4-1] was 1-8 with a 6.79 ERA in 10 career starts against the Cardinals coming into the start. His appearance tonight marked the first ... Read More
AM Joe: Pitt, Penn State or West Virginia?
Good morning, Pittsburgh. Here's your day in sports for Thursday, September 3, 2015. What's on tap for today: The day starts out with some FCS football, as local Northeast Conference rivals Duquesne and Robert Morris both start the season off at home. The Dukes will host Kentucky Christian on the bluff, while Bobby Mo will host Dayton for the first game on the new turf at Joe Walton Stadium. Both games start at noon. ESPN Radio 970 WBGG-AM (RMU), 1320 WJAS-AM (Duquesne) At Heinz ... Read More
AM Joe: Friday night lights return to Western Pa.
Good morning, Pittsburgh. Here's your day in sports for Friday, September 4, 2015. What's on tap for today: It's Fireworks Friday in Washington, Pa. as the Wild Things (40-53) are back at home following a 4-0, 11-inning win last night. First pitch against the Windy City Thunderbolts is at 7:05 p.m. 95.3 WJPA-FM The Pirates (79-53) will need to turn things around quickly if they want to catch the St. Louis Cardinals (86-47) in the National League Central. The Bucs have an opportunity ... Read More
Pirates division title hopes waning after sweep by Brewers
The Pittsburgh Pirates were swept for the sixth time this season after losing 5-3 Thursday night to the Milwaukee Brewers. This is the second second-half sweep for the Brewers against the Pirates. This is the first time since June 20, that the Pirates have lost a game started by Francisco Liriano. Liriano [9-7] allowed four runs on seven hits in five innings. Domingo Santana recorded a double and Jason Rogers, who walked in the at-bat prior, advanced to third base. Hernan Perez hit a ... Read More