Francisco Liriano picked up his first ever regular season victory against the Cincinnati Reds as the Pittsburgh Pirates emerged victorious in a 7-3 contest Tuesday night. Liriano [10-7] threw six innings and struck out 10 batters, the first time he has punched out a double-digit total of hitters since July 23 against the Washington Nationals. This is also Liriano's fourth 10-win season of his career. According to Pirates PR with Liriano's 10 strikeouts he has 178 on the season. He joins ... Read More
Pirates pregame 8/29: Polanco with a historic night
Following a 5-3 series-opening win against the Colorado Rockies, the Pittsburgh Pirates enter play tonight with a three-game winning streak, having also won the last two games of a series against the Miami Marlins. J.A. Happ will get the ball for the Pirates against Chris Rusin. Happ has not allowed a run in his last two starts [12 innings pitched] and has been charged with one run in his last 17.1 innings of work. He is 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA in four career appearances [three starts] against ... Read More
Happ wins second straight as Bucs manhandle Marlins
The Pittsburgh Pirates moved to 27 games over .500 for the first time since 1992 with a 5-2 victory Monday night against the Miami Marlins. Andrew McCutchen played in the 1,000th game of his major league career and had two RBI when he hit his 30th double of the season in the third inning. His double put the Pirates in front by a 2-0 score. J.A. Happ [2-1] has now allowed one run in his last 19 innings of work, an ERA of 0.47. He allowed no runs on four hits and has allowed just six hits in ... Read More
Pirates again use long ball to beat Giants
The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the San Francisco Giants by a 5-2 score Sunday night to take three games out of the four-game series. “There were a lot of different things that happened out there tonight that complicated things at times but we were able to stay in front of it, get outs when we needed them and add on runs when we needed them," manager Clint Hurdle said. It was an up and down day for Pedro Alvarez. Alvarez was responsible for two errors and was an official scorer decision ... Read More
Kang, Marte power Pirates to win
No more than 30 minutes earlier Starling Marte played hero hitting a game-winning home run, however he quickly tried to deflect the credit. "You should be talking to Jung Ho [Kang]," Marte said. "He hit two home runs, he was the real hero today." Marte's 15th home run of the season, his second career walk-off allowed the Pittsburgh Pirates to defeat the San Francisco Giants by a 3-2 score. “I was looking for a fastball away because it was tied in the ninth inning and that’s what ... Read More
Pirates, Happ secure series victory
The Pittsburgh Pirates secured its 20th series victory with a 4-1 victory Wednesday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks. J.A. Happ [1-1] went six innings for the Pirates in his longest start with the team. He also surrendered two hits, his lowest total as a starting pitcher since September 12, 2014 against the Tampa Bay Rays. In the game, the Pirates recorded a three-run second inning. The inning started when Jung Ho Kang was hit by a pitch. Francisco Cervelli then added a single and ... Read More
Liriano helps own cause in come-from-behind victory
In his time with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Francisco Liriano has often backed away from pitches when he bats. Saturday afternoon, however, he took one deep to the opposite field and hit his first career home run, helping the Pirates defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers by a 6-5 score. “I was trying to put the ball in play and I put a good swing on it and hit a homer," Liriano said. "I got lucky there. I used to hit before so I have a little pop in me.” In the first inning, Liriano allowed one run ... Read More
Pirates slug 12 hits in victory
The Chicago Cubs used a three-run sixth inning to tie the game while the Pittsburgh Pirates were using its third pitcher of the inning, Antonio Bastardo. Bastardo [3-1] faced pinch-hitter Chris Coghlan with the bases loaded and two outs. Coghlan grounded out on the first pitch keeping the score tied at four. The Pirates would respond following the out and won by a 7-5 score. “The absolute biggest pitch of the night for me," manager Clint Hurdle said. "It was a real efficient one-pitch ... Read More
Pirates pregame 8/5: Locke looks to reverse fortune; Melancon embraces adventure
The Pittsburgh Pirates are looking for a series split tonight against the Chicago Cubs. The first game scheduled for Monday was postponed due to weather and likely will be made up as a day-night doubleheader Sept. 15. In game two, the Cubs emerged victorious by a 5-0 score. J.A. Happ made his first start as a Pirate and did not make it out of the fifth inning. “There were some solid sequences but we have to get some improvement on the overall consistency," manager Clint Hurdle said of ... Read More
Pirates earn split; Morton wins for first time since June
Charlie Morton had not won a start since June 27 and a road contest since June 5. Both of those changed as the Pittsburgh Pirates won 3-0 against the Cincinnati Reds. The Pirates victory means that both teams split the four-game series. Morton [7-4] set the side down in order on six pitches in the first inning and struck out the side in the second. He allowed two base runner, Ivan DeJesus Jr. in the third inning and Eugenio Suarez in the seventh inning to reach scoring position. He ... Read More