Pirates/MLB category, Page 37
Tim Benz: Paul Skenes is right. The Pirates owe the city more. Time to pay up
I’m not exactly sure who Paul Skenes was talking about. Maybe Skenes doesn’t even know. But while the young Pittsburgh Pirates ace was speaking with Alex Stumpf for a recent feature on MLB.com in advance of Thursday’s 2025 season opener in Miami, Skenes made some noteworthy comments about the state...
Previewing the Pirates: Carmen Mlodzinski moving to starting role creates bullpen opening
Carmen Mlodzinski wanted to be a starting pitcher in the major leagues, so the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander bet big on himself. And it paid off when he earned a spot in the starting rotation. Drafted No. 31 overall in 2020, Mlodzinski converted to a relief role in 2023. He fared...
Twins hammer Thomas Harrington in 2nd, hand Pirates 5th consecutive loss in spring finale
The Pittsburgh Pirates gave Thomas Harrington the final start of spring training, even though they had decided that the 23-year-old right-hander wasn’t going to make their Opening Day roster. Harrington made quick work of the Minnesota Twins in an 11-pitch first inning, sandwiching strikeouts of Matt Wallner and Byron Buxton...
Previewing the Pirates: Endy Rodriguez wins 1 position player battle, helps solve another
The Pittsburgh Pirates opened spring training with a glaring hole at first base and a handful of candidates looking to take advantage of the opportunity to make the Opening Day roster. With Spencer Horwitz sidelined after surgery on his right wrist, everyone from veterans Darick Hall and DJ Stewart to...
Joey Wentz strikes out side as Pirates bullpen perfect, bats quiet in loss to Blue Jays
The Pittsburgh Pirates got seven strikeouts in three perfect innings from their bullpen but little production at the plate in dropping the penultimate game of their spring training schedule. The Toronto Blue Jays scored two runs off Pirates left-hander Bailey Falter in a four-hit third inning and held on for...
Tim Benz: Pirates hopes of winning ‘in the margins’ is easier said than done
Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton laid out the key to his team’s 2025 improvement on a 76-86 record a year ago. “I think you win in the margins, very much so,” Shelton told reporters in Bradenton, Fla. “We have to win those margins.” Exactly how wide are these “margins” we...
Defying odds after knee injury, Hunter Stratton rewarded by Pirates with 40-man roster spot
Hunter Stratton had beaten the odds before, so the Pittsburgh Pirates reliever was convinced he could beat a timeline to return from injury. A 16th-round draft pick who spent seven seasons in the minor leagues, Stratton persevered to make his major-league debut in September 2023. After being nontendered that offseason,...
2025 Pirates 40-man roster breakdown
The Pittsburgh Pirates have 20 pitchers and 20 position players on their 40-man roster as the 2025 season approaches. Here’s a look at each player: Pirates’ 40-man roster No. Name, Ht., Wt., Pos. 67 Braxton Ashcraft, 6-5, 220, RHP: If top-10 prospect can stay healthy, his upper 90s fastball should...
‘I want to win’: Paul Skenes sets bar high, aims to raise ceiling for Pirates
Paul Skenes isn’t shy about saying he wants to win with the Pittsburgh Pirates, though he doesn’t directly discuss winning a World Series. Instead, the 22-year-old right-hander talks about raising the floor and the ceiling as if issuing a challenge not just to himself but the entire franchise. Skenes is...
Pirates option Henry Davis, select RHP Hunter Stratton, DFA Joshua Palacios in roster moves
The Pittsburgh Pirates took steps toward finalizing their Opening Day roster by making a handful of roster moves Saturday, including one that involves a former No. 1 overall pick. The Pirates selected right-handed reliever Hunter Stratton to their major league roster, designated outfielder Joshua Palacios for assignment and optioned catcher...
Paul Skenes sharp in final spring training outing, but Pirates no-hit by Baltimore
After his fifth and final spring training outing Saturday afternoon, only a few days stand between Pittsburgh Pirates phenom Paul Skenes and the regular-season opener, which he’s set to start Thursday at Miami. Skenes delivered 3 1/3 scoreless innings Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles, throwing 51 pitches (33 for strikes)...
Pirates hearing Matt Hague crystal clear, as new hitting coach attempts to speak their language
Matt Hague had headphones on from the home dugout at LECOM Park and was talking with the SportsNet Pittsburgh broadcast crew when the Pittsburgh Pirates’ new hitting coach addressed the nature of his job. “We’re therapists sometimes, trying to be their hitting bilinguist sometimes,” said Hague, 40, who played professionally...
Mitch Keller finishes spring training with strong start, but Red Sox rally in 8th to beat Pirates
Mitch Keller put a punctuation mark on a strong spring training in his final start, striking out five of the 10 batters he faced in three scoreless innings against the Boston Red Sox on Friday. The Pittsburgh Pirates also got a fourth consecutive scoreless appearances from left-hander Caleb Ferguson, a...
‘Get out and get a new owner’: Ken Rosenthal calls for Bob Nutting to sell the Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates fans have been begging chairman Bob Nutting to sell the team, going so far as to buy billboards around town and shouting it in protest at PiratesFest in January. Now, a prominent national baseball voice is calling for Nutting to sell the Pirates. Ken Rosenthal, a senior writer...
Dick’s buys 1-of-a-kind Paul Skenes baseball card for $1.1 million, will display it at Ross Park store
Dick’s Sporting Goods purchased a one-of-a-kind Paul Skenes baseball card for $1.11 million in a two-week auction and will display it at the company’s Ross Park House of Sport location. There were 64 bids on Skenes’ debut patch card, which is autographed and contains a patch that was on the...
Pirates reliever Peter Strzelecki embraces underdog role, chance to compete in bullpen
Before Peter Strzelecki met his Pittsburgh Pirates teammates, one All-Star closer contacted another on his behalf. Devin Williams put in a good word for the right-handed reliever with David Bednar, helping to ease the transition to another new team. For a pitcher who has bounced from Milwaukee to Arizona to...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Jared Jones could have ripple effect on Pirates’ final roster decisions
Ben Cherington has been resolute in repeatedly saying the Pittsburgh Pirates didn’t have a formula to follow to prevent rookie right-handers Jared Jones and Paul Skenes from injury last season, other than to carefully monitor their pitch and innings counts and days of rest. The Pirates general manager drew praise...
Pirates reliever Colin Holderman aims to reclaim role as setup man, as Pirates lose to Rays
Colin Holderman claims he had the best offseason of his baseball career, one where he prioritized his diet and strength training to gain weight back while adding new pitches to his repertoire. The Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed reliever had no shortage of motivation, given his poor performance at the most critical...
Pirates right-hander Jared Jones experiencing elbow soreness, will miss final start of spring
Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton announced Wednesday morning that right-hander Jared Jones is experiencing right elbow soreness after his most recent bullpen session. “He’s not going to make his next start in spring training, that’s for sure,” Shelton told reporters in Bradenton, Fla. “I think, with that being said, we’re...
Lefty Caleb Ferguson wanted a chance to start for the Pirates but has thrived out of bullpen
Caleb Ferguson signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates on a promise that he would get a chance to be a starting pitcher but with the understanding that he was willing to perform in any role. Most of the 28-year-old left-hander’s major league experience has come out...
David Bednar’s clean inning a confidence boost for Pirates, who top Phillies on walk-off homer
Thomas Harrington was nervous before his first spring training start, even though the right-hander ranked the Pittsburgh Pirates’ No. 3 prospect was thrilled to still be in big-league camp. David Bednar was more relieved after his performance as the two-time All-Star battling to keep his closer job relied on his...
SportsNet Pittsburgh to broadcast 20 games of Pirates’ Double-A affiliate, the Altoona Curve
The Altoona Curve announced that SportsNet Pittsburgh, the television and streaming partner of the Pittsburgh Pirates, will broadcast 20 home games of the Double-A affiliate this season. The first Curve game to air on SportsNet Pittsburgh will be against the Somerset Patriots, a New York Yankees affiliate, on April 16...
PNC Park unveils new menu items for this baseball season
Aramark, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ food partner for the past 52 years, has several new menu offerings for this year’s baseball season. Additions include the fried almond torte, Polish cannonball and a chipped ham empanada. The torte is funnel cake batter dipped, fried and topped with raspberry sauce, icing and burnt...
After ‘whirlwind’ season ended in World Series, lefty Tim Mayza hopes to help Pirates’ bullpen
As Tim Mayza reflects on last season, he shakes his head in amazement about how he went from the worst season of his major-league career to winding up pitching in the World Series. After being drafted by Toronto and spending seven seasons in the majors with the Blue Jays, the...
Paul Skenes strikes out a spring-best 7 as Pirates combine for 16 Ks in win over Twins
In his first start since being named Opening Day starter, Paul Skenes dabbled in dominance by touching triple digits twice in the first inning and recording seven strikeouts. It was the most strikeouts by a Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher this spring, and Skenes’ swing-and-miss action set the tone as Pirates pitchers...
