Kevin Gorman stories, Page 77
Pirates place OF Canaan Smith-Njigba on 60-day IL, call up LHP Cam Vieaux
Only three games into his major-league career, Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba is headed for the 60-day injured list with a nondisplaced fracture of the schaphoid bone in his right wrist. The Pirates selected the contract of 28-year-old lefty reliever Cam Vieaux from Triple-A Indianapolis, where he was 3-0 with...
Analysis: Pirates could send important message by finally promoting top prospect Oneil Cruz
With every loss, the chorus of calls for Oneil Cruz to be called up to the Pittsburgh Pirates has grown louder, and the patience to prioritize the development of the 6-foot-7 shortstop has worn thinner. The Pirates lost nine consecutive games on a road trip to Atlanta and St. Louis...
Pirates snap 9-game losing streak behind Bryan Reynolds’ homer, David Bednar’s 8-out save
After the Pittsburgh Pirates lost their ninth consecutive game, manager Derek Shelton hoped aloud that someone would come through with a big hit and execute a pitch to stop the slide. The best bets to do that were Bryan Reynolds and David Bednar. Both delivered in a big way. Reynolds...
Pirates OF Canaan Smith-Njigba, C Jason Delay have unforgettable moments in MLB debuts
Canaan Smith-Njigba had prepared his whole life for his major league debut, so he wasn’t going to complain about spending nearly two games in the Pittsburgh Pirates dugout before getting in a game. When he got the call to pinch hit for Yu Chang with two outs in the ninth...
Cal Mitchell breaks up no-hit bid by Miles Mikolas in 9th as Cardinals crush Pirates
The outcome was long decided when Miles Mikolas reached the 100-pitch mark, yet the St. Louis Cardinals had no intention of pulling the 33-year-old right-hander from the game. Mikolas was one out away from making history when Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Cal Mitchell hit a 2-2 curveball for a double over...
Crazy plays, errors plague Pirates against Cardinals in 8th consecutive loss
Just when the Pittsburgh Pirates appeared run down during a seven-game losing streak, the St. Louis Cardinals made them chase them around the diamond in a rundown for the ages. Score it a fielder’s choice 6-4-2-5-6-2. That was part of a sequence of wild plays in the fourth inning of...
Pirates blow 5-run lead to Cardinals to suffer 7th consecutive defeat
When Mitch Keller walked off the mound at Busch Stadium, the right-hander had tossed five scoreless innings and the Pittsburgh Pirates were holding a five-run lead over the St. Louis Cardinals. Then came the collapse. Dylan Carlson hit a three-run home run as the Cardinals rallied with a five-run sixth...
Pirates recall IF Hoy Park, OF Canaan Smith-Njigba, RHP Bryse Wilson
The Pittsburgh Pirates made roster moves that increased the number of position players available for their four-game series at St. Louis — which includes a doubleheader Tuesday — but leaves their bullpen short. The Pirates recalled infielderHoy Park and outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba from Triple-A Indianapolis before Monday’s game at St....
Pirates rookie Tucupita Marcano providing pop at top of order, solid defense at 2B
Tucupita Marcano has found himself in new positions for the Pittsburgh Pirates, playing left field when there was a shortage of outfielders before moving to second base when the infield was in need. Against Atlanta, it was at the top of the order. Batting leadoff just ahead of Bryan Reynolds...
Adam Duvall homers twice as Braves sweep Pirates, who lose 6th straight
Where Bryan Reynolds found his groove in Atlanta, the Pittsburgh Pirates dug a ditch. Reynolds rediscovered his swing and homered in back-to-back games, but Adam Duvall hit two home runs as the Braves went deep four times in a 5-3 win Sunday afternoon at Truist Park to sweep the four-game...
Ozzie Albies hits grand slam to cap 8-run 7th inning as Braves rally past Pirates
The Atlanta Braves had turned a two-run deficit into a two-run lead when Ozzie Albies came to bat with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh against the Pittsburgh Pirates. After falling behind to an 0-2 count, Albies fouled off three Chris Stratton pitches before connecting on a...
Diego Castillo embracing role as Pirates shortstop, even if it’s temporary
The surprise of spring training, Diego Castillo earned a spot on the Opening Day roster in part because of his bat. Now he’s the Pittsburgh Pirates’ starting shortstop, even if only temporarily, thanks to the consistency of his glove. Only 47 games into his major-league career, the 24-year-old super-utility player...
Spencer Strider shines as Braves win 9th consecutive, hand Pirates 4th straight loss
It’s not often that Roansy Contreras isn’t topping the Statcast pitch velocity chart, as the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie right-hander throws a four-seam fastball that sits at 96 mph and hits the high 90s. The top five velocities Friday night, however, all belonged to Spencer Strider. The Atlanta Braves rookie right-hander...
After ‘trials and tribulations,’ Travis Swaggerty finds perfect timing for Pirates debut
Amid the hoopla surrounding his arrival with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Travis Swaggerty took time Sunday afternoon in the home dugout at PNC Park to reflect on his road to the major leagues. In that moment, Swaggerty thought about what he calls the “trials and tribulations” of his professional baseball career...
Mitch Keller makes strong start but Tigers score 2 runs off bullpen to beat Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates got what they needed from Mitch Keller, even if the right-hander didn’t get what he wanted. Despite making a second consecutive strong start, Keller left a tied game after six innings and didn’t get a decision when a Pirates victory would have marked the first back-to-back wins...
Pirates pitcher Max Kranick out 14-16 months after Tommy John surgery
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Max Kranick underwent surgery last week to repair the UCL in his right elbow and will be out 14 to 16 months, team director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday. Kranick was shut down during the offseason with forearm soreness and reaggravated the injury after pitching...
Josh VanMeter’s fractured finger has Pirates experimenting with padding
The first thing Todd Tomczyk wanted to know when he saw the fractured ring fielder on Josh VanMeter’s hand was who threw the ball and what the velocity was. The Pittsburgh Pirates director of sports medicine was amazed at the damage the throw — believed to be from third baseman...
Tarik Skubal starts from scratch, as Tigers top Pirates after rain delay
Tarik Skubal started from scratch and kept the Pittsburgh Pirates from scratching out a win. The 25-year-old Detroit Tigers left-hander was scheduled to start against the Pirates on Tuesday night before being scratched at the outset of a rain delay and then was reinserted into the starting lineup. The uncertainty...
Pirates place LHP Dillon Peters on 15-day IL, recall Aaron Fletcher to bolster bullpen
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ bullpen took a blow when left-handed reliever Dillon Peters was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a low back strain. Peters (4-2, 3.86 ERA) tossed multiple innings in seven of his 12 relief outings this season and had pitched 12 scoreless innings in seven games...
Pirates show appreciation for Tigers star Miguel Cabrera in possible last visit to PNC Park
Mitch Keller was making the third start of his major-league career when he faced Miguel Cabrera, the Detroit Tigers star who was the last major-league hitter to win the Triple Crown. The Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander remembers watching Cabrera on “Sunday Night Baseball” with his father, so Keller was surprised to...
‘You start to daydream’: With 7 rookies on roster, Pirates get a glimpse of their future
The Pittsburgh Pirates provided Derek Shelton a peek into the future by filling their roster with rookies, allowing the manager to dream about the days when his dugout is teeming with young talent. Where having a handful of veteran starters on the injured list had the potential to be devastating,...
Former Pirates 1st-round pick Travis Swaggerty pumped to get call-up, ready for MLB debut
Travis Swaggerty was getting dressed in his Indianapolis Indians uniform Saturday when he felt a tap on the shoulder. Manager Miguel Perez wanted to see the outfielder into his office. “He talked to me about (how) I was playing well and what I can improve on and all that,” Swaggerty...
Cal Mitchell’s 1st major league homer boosts Pirates to shutout of Diamondbacks
Sundays are Kids Days at PNC Park, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Pittsburgh Pirates relied on their rookies. Cal Mitchell crushed his first major-league home run, Jack Suwinski hit a pair of doubles and Diego Castillo drove him in with a sacrifice fly as the Pirates...
Diamondbacks claim Cole Tucker off waivers, ending former 1st-rounder’s tenure with Pirates
Cole Tucker, the former Pittsburgh Pirates first-round pick who was designated for assignment Monday, was claimed off waivers Sunday by the Arizona Diamondbacks. It’s a homecoming for Tucker, 25, who was drafted No. 24 overall as a shortstop out of Mountain Pointe High School in 2014 and makes his offseason...
After latest gaffes, Pirates option Rodolfo Castro to make room for OF Travis Swaggerty
The arrival of one Pittsburgh Pirates rookie came at the expense of another, as infielder Rodolfo Castro was optioned Sunday to Triple-A Indianapolis to make room on the roster for outfielder Travis Swaggerty one day after making a pair of costly gaffes against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Castro, 23, batted .197...
