Tag: Neal Huntington

As one of the slowest times on the sports calendar, the Major League Baseball All-Star break brings about a lull that often leads to the discussion of off-the field topics. Sure, many fans would prefer to focus on what’s happening on the field, but with no games to be played, attention tends to shift for […]

There are plenty of roster intricacies in the Major League Baseball Rulebook that can be difficult to understand in theory and application: Designated for Assignment, waivers, outright assignment, 25-man roster versus 40-man roster, and service time, just to name a few. These intricacies have consistently interested me, and I always had to rely on sites […]

Well, as Ron Burgundy might say, “That escalated quickly.” This wasn’t a topic I anticipated visiting quite this early, but after the entire pitching staff’s performance has seemingly fallen off a cliff, and twenty losses in their last twenty-nine games (as of June 20th) have the team hovering around last place in the division, it […]

The Pirates are probably not making the playoffs this year. You could probably determine that on your own, even after a welcomed series win in Denver kept them from sinking back under the .500 mark. FanGraphs has their playoff odds at just under 12 percent after Wednesday’s win, but you could surmise that from a […]

PITTSBURGH — Pirates general manager Neal Huntington spoke with the Pittsburgh media following his trade deadline acquisitions of right-handed starter Chris Archer from the Tampa Bay Rays and right-handed relieve Keone Kela from the Texas Rangers. Here’s the full video of Huntington’s press briefing.

PITTSBURGH — After rising as high as nine games over .500 in mid-May, the Pirates have sagged as June approaches, but you can’t accuse team management of sitting on its hands. To the contrary, the past week has seen four personnel/roster adjustment, each of which has been a nod toward the here and now. First […]

PITTSBURGH — Everywhere we turn in Major League Baseball media coverage these days, we see repeated references to two large-scale phenomena: Optimized launch angle and increased strikeout rate. As a team that constantly seeks every inefficiency available in its quest to win on a budget, the Pirates have likely considered the possible benefits of swimming […]

PITTSBURGH — It wasn’t the most modest proposal, but my story from Sunday morning about how the Pirates could deploy their multitude of starting pitching options in a more efficient way came with a dose on inherent humility. Yeah, I’ve watched and covered the sport for many years, but in the end I’m just a […]

PITTSBURGH — Nick Kingham will, in all probability, once again stand astride the pitching rubber on the PNC Park mound Saturday night with the Padres in town. For as sharp as Joe Musgrove has been on his rehab journey through the Pirates’ minor-league system — how does 5 2/3 perfect innings in Triple-A over the […]

PITTSBURGH — Felipe Vásquez bailed out the Pirates on Saturday night, even though he wasn’t literally credited with a save. In taking over for a struggling George Kontos in the eighth inning and closing out the team’s fifth straight win, Vásquez papered over a growing concern in the back end of the Pirates’ bullpen. While […]