Tag: Pirates

PITTSBURGH — In 2011, Clint Hurdle made for a perfect fit as manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Hurdle, two years removed from a seven-year stint with the Colorado Rockies that involved a trip to the World Series in 2007, had the gravitas to demand respect in an MLB clubhouse. He also felt that after being […]

PITTSBURGH — One of the hallmarks of Neal Huntington’s tenure as Pittsburgh Pirates general manager was the persistent notion that the club could be a consistent winner without being beholden to windows of contention. Monday, his tenure ended, as Pirates owner Bob Nutting fired Huntington with two seasons remaining on his contract. Huntington’s departure followed […]

I sat on the couch, staring intently at the TV. There are situations in sports when there is almost no hope available, yet for some reason you cling to the impossible. I was trying to find one small ounce of hope. The playoffs are when magical things happen. A comeback was unlikely, but I couldn’t […]

The Pirates did not need much help to hit into outs over the first week of the season, they were doing a good job all by themselves. Cubs manager Dale Sveum decided to make life a little more difficult for one of the Bucs’ best hitters, Garrett Jones. On Opening Day, Sveum shifted his infield […]

When baseball games that count are played in early April, most of the conclusions people draw are based around confirmation bias. These first nine games are no more significant than the nine games that will happen May 8-16 or June 15-23 or whenever. But conclusions are drawn at this point anyway, because all the stats […]

The Pirates finally got a few runs to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 5-3. Andrew McCutchen and Travis Snider both drove in two runs to break Pittsburgh’s four-game losing skid Monday night. The good news of a victory was mitigated, though, by the third-inning exit of Pirates starter Wandy Rodriguez. The left-hander felt tightness in his […]

Don’t let the sunshine and the mountain views fool you. Dodger Stadium continues to be a ravine of terror for the Pirates, but Sunday provided a fresh face to engineer the 6-2 Los Angeles victory and a weekend sweep. Adrian Gonzalez started to earn the $127 million he will collect the next six seasons after […]

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 […]

Carved. Sliced. Diced. Slashed. Controlled. Mastered. Dominated. Dismantled. You can use any verb you would like to describe what Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw did to the Pirates in a 1-0 L.A. victory Saturday night. But one works best. He Kershawed them. “That was the same as I remember him,” Pirates second baseman Neil Walker said. […]

Greetings from Dodger Stadium, where it should be another beautiful Los Angeles night. Here’s a link to Friday’s recap if you missed it. Pirates manager Clint Hurdle provided updates on some of the team’s injured pitchers: Charlie Morton (elbow) will throw two innings in an extended game Monday after a 36-pitch bullpen session Friday. Francisco […]