pittsburgh pirates tagged posts

Harrison, Mercer Lead Pirates To 7-3 Victory

After a series split in their series against the Seattle Mariners, the Pittsburgh Pirates continued their west coast jaunt tonight in the first of a three game series against the Oakland Athletics.  Despite a slow start from their starter Jeff Locke, the Bucs rallied for seven consecutive runs, led by Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer, on their way to a 7-3 victory.

Things didn’t start off well for Locke.  After issuing a walk to Jed Lowrie to begin his evening, Locke gave up a two run homerun to Marcus Semien to trail 2-0 early.  A Yonder Alonso bunt single with two outs would lead to another run when Lowrie hit an RBI double off the wall in left field.  The A’s had a 3-0 advantage and looked to be in control.

From that point forward, however, the Pirates took over the game, rallying...

July 2, 2016 Game Recaps & Reactions
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Lack Of Offense, Bullpen Costs Pirates

The inconsistencies of 2016 continued tonight for the Pittsburgh Pirates.  One night after they beat the Arizona Diamondbacks in a slug fest, the offense was nowhere to be found in a 7-1 defeat.  They would once again have a starter not make it past the fifth inning, which lead to an overworked bullpen getting hit hard for a big inning.

The lone Pittsburgh run tonight came off the bat of Sean Rodriguez in the form of a solo home run in the second inning.  The Pirates had a good chance at a big inning in the first when they had runners on first and second with no outs.  David Freese would ground out to move the runners up 90 feet, but a Starling Marte strikeout and Francisco Cervelli groundout ended any threat.

Juan Nicasio started for the Buccos tonight and was average on the mound...

April 24, 2016 Game Recaps & Reactions
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Nicasio Impressive As Pirates Complete Sweep Of Cardinals

Entering tonight’s game at PNC Park, the Pittsburgh Pirates had a prime opportunity to sweep their arch rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals, in their first series of the season.  They handed the ball to newly acquired Juan Nicasio, who marvelled this spring in Bradenton.

Nicasio held the Cardinals in check throughout his outing, the bullpen did its job in relief, and the offense came up with some timely hitting on their way to a 5-1 victory.

Tonight, Nicasio picked up right where he left off in spring training, giving up just two hits and one run while striking out seven batters in six innings of work.  The Pirates used four relievers to finish three innings, including Arquimedes Caminero, Tony Watson, Cory Luebke, and Mark Melancon.

Pittsburgh jumped out in front of Mike Leake and the Car...

April 7, 2016 Game Recaps & Reactions
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Merry Christmas! – Pirates Add Arm, Bat To Roster

With the New Year nearly upon us, the Pittsburgh Pirates still have some work to do to be ready for Opening Day 2016.  At the top of the list continues to be the starting pitching rotation and first base.

The Bucs announced yesterday afternoon that they signed John Jaso to a two year contract.  Worth $8MM over the life of the deal, the catcher/fist baseman/outfielder will earn $4MM each year.

While he is listed as a multiple position holder, Jaso is limited defensively.  He has played a total of just five MLB innings at first base.  He was used primarily as a designated hitter with the Tampa Bay Rays, but there is no doubt that he was brought in to serve as the left-handed half of the Pirates’ first-base platoon.  Mike Morse and Jason Rogers, both righties, are also in the mix.

This...

December 24, 2015 Game Recaps & Reactions
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Pirates Signings This Week Have Some Fans Scratching Their Heads

As Clint Hurdle said last weekend, “we never win the offseason”.  And just as it is every offseason, the Pittsburgh Pirates have fallen well behind other teams in terms of notable trades and acquisitions.

This week, the Bucs made two signings to help compensate for the loss of Neil Walker.  On Tuesday (officially announced Thursday), the Pirates re-signed Sean Rodriguez, and just yesterday, they announced a trade for corner infielder/outfielder Jason Rogers.

The Rodriguez signing was all about his defensive versatility.  With Walker out of the picture and Jung Ho Kang returning from a serious injury, Rodriguez serves as an important depth piece next season.  In his career, he has spent time at every position on the field except for pitcher and catcher...

December 18, 2015 News & Features
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Pirates Fans Wait For More Moves

Compared to many teams in Major League Baseball, the Pittsburgh Pirates have been rather quiet so far this offseason.  Still, as we all know, the Bucs have an agenda – to compete for the postseason and a division title by making cost-effective and smart baseball moves through trades and free agent acquisitions.

Following the trade with the New York Mets which sent Neil Walker to the Big Apple for left handed starter Jon Niese, the Pirates still had some work to do before their lineup and rotation were ready for next season.

The Pirates signing of right hander Juan Nicasio on Thursday brought some more depth to their bullpen for 2016.  With rumors swirling at the Winter Meetings surrounding closer Mark Melancon, Nicasio joins the late inning group of Tony Watson and Arquimedes Caminero.

December 13, 2015 Game Recaps & Reactions
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Pirates Edge Dodgers 4-3

At this point in the season, with just a couple of weeks left in the regular season, every game is important. For the Pittsburgh Pirates, after losing the first game of the series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the pressure was on to win these next two games. The Bucs were up to the challenge yesterday and again today, beating the Dodgers 4-3 to take the series.

With the win, coupled with a the St. Louis Cardinals victory over the Chicago Cubs, the Bucs are now four games back in the N.L. Central and hold a two game lead for the top Wild Card spot.

After facing the Dodgers two best pitchers, Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw, the Bucs answered this afternoon with their ace, Gerrit Cole.

After a rocky start in the first couple of innings, Cole settled in and kept the Dodgers in check...

September 20, 2015 Game Recaps & Reactions
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Must Win For the Pirates Today?

So I may be crazy, but I think this afternoon’s series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks is nearly a must-win for the Pittsburgh Pirates. No, not in the sense that if they lose today, their season is over. Rather, this is a game that will ultimately determine what they can take away from this road trip as they look ahead to a brutal schedule for the rest of the month and beyond.

It’s no surprise that it has been a crazy road trip for the Bucs out west. After losing two of three to the Colorado Rockies, including a Sunday afternoon game in which they needed the baseball heroics of Josh Harrison, they traveled to California to take on the sputtering San Francisco Giants. While they did win the series against the Giants, they led a golden opportunity for a sweep slip through their g...

August 3, 2014 News & Features
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Pirates vs. Cubs – Series Preview

Wow, what can we say about our Pittsburgh Pirates? After falling 2-1 to the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday, the Bucs are now 72-70 on the season, just two games over that infamous .500 mark. They are currently on a six-game losing streak following series sweeps at the hands of the Reds and the Chicago Cubs, and haven’t won more than two games in a row since the end of July. Actually, they’ve been playing poor baseball since the All Star break, infuriating fans across the region.

Still, though, despite the freefall of the past month or so, the Pirates are astonishingly still within shouting distance of the postseason. Entering this afternoon’s series-opener against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, the Bucs are three games behind the St...

September 14, 2012 News & Features No comments
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Pirates Fall To Reds 5-3; Losing Streak At Five Games

Through the first four months of the season, the Pirates’ story seemed like a fairy tale.  They were surpassing everyone’s expectations; they had the leader for the N.L. MVP, and a serious contender for the Cy Young.  Flash forward a few weeks, and the Bucs are in danger of dropping below the .500 mark.

The Pirates fell behind early and failed a late-game comeback, losing to the Cincinnati Reds, 5-3 at Great American Ballpark.

Brandon Phillips hit the first pitch of the game from Kevin Correia over the wall to get the Reds on the board, and Cincinnati did just enough with the bats and took advantage of Bucco blunders to edge their N.L. Central foes for the second straight night.

Despite the difficult start, Correia pitched a decent ballgame, giving up four runs (three earned) on seve...

September 12, 2012 Game Recaps & Reactions No comments
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