Pirates/MLB category, Page 255
Tim Benz, Mark Madden discuss Jordan Lyles trade, Joe Haden contract
I’m moving this week. So I took Monday off. Eventually, I emerged from a sea of boxes, cable wires, duffel bags and clothes I should’ve thrown away a long time ago to record Madden Monday. Sorry it’s a day late. Mark Madden and I caught up in his studio at...
Tim Benz: How can Pirates blow up what doesn’t exist?
This probably shouldn’t have hit me the way it did. It was late Saturday night on the set of the CW “Nightly Sports Call.” So maybe I was a bit testy. With the July 31 MLB trade deadline looming, a call came in asking if it was time to “just...
10-run inning seals Pirates’ fate in 9th consecutive lossVideo
CINCINNATI — All nine Reds crossed the plate in a parade unseen in Cincinnati since the days of the Big Red Machine. All the down-and-out Pittsburgh Pirates could do was watch glumly. Jose Iglesias’ grand slam completed Cincinnati’s 10-run second inning and the Reds beat the Pirates, 11-6, on Monday...
Pirates minor league report: July 29, 2019
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 53-52) was too late for this edition because of a rain delay. Next: Tuesday vs. Columbus (Indians), 7:05 p.m. ••• ALTOONA (Double-A, 53-51) was idle. The Curve have yet to name a starting pitcher for Tuesday night’s game. Next: Tuesday at Trenton (Yankees), 7 p.m. ••• BRADENTON (High-A,...
To contend in 2020, Pirates can’t trade just for minor league prospects
A year ago, Neal Huntington approached the trade deadline with the hope of pushing the Pittsburgh Pirates toward the postseason. They paid a steep price, including first-round draft choices Austin Meadows and Shane Baz, for experience and talent, adding Chris Archer to the starting rotation and Keone Kela to the...
Pirates trade Jordan Lyles to Brewers for Double-A relief pitcher
The Pittsburgh Pirates began the business of reshaping their starting rotation Monday when they traded Jordan Lyles, who was scheduled to start Monday night in Cincinnati, to the Milwaukee Brewers for minor league pitcher Cody Ponce. The 25-year-old Ponce, a 6-foot-6, 240-pound right-hander, had been a starter until becoming exclusively...
Chris Archer rocked in 1st inning; Mets hold off Pirates rally for sweepVideo
NEW YORK — Michael Conforto sparked New York’s offense with a two-run homer in a six-run first inning against Chris Archer, and the Mets held on to beat the reeling Pittsburgh Pirates, 8-7, on Sunday to match their longest winning streak this season at four games. Jason Vargas (6-5) won...
Pirates farm report for July 27, 2019
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 53-51) defeated Rochester (Twins), 7-6, in 10 innings. C Christian Kelley (.184) scored the winning run on RF Will Craig’s (.247) fly ball in the 10th. 3B Kevin Kramer (.264) hit his seventh homer. DH Erik Gonzalez (.203) drove in two runs. RHP Geoff Hartlieb (3-0, 2.62) got...
Pirates blanked by Mets’ Matz for seventh straight defeat
NEW YORK — For the first time in his five-year career, Steven Matz needed no help from the bullpen. Matz pitched an efficient five-hitter for his first complete game in 90 major league starts, and the New York Mets got home runs from Michael Conforto and J.D. Davis in a...
Pirates minor league report: July 26, 2019
Pirates INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 52-51) lost 4-1 to Rochester (Twins). 1B Hunter Owen (.235 with Indianapolis) was 2 for 3 from the plate with a solo home run in the third inning. LHP Cam Vieaux (3-2, 5.50 with Indianapolis) recorded the defeat after giving up four runs in four innings, including...
Mets club Dario Agrazal, extend Pirates’ losing streak to 6
NEW YORK — After missing more than two weeks with a shoulder issue, Zack Wheeler felt some relief when leadoff hitter Corey Dickerson swung through his 98 mph fastball Friday night. No doubt, the Mets right-hander did his part heating up the hot stove ahead of next week’s trade deadline....
With playoff hopes all but gone, what’s next for Pirates?
Except for a few notable exceptions earlier this decade, interest in baseball wanes among area sports fans the day the Pittsburgh Steelers report to training camp. This year, it was remarkable how the two events coincided. The last-place Pirates fell to 2-11 since the All-Star break on Thursday while the...
First Call: Phil Kessel’s ‘leadership’ role with Coyotes; another team in on Felipe Vazquez
In “First Call” Friday, Phil Kessel is taking on some added responsibility in Arizona. Another team in the mix for Felipe Vazquez. The worst Pirates trade of all time. Role change for Phil Phil Kessel: Leader! Yeah, I couldn’t type it with a straight face either. But that’s the picture...
Pirates minor league report: July 25, 2019
Pirates INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 52-50) lost 3-2 to Syracuse (Mets). RF Kevin Kramer (.260) was 2 for 4 from the plate with a fifth-inning solo home run for the game’s first run. RF Trayvon Robinson (.309) hit a pinch-hit RBI double in the eighth inning. LHP Sean Keselica (1-5, 3.74 with...
Cardinals ride another wave of home runs to beat Pirates, sweep seriesVideo
Since the Pittsburgh Pirates fooled everyone and looked like playoff contenders at the All-Star break, problems, question marks and a string of defeats have emerged. The losing streak reached five in a row (11 of 13) on Thursday after a 6-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park....
Pirates’ Gregory Polanco, Jameson Taillon deal with injuries, uncertainty
Before the season, a good case could have been made that Gregory Polanco and Jameson Taillon were the two most important players on the Pittsburgh Pirates roster. Given, of course, a sound shoulder in Polanco’s case and a pain-free forearm for Taillon. Polanco has hit 62 home runs in the...
First Call: New suitors for Felipe Vazquez, plus 2 other Pirates may move
In “First Call” Thursday, three Pirates pitchers could be traded. Hue Jackson won’t try to bury the hatchet with Baker Mayfield. Emmanuel Sanders is improving. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is on full tilt. Pirates on the move? If reports are right, the Pirates are trying to trade a few players....
U mad, bro? Readers rage over coverage of Mike Tomlin, Le’Veon Bell, Pirates commercial
In “U mad, bro?” this week, readers disagree about Mike Tomlin. They feign disinterest over Le’Veon Bell. And they find the real root of the Pirates’ problems. Richard sent me an email responding to my column about Steelers coach Mike Tomlin’s denial of distractions impacting his locker room last year....
Podcast: JuJu Smith-Schuster will outperform Antonio Brown; Pirates’ trade activity
Jeff Erickson is off this week for our fantasy sports podcast. Kevin Payne, also of Rotowire, pinch hits. NFL training camps are underway. It’s time to start thinking about your fantasy draft. Payne tells us whether JuJu Smith-Schuster or Antonio Brown will have a bigger year. His answer may surprise...
Pirates pitch position players Jose Osuna, Jacob Stallings to save bullpen
When Jose Osuna was a 15-year-old prospect in Venezuela, he was a pitcher of some note. So, when the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 14-8 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals was getting out of hand Wednesday night and Clint Hurdle was looking to save his bullpen some unnecessary wear and tear, someone...
Pirates farm report for July 24, 2019
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 52-49) shut out Syracuse (Mets), 1-0. RHP James Marvel (3-0, 1.90 ERA) threw six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts, four walks and a hit allowed to earn the victory. 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes (.258) scored on a balk in the seventh inning with 2B Kevin Kramer (.257) batting. Hayes...
Pirates’ losing streak hits 4 in a row in blowout loss to CardinalsVideo
Jordan Lyles chose his words carefully, but in the end, there was only one way to say it. “I didn’t do my team any service,” said Lyles, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ starting pitcher Wednesday night in a 14-8 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. “I stunk it up.” The result was...
Disabled Pirates fan gets trip to game courtesy of Twilight Wish
Samuel Nania has two hopes for his Thursday trip to PNC Park. “To have a day of something different than my usual days, and to see the Pirates win,” he said. Nania, 58, has been confined to a wheelchair since suffering two strokes about eight years ago. He lives at...
Keone Kela declines to confirm or deny reported altercation with Pirates officialVideo
Keone Kela looked relaxed, comfortable, even happy, as he sat in front of his locker Wednesday afternoon in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ clubhouse. Certainly not like a player who had spent the past two games on the Pirates’ suspended list. There was a report from Yahoo Sports on Tuesday night that...
Pirates notebook: Jameson Taillon suffers setback during rehab
Pitcher Jameson Taillon received bad news in his attempt to return from an elbow strain. While throwing from 90 feet in the past four days, Taillon experienced a recurrence of his right forearm discomfort that has kept him on the Pittsburgh Pirates injured list since May 4. The next step...
