Pirates/MLB category, Page 121

Bligh Madris took a slow curveball for a called strike on the first pitch, so the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie outfielder was expecting something hard on the next when right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. threw a cutter inside. Madris connected to send a 394-foot solo shot to right-center for the first home...

When the Pittsburgh Pirates needed a starting pitcher in a pinch, they turned to Jerad Eickhoff because the right-hander had 80 career starts over six major league seasons. That it ended with Pirates second baseman Diego Castillo on the mound facing a Cubs pitcher in the ninth inning was indicative...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 33-32) scored five runs in the seventh inning to beat Memphis (Cardinals), 7-4. Three players started rehab assignments. 2B Josh VanMeter (finger) went 1 for 2 with two walks, two runs scored and an RBI. SS Kevin Newman (groin) went 1 for 2 with a double. 1B Yoshi...

If Derek Shelton couldn’t single out one Pittsburgh Pirates player as a key against the Chicago Cubs, it’s because six players got hits and scored runs. Sparked by solo home runs from Michael Perez and Bligh Madris — who hit the first of his career — and two RBIs from...

The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired left-handed pitcher Eric Stout from the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday in exchange for cash. He was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis and added to the 40-man roster. Stout, 29, allowed two runs in 3 2/3 innings in two games for the Cubs this season. The left-handed reliever...

There are no trees inside PNC Park, but a squirrel wormed his way onto the playing field Monday night, briefly interrupting play before the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Michael Chavis stepped to the plate in the second inning. While many in the crowd of 11,312 cheered and laughed, head groundskeeper Matt Brown...

Tuesday’s “First Call” features a warning shot to Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Devin Bush. One of the Pirates new rookies was part of history in Monday night’s win. And ex-Pirate Gerrit Cole nearly spun a no hitter in Tampa Bay. Time to shine On Monday, CBS Sports listed Steelers linebacker Devin...

When a baseball leaves rookie shortstop Oneil Cruz’s hand at an outrageous speed — something that happened Monday night at PNC Park — first baseman Michael Chavis tries not to worry. He can withstand a little pain in his hand. If the throw breaks the webbing in Chavis’ glove, oh,...

Oneil Cruz promised there were plenty of hard hits traveling long distances to come for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and he didn’t disappoint in his long-awaited season debut. The 6-foot-7, 220-pound shortstop put on a dazzling display of speed, arm strength and power at the plate that showed why he was...

Miguel Perez had some news Sunday he wanted to share with his Indianapolis players. So, everyone gathered around the Indians manager after the 5-3 road victory against the Gwinnett (Ga.) Stripers. The news: Shortstop Oneil Cruz, the No. 3 prospect in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ farm system, had been called up...

Oneil Cruz not only got a taste of playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates last October but gave a glimpse of greatness: After setting a club Statcast-era record with a 118.2-mph exit velocity in his debut, he dropped to one knee to hit an ankle-high pitch for a home run the...

The Pittsburgh Pirates opened up roster space for Oneil Cruz and Bligh Madris to make their 2022 major-league debuts Monday night by placing starting pitcher Zach Thompson on the 15-day injured list with right forearm nerve inflammation and optioning shortstop Liover Peguero back to Double-A Altoona. Cruz and Madris were...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 32-32) beat Gwinnett (Braves), 5-3. SS Rodolfo Castro (.213) smacked a three-run home run, and CF Travis Swaggerty (.276) hit a two-run shot to fuel the Indy victory. DH Carter Bins (.216) was 2 for 4. LF Oneil Cruz (.232) was 0 for 1 as a pinch-hitter before...

The Pittsburgh Pirates are making the much-anticipated promotion their fans have been awaiting by calling up Oneil Cruz, the 6-foot-7, 220-pound shortstop who is their No. 1 prospect. Pirates manager Derek Shelton confirmed after Sunday’s 4-3 win over the San Francisco Giants that Cruz and outfielder Bligh Madris will be...

Jack Suwinski already was amid his first multi-home run game of his career when Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton asked the 23-year-old rookie outfielder a question while he waited in the hole in the eighth inning. “Did you ever have three homers in a game?” Shelton said. “He said, ‘No.’...

Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington didn’t rule out the possibility that shortstop Oneil Cruz, the club’s top prospect, could be promoted to the majors during the final four games of this homestand. “There’s a chance, sure,” Cherington said Sunday on his radio show on 93.7 The Fan. “We’ll have...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 31-32) lost to Gwinnett (Braves), 5-3. SS Oneil Cruz (.233) went 1 for 3 with a pair of RBIs. LF Ji-hwan Bae (.305) went 2 for 4 with a double and a run scored. CF Travis Swgaggerty (.276) went 1 for 4 and drove in a run. RHP...

All eyes were on Liover Peguero as fans clapped in unison for the 21-year-old shortstop who made the jump from Double-A Altoona to starting at shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates in his major-league debut. Peguero faced a full count with two outs and runners on first and second in the...

After spending seven years in the minor leagues, Cam Vieaux was finally pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park when Evan Longoria came to bat with two outs and runners on first and second base. The 28-year-old left-handed reliever was full of nerves but concentrated on keeping the same...

With Pittsburgh Pirates fans awaiting the arrival of top prospect Oneil Cruz, another shortstop prospect was the subject of a surprise roster move before Friday night’s game against the San Francisco Giants. No one was more surprised than Liover Peguero. “I still can’t believe this,” Peguero said Friday night after...

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 31-31) held off Gwinnett (Braves), giving up two runs in the ninth but winning 5-4. DH Bligh Madris (.309) went 3 for 5 with a double and two RBIs. CF Jared Oliva (.226) was 2 for 4 with three runs scored. C Carter Bins (.200) went 2 for...

Zach Thompson was one the Pittsburgh Pirates’ most effective starting pitchers last month, but the right-hander was off target from the start against the San Francisco Giants. Two pitches he missed in particular proved to be the difference. Luis Gonzalez and Joc Pederson hit solo home runs, and Giants left-hander...

After struggling to find his swing for the first two months of the season, Bryan Reynolds finally is starting to feel like himself. That’s a simply stated but powerful development for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Especially if it means Reynolds is returning to All-Star form. Over the eight-game road trip to...

With Pittsburgh Pirates fans awaiting the arrival of top prospect Oneil Cruz, another shortstop prospect was the subject of a surprise roster move before Friday night’s game against the San Francisco Giants. No one was more surprised than Liover Peguero. “I still can’t believe this,” Peguero said Friday night after...

Only three games into his major-league career, Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba is headed for the 60-day injured list with a nondisplaced fracture of the schaphoid bone in his right wrist. The Pirates selected the contract of 28-year-old lefty reliever Cam Vieaux from Triple-A Indianapolis, where he was 3-0 with...