The Pittsburgh Pirates saw Jake Arrieta for the third time in as many weeks, and the results were not favorable. Arrieta had a perfect game through six innings and the Chicago Cubs avoided a sweep winning 4-0 Sunday night. Arrieta [21-6], entered play with a 2-1 record to go with a 0.93 ERA in four starts against the Pirates. In Sunday's contest, Arrieta pitched seven scoreless innings striking out nine batters and allowing one hit, the leadoff single from Gregory Polanco in the seventh ... Read More
Pirates get solid from Liriano in win
Francisco Liriano threw 7.2 innings and reached 200 strikeouts as the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Chicago Cubs, 4-0. Hitters came in batting .100 with two strikes against Liriano [12-7], and in this game, Cubs batters were 0-for-16. By reaching 200 strikeouts, Liriano is one away from tying a career-high set in 2010 with the Minnesota Twins. The victory secures the Pirates a series win and a 5.5 game lead for the top spot in the National League Wild Card race over the Cubs. Much of the ... Read More
AM Joe: Cubs, Pirates both get help; StL lead down to three
Good morning, Pittsburgh. Here's your day in sports for Saturday, September 26, 2015. What's on tap for today: The Chicago Cubs (89-64) clinched a playoff berth yesterday anyway, despite losing to the Pirates (94-60), as the San Francisco Giants lost to the Oakland A's last night. The Pirates got some help of their own as the Milwaukee Brewers beat the St. Louis Cardinals to bring the Pirates to three games out of first place. Even more worrisome for the Cardinals is the potential loss ... Read More
Cole’s gem pushes Pirates winning streak to seven
The Pirates are getting hot at the right time. They stormed into Wrigley Field on Friday afternoon on a six-game winning streak and ace Gerrit Cole kept things rolling as he and the bullpen held the Cubs to just two runs in a 3-2 series-opening victory for the visiting Bucs. Cole gave up just four hits and one run while striking out eight over seven innings of work. He helped his own cause with some offensive work in the top of the third inning. Jordy Mercer set the table with a ... Read More
AM Joe: Bucs face Cubs in crucial NL Central matchup
Good morning, Pittsburgh. Here's your day in sports for Friday, September 25, 2015. What's on tap for today: Since losing three-of-four to the Chicago Cubs (89-63) in Pittsburgh, last week, the Pirates (93-60) have won six of their last seven games. Despite their recent success, they haven't gained much ground on their NL Central rivals. They remain four games behind the St. Louis Cardinals and just three games ahead of the Cubs, who the Pirates will visit at Wrigley Field for a three-game ... Read More
Subtle celebration shows Pirates have bigger aspirations
The Pittsburgh Pirates do take clinching a playoff berth for granted, but they have also bigger goals. Players did not pop champagne after securing their third straight playoff berth Wednesday in Colorado. No plastic covered the locker room. No goggles were needed, nor were players wildly jumping in celebration with the fizzing, white bubbly drink spraying all over. Instead it was just their usual postgame high-fives on the field after beating the Rockies 13-7, followed by a low-key ... Read More
AM Joe: Bucs clinch; go for four-game sweep today
Good morning, Pittsburgh. Here's your day in sports for Thursday, September 24, 2015. What's on tap for today: Pirates (92-60) will have an afternoon contest against against the Colorado Rockies (63-80). Despite earning a playoff berth last night, the Bucs still have work to do, as they trail the St. Louis Cardinals by four games in the NL Central. Jeff Locke will make what could be his final start of his season against Chad Bettis at 3:10 p.m. ROOT Sports ... 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
AM Joe: Kessel sparkles in Pens debut
Good morning, Pittsburgh. Here's your day in sports for Wednesday, September 22, 2015. What's on tap for today: Pirates (91-60) couldn't get the help they needed to clinch a playoff spot last night, but they can do it on their own accord tonight. The Colorado Rockies (63-88) again stand in the way. Charlie Morton will face Christian Bergman at 8:40 p.m. ROOT Sports Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh headlines: The Pirates staked J.A. Happ to an early lead, and he and the bullpen cruised to a 6-3 ... 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