Forgive me if you have heard this script before: The Pittsburgh Pirates' offense comes together and solves a pitcher in the seventh inning, only to immediately blow the momentum. It happened against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night, just over 24 hours from when the same thing happened against the Detroit Tigers. Predictably, the outcome was similar, and the Pirates lost to the Brewers, 8-4. This defeat drops the Pirates to 5-6, their first time under .500 in 2016. The losses have ... Read More
Jordy Mercer’s 11th inning single gives Pirates 6-5 win over Cardinals
Jordy Mercer had been fooled twice by Seth Maness’ changeups, so Mercer wanted to make sure the third time was a charm. After all, he and his Pittsburgh Pirates teammates had been huddled by the PNC Park dugout heater for over six innings in a game that was deep in the 11th inning. So when Maness (0-1) took the bait and fired a third changeup, Mercer made him pay with an opposite field single that sailed past St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Matt Adams’s outstretched glove. Mercer’s ... Read More
Pirates Pregame: Polanco contract sets positive tone
The Pittsburgh Pirates will look to start the season 2-0 and lock-up a series win against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night. The game’s starters will be Jonathon Niese and Michael Wacha for the Pirates and the Cardinals, respectively. Niese is 4-3 with a 3.10 ERA in nine career starts against the Cardinals. Tonight’s game already has something in common with Sunday’s home opener, as Niese, like Francisco Liriano, is a left-handed starting pitcher. This is the first time the Pirates ... Read More
Liriano fans 10 in Pirates Opening Day win
It's hard to believe, but the most important at-bat came two batters into the bottom of the second inning. Josh Harrison was facing St. Louis Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright, with Gregory Polanco on second base after a lead-off double that hit off the Clemente Wall in right field. Harrison took a 2-1 offering and hit a ground ball, which allowed Polanco to advance to third base. Not only did this move a runner forward, something which was not done in the first inning when the Pittsburgh ... Read More
Pirates offense, Cole return in win
Sunday was an important day for Pittsburgh Pirates fans as it was their first chance to see Gerrit Cole on a mound in game action. Cole suffered a rib inflammation and it delayed the start of his throwing program. He was able to throw his two scheduled innings as the Pirates won 9-5 over the Detroit Tigers in front of a sold out crowd at McKechnie Field. 8,771 fans attended Sunday's game, the third-largest crowd in McKechnie Field history. Cole was able to use all of his pitches in the ... Read More
2015 most valuable Pirates player: Part 1
Many Pittsburgh Pirates contributed to the team's third consecutive playoff appearance, so it is no wonder why the list for placement when it comes to the most valuable player for 2015 is long. PSN's list will be a three-part series as honorable mention through 6 in this first part, 5-2 in the second part and the best will get their own separate entry. Unfortunately, Ray Searage was not up for consideration, or else this would not have been a contest. Honorable mention Jared Hughes- Hughes ... Read More
Pirates’ Burnett loses final regular season start
Even the Cincinnati Reds were among those standing for A.J. Burnett as he made his final regular season start. Unfortunately for him, the Pittsburgh Pirates offered little run support in a 3-1 losing effort Saturday night. Burnett's [9-7] ovation came from 34,180 fans, a mark which allowed the Pirates to set a new single-season attendance record. Fans waved Batman flags and begged Burnett for a curtain call which he did. Burnett also acknowledged the Reds dugout as he came off the field. “It ... Read More
Pirates fail to cash in; lose to Cardinals
It was a familiar sight for Pittsburgh Pirates fans as the team gave itself opportunities against the St. Louis Cardinals, but could not convert. The Pirates stranded 16 runners and left the bases loaded four times in a 3-0 loss Monday night. "We didn’t meet the demands of the game tonight," manager Clint Hurdle said. J.A. Happ ended his outing retiring the last 11 batters and faced the minimum amount of Cardinals through six innings. He threw 56 pitches, 43 of which were ... Read More
Pirates clinch third straight playoff berth
Merry Clinchmas, Pirates fans. September 23 has been a good day for the Pittsburgh Pirates, as they've clinched their playoff spot on that day in each of the last three years. This season, the Pirates defeated the Colorado Rockies by a 13-7 score to punch their ticket to the postseason. Neil Walker went 4-for-5 at the plate, hitting his 15th home run of the season in the third inning, while also batting in a career-high six runs. The Pirates had a total of 19 hits in the game. As far as ... Read More
Pirates use two-out scoring, bullpen to earn victory
Aramis Ramirez slid safely into third base for his first triple since Aug. 2, 2014 and his Pittsburgh Pirates teammates were grinning ear-to-ear. Why were they smiling? For one Ramirez is not known for his speed, and secondly, the Pirates scored all of their runs on two-out hitting, with this fourth inning triple being one of those runs. The Pirates used this to defeat the Colorado Rockies by a 6-3 score Tuesday night reducing their magic number to one game. If the Pirates win Wednesday or ... Read More