ivan nova tagged posts

The Pittsburgh Pirates offense has been downright dreadful as of late and that trend continued tonight in a 6-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves.  Pittsburgh would only tally five hits on the night and never looked like a threat to do any damage when the few opportunities arose.  The Pirates would collect another quality start, but a slipup from the bullpen really put this game out of reach.

Ivan Nova continued the recent trend of good starts from the rotation.  Tonight, he would throw six innings and allow two runs on four hits with four strikeouts.  Those two runs came off the bat of Dansby Swanson in the fifth inning on a two-run home run.  Michael Feliz was roughed up for three runs in the seventh inning on three hits and one walk.  Swanson would hit another two-run homer that inning...

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Despite splitting a series over the weekend against the first place Chicago Cubs, the Pittsburgh Pirates are not playing their best baseball.  While the pitching has been tremendous lately, the offense has been non-existent.  Unfortunately, that trend continued for Pittsburgh tonight, as they lost yet another 1-0 game, this time to the Atlanta Braves.

Chris Archer started for Pittsburgh tonight, giving up one run on five hits with a walk and three strikeouts in four innings of work.  He would have lasted longer, but he was pulled after pitching the top of the fourth with left leg discomfort.  He appeared to injure his leg while at bat in the bottom of the third.  After pitching the top of the fourth, he was relieved by Steven Brault, who pitched two scoreless innings.

The Pirates offe...

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The Pittsburgh Pirates entered tonight on a three-game losing streak and welcomed the Chicago Cubs to town for a four-game series.  Pittsburgh had played well against Chicago earlier in the season, but the Cubs have been getting the best of the Pirates as of late and that trend continued tonight when they defeated the Buccos 1-0.

Pitching is what dominated this game.  Pittsburgh sent Ivan Nova to the mound and he would work 6.2 innings.  He would allow one run on seven hits to go with three strikeouts.  That lone run was a solo home run from Ian Happ in the fourth inning.  Richard Rodriguez lasted 1.1 innings and would strikeout all four batters that he faced.  Felipe Vazquez worked the ninth and walked one batter, without allowing a run.

Chicago had Jon Lester start for them and he ...

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Before embarking on their current road trip, the Pittsburgh Pirates were probably hearing rumblings from fans, media, and critics that this trip to Colorado, San Francisco, and Minnesota could very well make or break their season.  After all, they are on the outside looking in at both the N.L. Central Division and N.L. Wild Card playoff pictures, and a strong (or weak) showing on the road could determine just where the final month and a half of the season goes from here.

After taking two of three games against the Colorado Rockies, the Pirates opened their four game weekend series with a 10-5 victory over Andrew McCutchen and the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park.

The Bucs tallied 13 hits as a team, and used two big innings to make this a comfortable win.  Adam Frazier led the way with t...

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The Pittsburgh Pirates opened their home stand last night with a sloppy loss to the New York Mets.  Tonight, they didn’t have their best performance, but they got clutch hitting from the veteran David Freese, who delivered five RBIs to lead the Bucs to a 5-4 walkoff victory.

Ivan Nova started for Pittsburgh tonight, battling his way through five innings while giving up four runs (three earned) on six hits with three walks and a strikeout.  His mound opponent, Jason Vargas, gave up three runs on three hits with three walks in 4.1 innings.

For the second consecutive night, the Pirates fell behind early against the Mets.  A three run homerun by Michael Conforto in the first inning gave the Mets a 3-0 lead early...

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After having their eleven-game winning streak snapped yesterday afternoon in the final game of a 5-1 road trip to open the second half of the season, the Pittsburgh Pirates returned home looking to continue their strong play at PNC Park.  Unfortunately, the Pirates came out flat, and inconsistent pitching and sloppy play contributed to a 12-6 loss to the New York Mets.

Nick Kingham started for Pittsburgh tonight, and really struggled on the mound from the very beginning.  He lasted only three innings, giving up six runs on seven hits and four walks.  Richard Rodriguez also had difficulties tonight, giving up three runs on four hits in just one inning of work.

A two run homerun by Wilmer Flores in the top of the first inning put the Mets in front early, but David Freese tied the game in ...

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The hottest team in baseball right now may just be the Pittsburgh Pirates.  They continued their hot play today with a 9-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.  This win gave them a sweep of Cincinnati and extended their season long winning streak to nine games.  This is exactly the type of play that Pittsburgh needs if they hope to make a run at a playoff spot this season.

The Pirates offense got things started right out of the gate.  Gregory Polanco would hit a two-run home run in the top of the first.  The second inning would see more offense from the Buccos.  Max Moroff got things started with an RBI single to right field.  That was then followed up by a two-run homer by Corey Dickerson, his fourth straight game with a home run.  Starling Marte capped off the inning with a solo ho...

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The Pittsburgh Pirates have not cooled off over the All Star break.  After a five-game series sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers to end the season’s first half, the Bucs have opened the second half with two wins over the Cincinnati Reds.  Tonight, they got another quality start on the mound, and their offense stayed hot as they beat the Reds 6-2 at Great American Ballpark.

Nick Kingham started for Pittsburgh tonight, and was solid on the mound, going into the seventh inning.  He gave up two runs on four hits in 6.1 innings.  A two run homerun by Curt Casali in the seventh ruined Kingham’s shutout bid, but the right-hander still turned in another quality start before Clint Hurdle handed the ball over to the Bucs’ bullpen.

The Pirates took the lead in the third inning on a solo homerun...

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After a strong pair of games against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Pittsburgh Pirates faced off against the N.L. Central division leaders in the first game of a doubleheader this afternoon.  Today, the suddenly hot Bucs got out to an early lead and held on for a 2-1 victory at PNC Park.

Ivan Nova started for Pittsburgh, failing to earn a decision after pitching just 4.2 innings.  He gave up one run on seven hits, but was pulled with two outs in the fifth inning.  Richard Rodriguez, Edgar Santana, and Kyle Crick each pitched a scoreless inning, setting the table for Felipe Vazquez, who sat the Brewers down in the ninth to clinch the win.

The Pirates took the lead in the first inning, scoring the only two runs they would need on the day.  Back to back homeruns by Starling Marte and Gregory ...

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After a terrible stretch of baseball, the Pittsburgh Pirates earned a much-needed victory yesterday afternoon at PNC Park.  Tonight, their home stand continued against the Washington Nationals, a team who swept them earlier in the season.  But Gregory Polanco and the Bucs’ offense came out strong, and the Pirates held on for a 6-3 victory.

Polanco led the way tonight with two hits and four RBIs, while Corey Dickerson and David Freese each had a pair of hits as well.

Ivan Nova started for Pittsburgh and delivered a solid start, exactly when this team needed it.  He gave up three runs on eight hits in 5.2 innings, benefitting from a nice surge of offensive support early in the game.

A two-run single by Polanco in the first inning put the Bucs on the board, and a double by Colin Moran ma...

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