Tag: Michael McKenry

Tonight wasn’t the type of game you’d normally expect the Pirates to win. It’s not the type of matchup you’d expect any team to win. On one side you had the best team in baseball, with a pitcher who entered the game with 20.1 shutout innings to start the season. On the other side you […]

Alternate title: “Good hitters gonna hit” — James McDonald, 4/15/2013 Today’s Pirates Pregame asked the question: Which James McDonald would we see today? It did not take long to get the answer. McDonald was hit early, hit hard and hit often before being pulled after retiring just five St. Louis Cardinals. In that time, the […]

There were many moments in Pittsburgh’s improbable come-from-behind 10-7 win against Cincinnati on Sunday that could be pointed to as turning points. Michael McKenry’s first home run, Starling Marte’s home run, McKenry’s second home run, Travis Snider’s near home run — all possible moments when the momentum shifted to the Pirates side. From my seat, […]

Phil Irwin will make his major league debut today for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the club announced this morning. Irwin won 29 games in five seasons of minor league competition, and while wins and losses are not necessarily a good barometer for the developmental process in the minors, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said Irwin’s presence made his teammates […]

A weekend start at Dodger Stadium presents Jeff Locke a familiar setting for a new kind of outing. He pitched here in September 2011 for his second career Major League start and first on the road. It was even his first time in California. It was an experience Locke says was “overwhelming,” and he was […]

Left-hander Jonathan Sanchez will be making his first regular season start for the Pirates on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. “Jonathan has made as good a stride as anyone we had in camp, with the command, with the four-pitch mix,” Hurdle said. “He’s excited. He’s in the best place he’s been: physically, self-confidence, all those […]

We’ve already touched on the platoons of Garrett Jones/Gaby Sanchez and Travis Snider/Jose Tabata in the previews of the infield and outfield, so for today’s preview of the bench players the focus will be on Michael McKenry, John McDonald and Josh Harrison. Michael McKenry — Catcher McKenry gives the Pirates a serviceable backup catcher behind […]

With pitchers and catchers reporting today, and Spring Training starting up this week, we will be previewing the position battles to follow throughout the Spring. To keep track of the players who are in camp, and the updated status of each position battle, check out the 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates Spring Training Tracker. I’ve already reviewed […]

Earlier today I wrote my “First Pitch” article, titled “Why the Pirates Shouldn’t Sign Russell Martin”. I spent some time taking a deep look at Martin, and looking at the Pirates’ situation. I had it all set up to post at midnight. Then the Pirates signed Martin to a two year, $17 M deal. Nothing […]

Today we started the 2012 recaps of the individual positions, focusing on the 2012 season and a look ahead at future seasons and the prospects in the organization. The first position was a spot that will probably lead to a lot of discussion over the off-season, and that was the catching position. In the writeup, […]