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
Defense shines in Pirates victory
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
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
Seven-run fourth inning propels Pirates to victory
With the Pittsburgh Pirates leading the Cincinnati Reds by one, Todd Frazier came to the plate against Arquimedes Caminero. Frazier came into the contest batting .375 against the Pirates in 2015 and hit a sinking liner. Starling Marte came in and dove headfirst to record the third out of the seventh inning stranding Billy Hamilton. Caminero celebrated with a fist pump and Frazier slammed his helmet in disgust. “I didn’t know he was so shallow," Caminero said. "When I saw that play it was ... Read More
Pirates use long ball to win game; series
The Pirates combined timely hitting with a solid Charlie Morton outing, winning Tuesday night by a 3-0 score over the Chicago White Sox. In the two games the Pirates hosted at home, their outhit the White Sox 28-6. Morton earned his fifth win of the season in as many starts. He threw seven scoreless innings allowing four hits on 94 pitches and 65 were strikes. Morton retired 13 batters on three pitches or less and had 12 ground ball outs. Morton's main trouble came in the first inning when ... Read More
Pirates hold off Phillies late inning rally
Tony Watson had already allowed one run and loaded the bases with no outs. It was not an ideal situation for him however he induced three ground ball outs which ended the threat. Meanwhile, Gerrit Cole earned his league-leading 10th win of the season as the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Philadelphia Phillies by a 4-3 score Saturday afternoon. “I think we’re playing our brand of baseball," Cole said. "I think we’re playing really sharp D and stringing together at-bats throughout the game ... Read More
Morton’s outing helps Pirates avoid sweep
Charlie Morton pitched seven or more innings for the third time in four major league starts this season as the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 2-0 to avoid a sweep. “That’s who we are, we bounce back very well," Jordy Mercer said. "We’re a very resilient ball club and when things don’t go for us we can easily come back the next day and be ready. We showed a full team effort tonight.” Morton [4-0] would pitch a total of 7.1 shutout innings allowing three hits. In his 102 ... Read More
Cole recovers from two-run first in Pirates win
Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle called "uncle" to reporters pregame when describing his admiration for what the San Francisco Giants have done in recent seasons. In Monday night's game however, the Pirates did anything but, winning a 4-3 contest at AT&T Park. The Pirates could have panicked when Andrew McCutchen's two sacrifice flies were caught by Angel Pagan and Hunter Pence in above average defensive plays, however instead viewed both as two runs which undid a two-run first ... Read More