Pirates/MLB category, Page 25
Pirates prospect Braxton Ashcraft shines in big-league debutVideo
Braxton Ashcraft appeared as a reliever only twice in 71 career minor-league appearances. But upon being called up to the Pittsburgh Pirates from Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday, manager Don Kelly indicated Ashcraft would begin his time with the big-league club out of the bullpen. As it turned out Monday, the...
Local author contributes to Library of Congress recognizing, preserving Bill Mazeroski’s 1960 homer
For Pittsburgh Pirates fans, Bill Mazeroski’s home run to win Game 7 of the 1960 World Series has been immortalized for decades. Now, on a national level, the Library of Congress has done that permanently. In April, the Library of Congress inducted 25 recordings as part of the National Recording...
Andrew Heaney allows 5 runs as Diamondbacks shut out Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates manager Don Kelly recently received a compliment from his Milwaukee Brewers counterpart, Pat Murphy, as the two clubs battled over the weekend at PNC Park. “The Pirates have been playing good baseball,” Murphy said. “Playing good defense, playing better in so many aspects … They’re playing loose, they’re...
Pirates top-10 prospect Braxton Ashcraft makes MLB debut vs. DiamondbacksVideo
The same day he was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis, Pittsburgh Pirates No. 7 overall prospect Braxton Ashcraft made his MLB debut Monday night in Phoenix against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ashcraft, 25, took over for starter Andrew Heaney in the sixth inning with the Pirates behind 5-0. He struck out...
Pirates farm report for May 26, 2025: Po-Yu Chen scatters 3 hits in 5 shutout innings in Indy win
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 28-22) won 2-1 over Nashville (Brewers). RHP Po-Yu Chen (1-0, 0.00) threw five shutout innings, allowing three hits and two walks with four strikeouts. RHP Dauri Moreta (2.57) tossed a no-hit inning of relief with two strikeouts. RHP Kyle Nicolas (5.11) earned the save after giving up one...
Pirates promote pitcher Braxton Ashcraft, team’s No. 7 prospect, from Triple-A
The Pittsburgh Pirates promoted No. 7 overall prospect and right-handed pitcher Braxton Ashcraft to the big leagues Monday. Ashcraft, 25, joined the Pirates from Triple-A Indianapolis ahead of their three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks and would be in line to make his MLB debut. Per MLB.com, he’ll work out...
Pirates farm report for May 25, 2025: Jesus Castillo’s 4 hits help Grasshoppers edge Asheville
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 27-22) was shut out by Toledo (Tigers), 8-0. SS Nick Gonzales (.000), C Endy Rodriguez (.182) and DH Jack Suwinski (.232) combined to go 0 for 10. CF/1B Billy Cook (.206) and RF/LF Nick Yorke (.262) each had a single. LHP Randy Labaut (2-1, 5.82) took the loss...
Double take: Brewers rally for 3 runs on 3 doubles in 8th, beat Pirates for series split
The Pittsburgh Pirates bounced back from a bad start, thanks to grinding start from Bailey Falter, a prolific home run from Oneil Cruz and a go-ahead two-run double from Adam Frazier. Just as the Pirates were on the brink of winning successive series for the first time this season, the...
Pirates star Oneil Cruz breaks Statcast exit velocity record with a 122.9-mph home run
Adam Frazier was watching video of his at-bat in the Pittsburgh Pirates dugout when he heard the crack of Oneil Cruz’s bat, just in time to look up and see the ball clear the right-field stands at PNC Park and reach the Allegheny River on a bounce. “I’m just glad...
Pirates farm report for May 24, 2025: Jack Suwinski hits 2-run single in Indy loss
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 27-20) scored twice in the top of the ninth but gave up a run in the bottom of the inning to lose 5-4 to Toledo (Tigers). CF Jack Suwinski (.241) hit a game-tying two-run single in the top of the ninth. RHP Ryder Ryan (2-1, 2.89) gave up...
Mitch Keller provides quality start, Oneil Cruz drives in winning run as Pirates top Brewers
Mitch Keller dealt with his share of ups and downs early in his major-league career with the Pittsburgh Pirates that mentally steeled the right-hander and taught him how handle adversity with aplomb. Keller had lost six consecutive decisions, a run of futility not seen since Quinn Priester lost seven straight...
Full Count: Henry Davis’ development behind plate is promising sign for Pirates
The infielder in Pittsburgh Pirates manager Don Kelly was amazed at the deke by catcher Henry Davis, who stood statuesque awaiting a relay throw from Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Davis caught it and slapped a tag on an unsuspecting Spencer Steer sliding into home plate in the sixth inning of Wednesday’s 3-1...
The week ahead: Pirates head west to face Diamondbacks, Padres
at Diamondbacks 8:10 p.m. Monday (SN PIT) 9:40 p.m. Tuesday (SN PIT) 3:40 p.m. Wednesday (SN PIT) • Aside from the historically inept Colorado Rockies, the NL West is among the most competitive divisions in baseball. The Arizona Diamondbacks are trying to keep pace with the Padres, Giants and Dodgers....
Bucs Beat Q&A: Making 1st start for Pirates at PNC Park was ‘complete circle’ for Mike Burrows
How much did you take from your MLB debut at Yankee Stadium last September back to Triple-A Indianapolis? For me, it created perspective on what I needed to do down there to work on things. Down there, you can get really caught up in trying to prove that you’re ready...
Pirates prospect watch: No. 11 prospect Jack Brannigan finding ways to get on base
Jack Brannigan Position: SS/3B Height: 6-foot Weight: 210 pounds Level: Double-A As he approaches two months at Double-A with the Altoona Curve, Jack Brannigan’s slash line (.238/.335/.385) hasn’t been particularly eye-popping. However, the 24-year-old infielder has shown some signs of acclimation at the plate as he gets settled against stiffer...
Pirates farm report for May 23, 2025: Carmen Mlodzinski whiffs 10 in 6 scoreless for Indy
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 27-20) defeated Toledo (Tigers), 4-0. In his first Triple-A start of the season, RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (1-0) went six innings, striking out 10 and surrendering four hits. RHP Drake Fellows (4.32) threw two scoreless innings and struck out three. RHP Kyle Nicolas (4.76) pitched a scoreless ninth. LF...
After strong Paul Skenes start, Pirates scramble past Brewers in wild, 10-inning win
Pittsburgh Pirates manager Don Kelly was only kidding following his club’s 6-5 walk-off win in 10 innings Friday night at PNC Park against the Milwaukee Brewers. Yet the first remark he made meeting with reporters after the 3-hour, 35-minute game captured the roller coaster that was Friday’s contest, with the...
Paul Skenes trade talk ‘an utterly illogical premise’ born from a ‘completely logical conclusion’: It’s the Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington appeared to be somewhere between annoyed and bemused by the very question. Is trading Paul Skenes — less than two full years into his career — a genuine consideration? “No,” Cherington said Thursday afternoon, “it’s not at all part of the conversation.” Would #Pirates...
‘Blessing in disguise’: Spencer Horwitz adds hot bat, improved defense to Pirates after surgery
Spencer Horwitz waited a long time to make his Pittsburgh Pirates debut, which was delayed by surgery on his right wrist in February that caused him to miss spring training and the first 45 games of the season. He has wasted no time making a positive impression. The 27-year-old first...
Pirates farm report for May 22, 2025: Omar Alfonzo drives in 4 in Greensboro win
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 26-20) managed a total of six hits in being swept by Toledo (Tigers) in a doubleheader. In the first game, a 2-1 Indianapolis loss, LF Matt Gorski (.289) went 1 for 3 with his fourth homer. Matt Frazier (.231) went 2 for 3 with a double. 2B Nick...
Pirates snap streak of not scoring more than 4 runs but are beaten by Brewers
Just when it appeared that neither Mother Nature nor the baseball gods could prevent the Pittsburgh Pirates from setting a major league record of dubious distinction Thursday night, they finally caught a break. The Pirates hadn’t scored more than four runs in 26 games when a one-hour, 50-minute rain delay...
Trade Paul Skenes? GM Ben Cherington downright dismissive of dealing Pirates star
As the Pittsburgh Pirates stumbled to a disappointing start to the season, the idea that they should consider trading star right-hander Paul Skenes has become a hot-button topic in baseball circles. Pirates general manager Ben Cherington smirked when asked about trading Skenes on Thursday afternoon, entertaining the question if not...
U mad, bro?: NFL fans angry about failed playoff changes; Pirates fans hate Paul Skenes trade talkVideo
For “U mad, bro?” this week, we’ve got a lot of people who are angry that the NFL ended up keeping its current playoff format in place. We’ve also got folks all tied up about the idea of trading Paul Skenes, and some guy is ticked about the use of...
Tim Benz: Starters diluting Pirates’ historic futility at the plate
How good has the Pirates’ starting pitching been of late? Good enough that on a day when the franchise’s anemic offense tied an MLB record for run scoring futility, the Pirates still managed to win. For a second game in a row. Wednesday’s 3-1 victory over the Reds marked the...
Amid historically bad offensive stretch, Pirates focus on finding a fix
The Pittsburgh Pirates are mired in an historic offensive slump, one that saw them match a major-league record Wednesday for most games without scoring more than four runs. When Spencer Horwitz drove in Andrew McCutchen with an RBI groundout in the ninth inning of an 8-5 loss to the Milwaukee...
