Joakim Soria was making his Pittsburgh Pirates debut and loaded the bases while loading the bases. He then fell behind Brayan Pena 3-0 before making hard contact on a 3-1 offering. The Cincinnati Reds appeared poise to tie or lead the game on the play, however Soria stuck his glove out and ended the inning to Pena's surprise. Following a 10-run loss Thursday, the Pirates came back and tied the four-game series with a 5-4 victory. The Pirates finish the month at a National League best 17-9 ... Read More
Kang plays hero in Pirates victory
Pittsburgh Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle has consistently given Jung Ho Kang a lineup card following each time he accomplishes a first in the major leagues. Tuesday night likely will be no different as his go-ahead home run in the top of the ninth inning gave the Pirates an 8-7 road victory over the Minnesota Twins. Earlier, Gregory Polanco had four at-bats, three of which resulted in hard-hit contact, however each were outs. In the eighth inning and the bases loaded however the script ... Read More
Pirates win series in front of sellout crowd
Up by two runs with starter Gerrit Cole out of the game, Tony Watson faced Bryce Harper with two on and two out. Harper hit a ground ball that Sean Rodriguez read off a hop and ran to the bag to record the third out. “It was one of those in-between ones," Rodriguez said. "That was basically one of those that if I get to it then there’s no play at first but I could at least keep a run from scoring. I took that chance and [Walker] said it was the right read.” The Pittsburgh Pirates took ... Read More
Pirates pull away following late rally in win
The Pittsburgh Pirates won its first game of a six-day road trip with a 10-7 victory against the Kansas City Royals. It was the Royals that struck first in the first inning when Eric Hosmer singled in Alcides Escobar. Hosmer was thrown out trying to stretch his single into a double. A four-run second inning served as the Pirates response. Both Pedro Alvarez and Francisco Cervelli each singled in runs placing the Pirates in the lead. Travis Ishikawa then drove the ball to left field for a ... Read More
Pirates top-10 first half moments
It was a very successful first half of the season for the Pittsburgh Pirates as it has the third best record in the major leagues. With that in mind it is time to revisit some of the successes in the first half of the season. 10. Home opener- This was mentioned in an earlier article so I will keep the description short. A home opener always makes every baseball fan excited as they have waited a long time for the season to begin. The familiar sights, smells and sounds bring a smile to every ... Read More
Pirates leave their mark on All-Star game
Though the National League Team lost the 2015 MLB All-Star Game, three Pittsburgh Pirates made contributions. Andrew McCutchen started for the NL and got the chance to bat leadoff. When he batted in the bottom of the sixth he was 2-for-10 in his career at the All-Star Game. McCutchen faced Chris Archer of the Tampa Bay Rays who has earned some consideration for the AL Cy Young Award. The Pirates center fielder wasted no time hitting a home run to left field to cut the NL deficit to one run ... Read More
Pirates pregame 7/11: Marte back in the lineup
The Pittsburgh Pirates evened its series against the St. Louis Cardinals winning a 5-2 game Friday night. Now the ball gets handed to A.J. Burnett who enters tonight's start with the lowest home ERA [1.28] among all National League pitchers. Burnett has been a problem to opposing teams as evidenced by his four runs allowed in the past five starts. His next strikeout allows him to pass Mark Langston and take sole possession of 34th place on the all-time list. In his last start, Burnett had ... Read More
Pirates Pregame 7/10: Gerrit Cole discusses the Bucs starting pitching success
35,183 Pittsburgh Pirates fans packed PNC Park hoping to see a victory against the St. Louis Cardinals, however after a 4-1 loss Thursday night left disappointed. The Pirates hope to reverse their fortune while also avoiding the rain, something that has not happened as of late tonight. Tonight Gerrit Cole will face off against Lance Lynn. Cole is making his 18th start of the season and his 12 wins are a major league best total. It was a tale of two starts for Cole in his last start, a win ... Read More
Polanco triple helps snaps Pirates home skid against Padres
A Gregory Polanco triple in the bottom of the eighth inning allowed the Pittsburgh Pirates to take a 3-2 victory against the San Diego Padres. "It was a pretty swing and he had a lot of good swings all night," manager Clint Hurdle said. The victory ends a 14-series losing streak to the Padres at PNC Park. "We can knock this one off our to-do list," said Hurdle. "It's a long time coming." Francisco Liriano had a ball deflect off his right arm and dealt with a long rain delay, however ... Read More
Four Pirates selected to MLB All-Star Game
The Pittsburgh Pirates met prior to Monday night's game with the San Diego Padres for an annual tradition, a meeting led by manager Clint Hurdle to determine which players made the 2015 MLB All-Star Game. This year the magic number was four as A.J. Burnett, Gerrit Cole, Andrew McCutchen and Mark Melancon each made the team. “To be able to place four men on the All-Star team, I think we represented our city and our team," Hurdle said. "I believe they will go in and represent the National ... Read More