pnc park tagged posts

While it has been a disastrous season for the Pittsburgh Pirates, they finished the home schedule on a high note – a 7-0 blowout victory over the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park.

Chad Kuhl started for Pittsburgh and was dominant on the mound this afternoon.  He gave up just two hits and three walks in seven innings of work.  He took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before a double off the wall by Anthony Rizzo.  Still, it was a tremendous way for Kuhl to finish off his 2020 campaign.

The Pirates used the long ball to take control of this baseball game.  A solo homerun in each of the first three innings put the Bucs in front.  Colin Moran’s solo homer in the first scored the game’s first run, followed by dingers from Bryan Reynolds and Adam Frazier.

A single by Frazier in the four...

Posted in Game Recaps & Reactions

Steven Brault was magnificent on the mound on Tuesday night, holding the Chicago Cubs to just two hits and three walks in his seven innings of work on the mound, leading the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 3-2 victory at PNC Park.

Before the seventh inning, Brault had pitched 10 straight hitless innings dating back to his previous start.  Despite not registering a victory on Tuesday, he did lower his ERA to 3.38 for the season while keeping the dangerous Cubs’ offense in check all night.

Pittsburgh scored the game’s first run in the bottom of the second.  Erik Gonzalez doubled on a line drive to right field, scoring Gregory Polanco.  A double by Adam Frazier in the fifth scored Polanco and the Bucs held a 2-0 lead.

The Bucs held the lead until the eighth inning, when the Cubs capital...

Posted in Game Recaps & Reactions

Less than a week to go in the 2020 Major League Baseball regular season and it can’t come soon enough for the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Tonight, they opened a four-game series at PNC Park with the Chicago Cubs, and it looks like Pittsburgh is just going through the motions.  They received a good start from JT Brubaker, but a lackluster offensive performance an ugly bullpen outing led to a 5-0 Chicago victory.

Brubaker pitched 6.2 innings and allowed two runs on four hits with nine strikeouts and one walk.  That kind of line is worthy of a W, but not when you pitch for the Pirates.  An infield single by Javier Baez brought in Kyle Schwarber for the game’s first run in the second inning.  In the fifth inning Jason Kipnis would score on a Victor Caratini double to shallow right centerfield...

Posted in Game Recaps & Reactions

Joe Musgrove pitched six shutout innings this afternoon at PNC Park, but the bullpen gave up the lead, as the Pittsburgh Pirates lost to the St. Louis Cardinals by a 2-1 score.

Musgrove gave up just three hits and one walk while striking out 11 batters in his six innings of work on the mound.  But in what has become an all-too-common theme, the bullpen struggled to hold a lead.  Derek Holland was the culprit today, giving up two runs on three hits in the seventh inning, which proved to be the difference in the game. 

Jack Flaherty started for the Cardinals, giving up one run on two hits in six innings, while striking out 11 Buccos’ hitters.  Andrew Miller pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn his third save of the season.

A sacrifice fly by Colin Moran scored Bryan Reynolds ...

Posted in Game Recaps & Reactions

The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night, snapping their eight game losing streak with a 5-1 victory at PNC Park.

The Bucs have won four straight games against the Cardinals this season.  They are 4-2 against their division rivals, and 11-32 against everyone else.

Steven Brault was magnificent on the mound for Pittsburgh, earning his first victory of the season while pitching a complete game.  He gave up just one run on two hits and two walks with eight strikeouts.  In a year that has been mauled by awful pitching, this was a sight for sore eyes for all Pirates fans.

The Cardinals scored their lone run of the game in the third inning on a RBI single by Tommy Edman.  Pittsburgh responded in the fourth inning, taking control of the game with four runs...

Posted in Game Recaps & Reactions

On a day when the Pittsburgh Pirates honored Roberto Clemente by donning number 21 jerseys, the Chicago White Sox rebounded from a walk-off loss with an 8-1 blowout victory on Wednesday night at PNC Park.

Chicago’s rookie starter Dane Dunning earned his first career victory, Jose Abreu extended his hit streak to 22 games, and James McCann hit two homeruns.  Overall, it was a great game for the White Sox, the American League Central’s top team, and a horrible game for the Pirates, the National League Central’s last place team.

Dunning gave up just three hits and one walk in his six innings of work, while JT Brubaker, his mound opponent, was touched up for seven runs on seven hits in 5.1 innings.

McCann’s first homerun of the game came in the third inning, a solo shot to get ...

Posted in Game Recaps & Reactions

After an off day on Monday, the Pittsburgh Pirates returned to action Tuesday and welcomed the Chicago White Sox to PNC Park for a short two game series.  When these two teams met in the Windy City a couple weeks ago, Chicago easily dispatched Pittsburgh in both games of the series.  Tonight, however, the Pirates battled back and walked it off for a 5-4 victory.

Joe Musgrove was on the mound for the Buccos tonight and was limited to just four innings of work while still recovering from a triceps injury.  During those four innings he gave up three hits, walked two and struck out five.  The White Sox countered with Dylan Cease.  Cease worked five innings allowing two runs on five hits with two strikeouts.

The White Sox got the scoring started in the fifth when Yoan Moncada hit an RBI ...

Posted in Game Recaps & Reactions

The Pittsburgh Pirates rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the Cincinnati Reds and earn a series split at PNC Park this afternoon.

Despite the horrific 2020 season, the Pirates have actually held their own against their N.L. Central division opponents, including the Reds, and after today’s victory, they are 3-3 on the year against them.

Chad Kuhl started for Pittsburgh today, giving up two runs on two hits with four walks and five strikeouts in three innings of work.  The two teams combined to use 11 pitchers, including Richard Rodriguez for the Bucs, who earned his first victory of the season after pitching a scoreless ninth inning.

A two-run homerun by Nick Castellanos in the top of the third inning scored Joey Votto to give the Reds a 2-0 lead...

Posted in Game Recaps & Reactions

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds continued their four-game series tonight from PNC Park.  The night belonged to Cincinnati, thanks in part to Eugenio Suarez and the three home runs he collected.  In fact, all six of the Reds runs came via the long ball.

Cincinnati got things started in the third inning when Tucker Barnhart hit a solo homer to center field.  Anthony Alford would fracture his elbow on the play running into the wall chasing down the ball and it appears he will miss the remainder of the 2020 season.  The first of the three Suarez homers would occur later in this inning when he hit a three-run home run to left field.

The Pirates got on the board in the third when Gregory Polanco hit a sac fly to centerfield to bring in Erik Gonzalez...

Posted in Game Recaps & Reactions

After a 4-2 loss in the first game of their doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park, the Pittsburgh Pirates responded with a 4-3 victory to earn the twin bill split.

Cody Ponce started for Pittsburgh, giving up three runs on three hits in four innings of work.  His mound opponent, Trevor Bauer, had a frustrating night on the bump, giving up four runs, only one of them earned, on six hits in six innings of work.

The Reds took the lead in the bottom of the first on a two run homerun by Eugenio Suarez.  Pittsburgh tied the game in the top of the fourth on a two run triple by Anthony Alford, scoring Colin Moran and Ke’Bryan Hayes.  A wild pitch by Bauer later in the inning scored Alford, and the Pirates led 3-2.

Cincinnati tied the game in the bottom of the fourth on a...

Posted in Game Recaps & Reactions