Kevin Gorman stories, Page 14
Phiten Pirates: Andrew McCutchen creates newest mojo with black-and-gold necklaces
Searching for a spark to ignite the Pittsburgh Pirates, Andrew McCutchen turned back the clock Monday when he handed out black-and-gold Phiten necklaces to his teammates. When the Pirates responded with a season-best 14 hits in a 10-3 win over the Washington Nationals to snap a three-game losing streak, McCutchen...
Pirates ride Paul Skenes’ strong start, hot bats to beat Nationals, snap 3-game skid
Before the long-awaited showdown between the Nos. 1 and 2 selections of the 2023 MLB Draft ever materialized, the Pittsburgh Pirates superseded that storyline by making history. When a Paul Skenes pitch hit James Wood and ricocheted off the right hand of Endy Rodriguez, it caused a laceration on Rodriguez’s...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Pirates’ ineffective offensive exposed in 3-game sweep by Reds
That the Pittsburgh Pirates are struggling offensively is an understatement that was exposed Sunday, when they started a lineup against Hunter Greene with six players batting below the Mendoza Line. And that doesn’t count Oneil Cruz, whose batting average dipped below .200 after going 0 for 3 in a 4-0...
Pirates strand runners early against Hunter Greene in shutout loss as Reds sweep series
The Pittsburgh Pirates had never lost to Hunter Greene — not even a game where he pitched a combined no-hitter over eight innings — but the Cincinnati Reds ace put that streak to an end. After the Pirates stranded runners in scoring position in each of the first two innings,...
Paul Skenes’ last start isn’t among GM Ben Cherington’s concerns with struggling Pirates
Ben Cherington has a lot of reasons to be concerned about the Pittsburgh Pirates, as injuries have taken a toll on the starting lineup and weakened what he considered the deepest team of his tenure as general manager. Paul Skenes, however, isn’t one of them. The 2024 National League Rookie...
Catching On: Pirates ace Paul Skenes adjusting to new backstops in Endy Rodriguez, Joey Bart
When it comes to pitch-calling, Paul Skenes has a simple but effective way of judging catchers. If the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander is thinking about throwing a certain pitch and the catcher calls it before Skenes can reach down to his belt for the PitchCom device, then he knows they are...
Pirates prospect watch: Termarr Johnson packs power for Curve
Prospect Watch Termarr Johnson Position: 2B/SS Height: 5-8 Weight: 190 Level: Double-A Altoona Notable: The 20-year-old Johnson, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, became the third-youngest player in Curve history (behind Jose Tabata and Andrew McCutchen) when he was promoted last August and opened this season...
Q&A with Pirates RHP Thomas Harrington
Thomas Harrington, RHP When you moved to the bullpen, did you imagine getting a save so fast? No. I can count on one hand how many times I did it. I knew that coming into the week that this could be a possibility. I didn’t really know I was going...
Pirates sidewinder Justin Lawrence ready to take advantage of sweeping changes in bullpen
When the Pittsburgh Pirates claimed Justin Lawrence off waivers, his social media-savvy father was the first to suggest he use the same walk-out song as the franchise’s most famous sidearm reliever. Lawrence didn’t know much about Pirates Hall of Famer and 1979 World Series hero Kent Tekulve but soon became...
Pirates option RHP Thomas Harrington to Triple-A Indianapolis
The Pittsburgh Pirates optioned right-handed pitcher Thomas Harrington to Triple-A Indianapolis and will make a corresponding move before Friday’s series opener at the Cincinnati Reds. The 23-year-old Harrington is ranked the No. 3 player in the Pirates’ system and a top-100 prospect by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline. Harrington...
With ‘high-IQ’ plays, third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes saves runs for Pirates
When Ke’Bryan Hayes saw first baseman Endy Rodriguez crash into catcher Joey Bart on a Willson Contreras pop fly in the eighth inning, one word crossed the Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman’s mind. “Whenever they hit, they hit pretty hard,” Hayes said. “In my head, I was like, ‘Dang.’ ” What...
Joey Bart’s game-winning hit in 13th inning gives Pirates walk-off victory over CardinalsVideo
Joey Bart was exhausted from squatting behind the plate for 13 innings, but with the bases loaded and a full count, the Pittsburgh Pirates catcher didn’t hesitate to swing for the fences. Bart hit a deep fly ball to left field for a single to drive in the winning run...
Bryan Reynolds resumes throwing, a positive sign for Pirates All-Star to return to outfield
Bryan Reynolds is back to throwing the ball, a good sign for the Pittsburgh Pirates to get the two-time All-Star back to the outfield after spending the first two weeks of the season at designated hitter. Pirates senior director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Reynolds, who is dealing with...
Paul Skenes gives up career-high 5 runs as Cardinals beat Pirates to even series
The St. Louis Cardinals proved Paul Skenes is human, after all. The Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander, the 2024 NL Rookie of the Year and 2025 Cy Young favorite, surrendered the most earned runs of his 26 career starts as the Cardinals did all of their damage in two innings. The Cardinals...
Pirates mourn loss of Octavio Dotel, killed in a nightclub roof collapse in Dominican Republic
The Pittsburgh Pirates are mourning the loss of Octavio Dotel, the former relief pitcher who was among at least 44 people killed when a nightclub roof collapsed Monday night in his native Dominican Republic. Dotel was among the crowd attending a concert by merengue singer Rubby Perez at Jet Set...
Pirates hope minor league stint can fix David Bednar’s struggles
For Derek Shelton, the decision to demote David Bednar to Triple-A Indianapolis was difficult, so the Pittsburgh Pirates manager knew informing the two-time All-Star closer would be uncomfortable. Shelton expected Bednar to be emotional, given that he’s a 30-year-old veteran with four-plus years of major league service time and a...
Young pitchers get back on track, lead Pirates past Cardinals
Their first starts of the season didn’t go as Carmen Mlodzinski or Thomas Harrington had planned, so the Pittsburgh Pirates right-handers were eager to prove themselves Monday night. In a role reversal, the reliever-turned-starter Mlodzinski had six strikeouts in five innings and the starter-turned-reliever Harrington added five strikeouts in protecting...
Mixing and matching: With back end of bullpen in flux, Pirates relievers stay ready for any role
With Colin Holderman on the 15-day injured list and David Bednar demoted to Triple-A Indianapolis, Derek Shelton had neither his setup man nor his All-Star closer for the final two innings Sunday. That is the dilemma for the Pittsburgh Pirates manager in his attempt to navigate high-leverage situations by telling...
Andrew Heaney’s 10 strikeouts, Tommy Pham’s walk-off single in 11th lift Pirates past Yankees
The Pittsburgh Pirates found the perfect antidote for the hot-hitting New York Yankees in soft-tossing left-hander Andrew Heaney, who lulled their torpedo bats to sleep with a fastball that sat a tick below 90 mph and a mix of offspeed and breaking pitches. Heaney recorded 10 strikeouts in seven innings...
Pirates president vows to put Roberto Clemente’s name back on wall
The Pittsburgh Pirates responded to their latest controversy by reversing their decision to remove a logo with Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente’s name and No. 21 below the right-field foul pole. Pirates president Travis Williams took responsibility for replacing the logo with a Surfside ad without first informing the Clemente...
Pirates GM Ben Cherington calls demoting David Bednar a ‘difficult’ decision, conversation
Informing two-time All-Star closer David Bednar he was being optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis was what Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington called “a very difficult decision, a very difficult conversation and not one he liked in the moment.” Cherington addressed the move to demote Bednar, a Mars alum who is...
Pirates place righty reliever Colin Holderman on 15-day IL, recall Chase Shugart from Indy
The Pittsburgh Pirates made a bullpen move before Sunday’s game against the New York Yankees that will affect high-leverage situations, as they now need both a closer and a setup man. They placed right-handed reliever Colin Holderman on the 15-day injured list with a right knee sprain and recalled righty...
Pirates respond to social media reaction, defend replacing Clemente Wall logo with ad
Pittsburgh Pirates fans have been voicing their complaints with the club, with the latest controversy coming because of the reaction by the son of the most beloved player in franchise history. Roberto Clemente Jr. wrote a one-word response to a social media post noting that the Clemente 21 logo on...
‘We’ve got to play better’: Paul Skenes shifts blame for Pirates’ play from Nutting, Shelton
It should come as no surprise that the introductions that drew the loudest ovations from Pittsburgh Pirates fans at the home opener were reserved for generational talents Paul Skenes and Andrew McCutchen. Where McCutchen helped the Pirates end a two-decade losing streak, Skenes seeks to serve as the catalyst in...
Bucs Q&A with Bryan Reynolds
Bryan Reynolds, RF/DH What do you think of the torpedo bat craze? I’ve got some coming to try it. Obviously, I’m curious. If you can change the bat substantially, why can’t pitchers use Spider-Tack? I’m interested because it could help but, shoot, Spider-Tack helps, too. Everybody’s hitting homers with it,...
