Pirates/MLB category, Page 60
Pirates farm report for July 12, 2024: Domingo German picks up win for Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 39-48) split a doubleheader with Columbus (Guardians). In the first game, a 5-2 Indianapolis win, RHP Domingo German (4-4, 5.36) started and went five innings to earn the win, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. RHP Ben Heller (3.46) threw a scoreless...
Marco Gonzales picks up 1st win, leads Pirates in return from IL
It was anyone’s guess as to how Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Marco Gonzales’ first start in about three months would go Friday night against the Chicago White Sox. Taking the mound at Guaranteed Rate Field after being sidelined since mid-April because of a left forearm muscle strain, Gonzales returned to action...
‘Must-see TV’: Rookie Paul Skenes brings Pirates into spotlight as All-Star Game starterVideo
For two months, fans in Pittsburgh have been captivated by the performance of Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes. That’s not to say that outside of town, baseball fans, players and analysts haven’t taken notice of the mustachioed, 6-foot-6 rookie since he made his highly anticipated MLB debut May 11. But Tuesday...
Pirates activate pitchers Marco Gonzales, David Bednar from injured list
The Pittsburgh Pirates made a series of roster moves ahead of Friday’s series-opening road game against the Chicago White Sox, reinstating pitchers Marco Gonzales and David Bednar from the injured list. The left-handed Gonzales will start Friday and make his first appearance since mid-April. Gonzales, 32, had been sidelined with...
Primanti Bros. honors Paul Skenes with meal deal for diners wearing mustaches — real or fake
Facial hair is in. At least at Primanti Bros. it is. To honor Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes, the restaurant will offer a free classic sandwich to any diner with a mustache at 8 p.m. during Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game. Skenes was announced Friday as the starting pitcher for the...
Pirates’ Paul Skenes named starting pitcher for NL All-StarsVideo
Adding to his ever-growing list of accomplishments, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes is set to become the first rookie pitcher to start the All-Star Game in nearly three decades. On Friday, Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo announced Skenes, recently chosen as a National League All-Star reserve, would take the hill,...
Mark Madden: With 2nd near no-hitter, Paul Skenes has burst onto scene like few others
Paul Skenes has been pulled twice while pitching a no-hitter: Once after six innings May 17 at Chicago, then Thursday after seven innings at Milwaukee. That speaks as loudly to baseball losing its romance as it does to Skenes’ dominance. A no-hitter used to be a pitcher’s pinnacle. That’s been...
NL manager Torey Lovullo gives candid response about Paul Skenes’ chances of starting the All-Star Game
When it comes to all the buzz surrounding the prospect of Pittsburgh Pirates rookie sensation Paul Skenes starting the All-Star game, National League manager Torey Lovullo isn’t playing dumb. He’s heard it all. And the Arizona Diamondbacks bench boss may not be feeling the pressure just about starting Skenes. It...
Tim Benz: If pulling Paul Skenes was as easy as Derek Shelton says, it’s even easier to critique his decision
After the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 1-0 win in Milwaukee on Thursday, manager Derek Shelton said it wasn’t a hard decision to pull rookie pitcher Paul Skenes with a no-hitter going after 11 strikeouts over seven innings. That better not be true. That decision should’ve at least given Shelton significant pause. Forget...
‘It’s critical, period’: Pirates stress importance of hitting on draft picks following the 1st round
With Pittsburgh Pirates rookie right-hander Paul Skenes becoming the first player in major-league history to go from No. 1 overall pick to the All-Star Game in the span of a year, it’s no wonder the focus of the MLB Draft is always on finding another generational talent. The Pittsburgh Pirates...
Pirates farm report for July 11, 2024: Po-Yu Chen fans 7 in 7 innings for Altoona
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 38-47) had a doubleheader with Columbus (Guardians) rained out. One game will be made up as part of a doubleheader Friday. The other is TBA. Next: Friday vs. Columbus (Guardians), doubleheader, 5:35 p.m. ALTOONA (Double-A, 37-47) took care of Bowie (Orioles), 3-1, giving up a total of four...
Paul Skenes’ no-hit, 11-strikeout outing powers Pirates past Brewers for series win
When it comes to velocity, command and ability to sequence his pitches effectively, Paul Skenes continues to prove he has few equals across baseball. The Pittsburgh Pirates rookie and newly named first-time All-Star put all of those elite abilities on display Thursday afternoon against the Milwaukee Brewers, helping his club...
Pirates pull Paul Skenes after 7 no-hit innings against Brewers
Pittsburgh Pirates rookie starter Paul Skenes dazzled once again on the mound, this time on the road vs. the Milwaukee Brewers, no-hitting the opposition over seven innings Thursday. Skenes tied both his career-high in strikeouts (11) and innings pitched, throwing 99 pitches and lowering his ERA to 1.90 on the...
Frankie’s Fairy Tale: 80 years later, the story of Pittsburgh’s forgotten All-Star game and the Pirates’ anonymous All-Star player
On Tuesday, July 16 the 94th Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be played at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. On July 11, 1944, the 12th MLB All-Star Game was played at Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field — a little more than a month after the Allied Forces invaded Europe on...
U mad, bro?: Pittsburgh fans fire barbs at Steelers’ mediocrity, Penguins’ stagnation, Pirates’ frugality
Next week, we are on vacation here at “Breakfast With Benz.” Not just a long holiday weekend, or a couple of half days in a row to run errands, spruce up the backyard and drink beer on the porch. No, my friends. I’m talking about full-on, all-out, actually leaving the...
Pirates’ previously booming bats go silent in 9-0 loss to Brewers
More evidence surfaced Wednesday night that baseball is a strange, unpredictable game. Day to day, there’s no telling what might happen. One night after scoring double-digit runs (12) for the second time in the previous five games and slugging five home runs among their 11 hits, the Pirates managed only...
Pirates farm report for July 10, 2024: Henry Davis goes 0 for 4 with 4 strikeouts in Indy loss
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 38-47) was held to five hits in a 3-1 loss to Columbus (Guardians). C Henry Davis (.302) went 0 for 4 with four strikeouts. DH Seth Beer (.250) went 1 for 4 with a double and a run scored. SS Liover Peguero (.269) went 1 for 4 with...
No joke, Jim Leyland became Pirates manager after surprisingly legit phone call that started his journey to the Hall of Fame
Jim Leyland was convinced the phone call that led to his first major-league managerial job — his initial step on the road to Cooperstown — was a joke. Not that he doubted his ability to manage in the majors. After all, he had been a minor-league manager for 11 seasons,...
Mark Madden: Don’t be duped. The Pirates will never spend what it takes
Pittsburgh Pirates owner Bob Nutting said GM Ben Cherington would have the flexibility to add players (and payroll) before the July 30 MLB trade deadline if the situation dictated. The situation dictates, however marginally: The Pirates are three games out of the National League’s third and final wild card. The...
Tim Benz: This clear-cut skill has made Paul Skenes an All-Star in just 10 starts
Pittsburgh Pirates rookie pitcher Paul Skenes deserves to be an All-Star based on merit since his promotion to the Major Leagues in May. From an entertainment perspective, he should be the starter in the game as well. There is one skill in particular that has made Skenes All-Star worthy: his...
How Pirates All-Star rookie RHP Paul Skenes developed his splinker into a ‘devastating’ pitch
Only after he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates last July did Paul Skenes start toying with a new pitch, one that has been called everything from dirty and disgusting to filthy and nasty to just plain “gross.” Now that the 22-year-old rookie pitcher has become the first player selected...
Projected as 1st-round MLB pick, Mars’, WVU’s JJ Wetherholt learned lessons on, off the field
Here’s the greatest lesson West Virginia’s JJ Wetherholt learned — or, more accurately, taught himself — on his way to becoming a projected top-10 choice in the MLB Draft: There’s more to hitting a baseball than taking swings in the batting cage until your hands ache. Yes, that fundamental part...
Pirates pitcher Quinn Priester limits damage vs. Brewers, records 1st victory of season
Pittsburgh Pirates pitching coach Oscar Marin trotted to the mound in the third inning Tuesday night at American Family Field in Milwaukee, hoping to settle down pitcher Quinn Priester. It was an important timeout because Priester was in the midst of surrendering two runs to the Brewers. But, as it...
Pirates slam 5 home runs in 12-2 victory against 1st-place Brewers
With leadoff hitter Andrew McCutchen taking the night off and shortstop Oneil Cruz on the bench while nursing hamstring tightness, the Pittsburgh Pirates hit the road Tuesday night and challenged the National League Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. The odds were against the Pirates, who are trying to...
Pirates farm report for July 9, 2024: David Bednar throws scoreless inning in Altoona rehab outing
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 38-46) and Columbus (Guardians) were rained out. The game will be played as part of a doubleheader Thursday. Next: Wednesday vs. Columbus (Guardians), 1:35 p.m. ALTOONA (Double-A, 35-47) used six pitchers, including rehabbing major leaguers RHP David Bednar and LHP Ryan Borucki, to shut out Bowie (Orioles), 4-0....
