20-plus media members and five camera lined up by Gerrit Cole's locker following the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs Tuesday afternoon as part of a doubleheader. Jordy Mercer observed the scene and was surprised by the growing amounts of media that pay visits to the clubhouse. "They're focused daily and that's one of the reasons why we've been so successful," manager Clint Hurdle said. "We can't control the externals. There's more people that are going to come, more ... Read More
Kang’s grand slam leads Pirates over Reds
The Pittsburgh Pirates game into Wednesday night's game, the 138th of the regular season, without a grand slam. One swing of Jung Ho Kang's bat in the sixth inning changed that, and his first career grand slam led the Pirates to victory over the Cincinnati Reds. On the mound, J.A. Happ also continued his string of success, allowing two runs over six innings while striking out a season-high 10 batters. It was the first time he struck out 10 or more batters since Aug. 7, 2014. Despite all of ... Read More
Harrison, Polanco star in Pirates victory
Josh Harrison came into his eighth inning pinch-hit appearance with hits in just two of his last 14 at bats, but when the Pittsburgh Pirates needed him most, he came through. Harrison’s RBI single off Scott Oberg scored the go-ahead run and resulted in a 5-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Friday evening. "You've got to be ready when you're pinch-hitting," Harrison said. "If you get a pitch you think you can handle, you put a swing on it. I just wanted to stay fastball ready and ... 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
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
Pirates avoid sweep with big first inning
The past eight meetings between the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium all had one thing in common; a loss for the visitors. Thursday night, however, the Pirates changed that with a 10-5 victory, their first on the road against the Cardinals in 2015. The Pirates were aided by a seven-run first inning in which they batted around. Neil Walker got a hit from both sides of the place, the first Pirates player to do that in the same inning since at least 1961. Cardinals ... Read More
Pirates pregame 7/9: Morton hopes to chop Wood, Dodgers on Sunday Night Baseball
The Pittsburgh Pirates won their 19th series of the season winning the first two games of a three game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the two games thus far, the Pirates were 5-4 [10 innings] and 6-5 winners. Tonight, Charlie Morton [7-4 4.19 ERA] takes on Alex Wood [7-7 3.65 ERA]. Morton is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in one career start against the Dodgers which came on April 30, 2010. Morton won his last start against the Cincinnati Reds in which he pitched seven scoreless ... 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