Category: MLB

Pirates bullpen blows another lead. Bucs fall to Cards 5-4 in ten.

Cardinals rally past Pirates again, 5-4 in 10 innings
By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mike Shildt would prefer to not have his team consistently find itself in a spot where it’s forced to rally.
At the moment, though, the St. Louis Cardinals manager isn’t arguing with the results. At least when the Cardinals are facing Pittsburgh’s wobbly bullpen.
Tyler O’Neill capped another rally by driving in Kolten Wong for the go-ahead run in the 10th inning as St. Louis surged past the Pirates 5-4 on Wednesday night. Two days after coming back from four runs down to spoil Pittsburgh’s home opener, St. Louis took advantage of another shaky performance by Pirate relievers.
“It’s not a position we want to get into, but it’s a position we obviously don’t panic about,” Shildt said. “This group always knows they can play the game and compete. We actually bear down a little bit more.”
Harrison Bader hit a two-run homer off Keone Kela in the eighth to tie the game at 3. Wong led off the 10th with a triple against Nick Burdi (0-1) and scored when O’Neill followed two batters later with a sharp single to right. Bader pushed the lead two when he scored on a wild pitch by Francisco Liriano.
“It just shows us that we’re a bloop and a blast away from being in every game,” Bader said.
John Gant (2-0) worked a scoreless ninth to pick up the win. Dakota Hudson collected his first major league save when he stranded the tying run at third. Paul DeJong added a solo home run for St. Louis, which finished 3-3 on a season-opening six-game road trip.
“We’re never going to give in,” said Wong, who is hitting .476 (10 for 21) through the first week of the season. “We’ve been like this since I’ve got to the Cardinals and I think this year isn’t an exception.”
PIRATES SPUTTER AGAIN
Adam Frazier had three hits and drove in a run for the Pirates. Jung Ho Kang hit his first home run in 2½ years for Pittsburgh. The Pirates went 1 for 14 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base.
Jameson Taillon dominated the Cardinals for seven innings, allowing one run on three hits with five strikeouts and spent 87 pitches keeping the Cardinals off balance. St. Louis needed to see just six pitches from Kela to pull even. Kela, who walked in the tying run on Monday, inherited a 3-1 lead in the top of the eighth. He threw four straight balls to Wong, then saw his second offering to Bader end up in the Cardinals bullpen beyond the wall in center field.
“When the guys come in and get outs, it always looks good,” Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. “When they don’t, it doesn’t look good. But there was an opportunity for us on offense to do a lot more tonight.”
KANG’S LONG ROAD
Kang’s drive to the first row of seats in left field against St. Louis starter Miles Mikolas was the 37th of his career and his first since Oct. 1, 2016. Kang missed all of 2017 after pleading guilty to DUI in his native South Korea and appeared in just three games last September.
Kang, who hit seven home runs during spring training, said through a translator he was upset after grounding into a double play with the bases loaded in the first. He was “prepared” to hit a home run when he dug in in the third against Mikolas.
“I think he’s working to get in a very good spot, offensively and defensively,” Hurdle said. “He’s working on both sides of the ball. We’re aware that it’s been (a long time). … We like having him on our team.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Cardinals: LF Marcell Ozuna will have an MRI on Thursday after being scratched due to discomfort in his right side. Jose Martinez filled in and went 0 for 5.
Pirates: LF Corey Dickerson did not start due to soreness in his right (throwing) shoulder. He grounded out as a pinch hitter in the eighth. … C Elias Diaz (illness) will begin a rehab assignment with Class A Bradenton on Thursday.
UP NEXT
Cardinals: Head home for the first time this season and welcome San Diego for a three-game series at Busch Stadium starting Friday. The game was originally scheduled for Thursday before being pushed back due to weather concerns. Jack Flaherty (0-0, 8.31 ERA) starts for the Cardinals against Nick Margevicius (0-1, 1.80).
Pirates: Begin a four-game home set with Cincinnati on Thursday. Jordan Lyles makes his first start for the Pirates against Tyler Mahle. The teams split a two-game series in Cincinnati last weekend.
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Cardinals rally past sloppy Pirates 6-5 in 11 innings.

Cardinals rally past sloppy Pirates 6-5 in 11 innings
By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Down four on the road late against a team feeding off the adrenaline of its home opener, the St. Louis Cardinals waited patiently for the buzz to wear off.
When it did, they pounced.
Kolten Wong hit a two-run homer to provide St. Louis with a much-needed spark, and the Cardinals took advantage of a bumpy outing by Pittsburgh’s bullpen to slip past the Pirates 6-5 in 11 innings on Monday.
The Cardinals rallied to tie it in the eighth and again in the ninth then took their first and only lead in the 11th. Paul DeJong singled off Steven Brault (0-1) with two outs, moved to third after a hit batter and a walk and sprinted home from third when Pirates reliever Nick Kingham and catcher Francisco Cervelli got crossed up. Kingham’s pitch squirted past Cervelli and went all the way to the backstop, allowing DeJong to score easily.
“You knew you had to just keep your head down and keep going,” said Wong, who has three home runs through five games after hitting nine in 127 games in 2018. “This was either going to be a game where they kept going or we were going to get them back. We were confident in ourselves. We knew they weren’t too far ahead.”
Jordan Hicks (1-1) worked two scoreless innings for St. Louis. John Gant picked up the save despite issuing a one-out walk to finish a sloppy 4-hour, 53-minute marathon that featured 16 pitchers, 16 walks, four hit batters, three errors and two home plate umpires. Crew chief Jerry Layne left in the seventh after taking a ball off the mask and was replaced by Vic Carapazza.
“That’s the definition of gutty right there, across the board,” Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said. “Literally, contributions from everyone. The bullpen was outstanding. … The offense scratched and clawed. What can you say about that kind of game? It was crazy.”
So crazy that St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina made his first career appearance at third base in his 1,875th game in the majors. Molina made the cameo at third in the 11th when Matt Wieters — the last position player available for the Cardinals — came in to pinch hit in the 11th and stayed on to catch in the bottom of the inning. Molina did not have a defensive chance.
“Yadi had this big smile on his face,” Shildt said. “He was happy about it. He loves catching, but he wanted to play some third, I guess.”
PITTSBURGH FIZZLES
Colin Moran went 2 for 3 with three RBIs, including a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth that put the Pirates up 5-4. Josh Bell drove in two runs for Pittsburgh, and Chris Archer struck out eight and allowed just two hits in five shutout innings in his 2019 debut.
Archer exited with a 4-0 lead only to watch the bullpen give it away as the Pirates dropped their home opener for the first time since 2014. Six of Pittsburgh’s seven relievers allowed at least one baserunner. Richard Rodriguez allowed his second home run in as many appearances when Wong took him deep in the seventh. Closer Felipe Vazquez stranded the go-ahead run at second base to end the eighth but then gave up Jose Martinez’s game-tying double with one out in the eighth.
A pair of late errors — one by Moran at third base in the seventh, another by shortstop Erik Gonzalez in the ninth— gave St. Louis life.
“Unfortunately with the free (bases) we gave them, too many opportunities late to extend innings, that’s what cost us the game,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said.
WOBBLY WAINO
St. Louis starter Adam Wainwright, hoping to bounce back after an injury-plagued 2018, struggled with his command. The 37-year-old walked four — three in the first inning alone — and gave up four runs on four hits in four innings while throwing just 37 of his 73 pitches for strikes.
“I didn’t have command of anything, really,” Wainwright said. “My fastball command was terrible. My cutter was sloppy. My curveball was loopy and the split, I only threw a few of them. You can’t walk guys in the big leagues. No excuses coming from my end. I’ve got to be better.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Cardinals: RF Dexter Fowler left in the bottom of the seventh shortly after getting hit in the left foot with a pitch. Schidt said X-rays on the foot were negative and Fowler is day-to-day. … IF Jedd Gyorko should be ready to return from a strained right calf in time for Thursday’s home opener against San Diego.
UP NEXT
Cardinals: Miles Mikolas (0-1, 9.00 ERA) will make his second start of the season when the teams meet on Wednesday. The 30-year-old allowed five runs in five innings in a loss to Milwaukee on opening day.
Pirates: Jameson Taillon (0-1, 6.00) is 3-1 with a 3.42 ERA in eight career starts against St. Louis.
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Trevor Williams pitches sixth scoreless in leading the Bucs to a 5-0 victory over the Reds

Williams leads Pirates past Reds 5-0
CINCINNATI (AP) — Trevor Williams pitched six effective innings and drove in two runs, helping the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the sloppy Cincinnati Reds 5-0 on Sunday.
Williams picked up where he left off last season, when he was the only major leaguer to make 10 starts of at least six innings without allowing a run. The right-hander gave up three hits, struck out six and walked one.
The Reds put runners on the corners with two out in the sixth, but Williams struck out Yasiel Puig to end the inning. Puig is 0 for 7 with four strikeouts and a walk in two games after he was acquired in an offseason trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Puig also misjudged Francisco Cervelli’s fly ball to right in the ninth inning, but recovered in time to make a diving catch.

Harper homers, hears “MVP!” chants as Phillies beat Braves

Harper homers, hears “MVP!” chants as Phillies beat Braves
By AARON BRACY Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Hitless in five at-bats to open his anticipated first series with the Philadelphia Phillies, Bryce Harper grabbed teammate Nick Williams’ bat looking for a spark.
One big swing of the borrowed lumber later, Harper was on the top step of the dugout, roaring back at the fans chanting “MVP! MVP!” for their $330 million man.
Harper homered deep into the second deck in right-center field for his first hit with Philadelphia and celebrated with an emphatic curtain call, highlighting the Phillies’ 8-6 win over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.
Harper, swinging Williams’ stick after a slow start to the season, crushed Jesse Biddle’s fastball 465 feet with two outs in the seventh. Fans gave Harper a standing ovation, hollering and clapping in a fashion rare for March baseball.
After getting high fives in the dugout, Harper climbed out for a curtain call, throwing both fists in the air and shouting “Let’s go!”
“It was a really cool moment,” Harper said. “The fan base, the stadium, the electricity we have in this place, it all came together.”
Maikel Franco and J.T. Realmuto went deep for Philadelphia, which also launched three homers in Thursday’s season-opening 10-4 win over the Braves.
“Offense definitely created some electricity in the ballpark, and I think that’s going to be our defining characteristic,” Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said.
Harper — wearing bright blue cleats instead of the gaudy, green Phanatic spikes he sported on opening day — unfurled the powerful left-handed swing that has Citizens Bank Park rocking like it was 2008, the last time the franchise won the World Series.
Prior to his homer, a hitless Harper was just like the rest of the red-clad fans — cheerleading the other Phillies hitters.
Harper greeted Franco after his homer with an elaborate celebration outside of the dugout, the two of them mock shooting a bow-and-arrow. They did the same jocular celebration when Harper went deep.
Harper already has unique celebrations with many of his teammates. He simulated a basketball layup with outfielders Andrew McCutchen and Odubel Herrera after both wins. On Thursday, Harper was the basket. On Saturday, he mock dunked into the arms of Herrera.
“We have a great group of guys, a lot of energy,” Harper said. “(The celebrating) just adds to the fun.”
Besides power at the plate — not to mention the box office and merchandise shop — Harper has brought much-needed energy to the Phillies, who are hoping to end a seven-year postseason drought.
The club’s start hasn’t disappointed in the least.
Adam Morgan (1-0) faced one batter in the fifth inning.
Dansby Swanson and Charlie Culberson homered, and Freddie Freeman had four hits and drove in two for the Braves.
The game was tied at 4 in the fifth when Realmuto lined a two-run homer to left-center off Wes Parsons (0-1).
Franco hit a two-run shot off the foul pole in the fourth. He’s the sixth player in franchise history to homer in each of the team’s first two games, joining Hall of Famers Mike Schmidt and Chuck Klein, plus Howard, Scott Rolen and Danny Litwhiler.
Phillies starter Nick Pivetta allowed four runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Atlanta’s Bryse Wilson, a 20-year-old rookie making his second career start, gave up four runs and five hits in 3 1/3 innings.
“We’re just having a hard time keeping them in the ballpark,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “It’s a very explosive offense. … We’re just going to have to keep fighting, come out and get one tomorrow.”
TENNESSEE TRADE
Harper’s home run ball was collected by two Braves fans from Tennessee, he said. The slugger, who received the ball postgame in a yellow envelope from a Phillies official, will send the fans a bat and ball as thanks.
SNEAKER CREATURE
The Phillie Phanatic returned the favor after Harper honored the fuzzy, green mascot on opening day. The Phanatic’s oversized sneakers featured images of Harper’s face on the toe.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Atlanta: Ender Inciarte fouled a ball hard off his right foot in the seventh inning but was OK.
Philadelphia: Right-handed reliever Tommy Hunter (right flexor strain) felt soreness while rehabbing in Florida on Thursday. His anticipated mid-April return likely will be pushed back as a result.
UP NEXT
The teams wrap up the three-game series Sunday night with Philadelphia RHP Jake Arrieta opposing Braves rookie RHP Kyle Wright.
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Pirates vs. Reds game, Saturday March 30, 2019 washed out due to rain

This afternoon’s PIT @ CIN game (Saturday, March 30th) has been postponed. It will be made up as a split doubleheader on Monday, May 27th as follows

Game 1 – 1:10pm ET (the game was originally scheduled at 2:10pm ET on May 27th and has been moved to 1:10pm ET to accommodate the split DH)  Airtime is 12:45

Game 2 – 7:10pm ET (rescheduled game)  Airtime is 6:45 Beaver County Radio

Bucs can’t overcome a rough Seventh inning and falls 5-3 to Reds in the opener.

New-look Reds rally for 5-3 win over Pirates on Dietrich HR
By JOE KAY AP Sports Writer
CINCINNATI (AP) — Derek Dietrich’s three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning rallied the new-look Reds to a 5-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, an encouraging start for a Cincinnati team looking to escape last place.
Playing their first game under manager David Bell , the Reds got starring performances from two players signed for backup roles last month. They also ended the game with a relief pitcher playing center field, a sign of Bell’s openness to new ideas.
Two players who joined the organization last month on minor league deals became part of Cincinnati’s opening day lore.
Shortstop Jose Iglesias doubled twice and drove in a run. After Jose Peraza’s homer off Jameson Taillon (0-1) tied it in the seventh, Dietrich put the Reds up 5-2 with his pinch-hit homer off Richard Rodriguez . Dietrich got a curtain call from the crowd of 44,049, the largest for a regular season game at Great American Ball Park.
Newcomer Zach Duke (1-0) retired the two batters he faced. Closer Raisel Iglesias came on in the eighth and gave up a solo homer by Corey Dickerson. Bell replaced him with two on in the ninth — another unconventional move. David Hernandez loaded the bases with a walk to Pablo Reyes before retiring Dickerson on a grounder to end it, getting his first save since 2017.
Reliever Michael Lorenzen got into the game as a pinch runner in the seventh and played the last two innings in center field. He didn’t have a ball hit his way.
The win opened a notable season for the Reds. Commissioner Rob Manfred was grand marshal of the pregame parade that kicked off baseball’s 150th anniversary celebration of the first all-professional team, the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings.
The Reds gave themselves an offseason makeover with three trades, including the addition of Yasiel Puig from the Dodgers. The right fielder got one of the loudest cheers — fans chanting “PUUUUIIIIIIG!”— during pregame introductions and went 0 for 4 with a pair of strikeouts.
Pittsburgh’s Jung Ho Kang singled home a pair of runs in the sixth, an early return on the $3 million, one-year deal he signed last November.
The Pirates open the season with a depleted outfield. Right fielder Gregory Polanco is recovering from shoulder surgery, and fill-in Lonnie Chisenhall went on the injury list pregame with a broken right index finger. Adding to the problems, center fielder Starling Marte was a late scratch from the lineup because of a migraine.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: In addition to Chisenhall, the Pirates put fifth-starter Jordan Lyles (sore right side), C Elias Diaz (virus), RH Dovydas Neverauskas (oblique) and OF Jose Osuna (neck) on the injury list. They also moved RH Edgar Santana (Tommy John surgery) to the 60-day list.
Reds: Put INF Alex Blandino, 2B Scooter Gennett and LH Alex Wood on the 10-day injury list.
UP NEXT
Pirates: After an off-day Friday, Trevor Williams (14-10) tried to build upon his second-half success last season. His 1.38 ERA after the All-Star break was second-best in the majors behind Tampa Bay’s Blake Snell (1.17).
Reds: Sonny Gray (11-9) makes his third career against the Pirates. The Reds got him in a trade with the Yankees on Jan. 21 after he agreed to add three years to his deal worth $30.5 million through 2022.
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Pirates sign OF Melky Cabrera to minor-league deal

Pirates sign OF Melky Cabrera to minor-league deal
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed veteran outfielder Melky Cabrera to a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to big-league camp.
The Pirates announced the deal on Monday. The 34-year-old Cabrera will make $1.15 million with an additional $850,000 available in performance bonuses if he makes the 40-man roster.
Cabrera is a career .286 hitter in 14 seasons split among seven different teams. He made the All-Star team in 2012 while playing for the San Francisco Giants and was named the All-Star Game’s Most Valuable Player. He was suspended 50 games later in the 2012 season for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drugs policy.
Cabrera hit .280 with six home runs and 39 RBIs in 78 games last season for Cleveland. He will get a chance to compete with Lonnie Chisenhall and others for a spot in Pittsburgh’s outfield while right fielder Gregory Polanco recovers from shoulder surgery.
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Former Bucs shortstop Jordy Mercer, Tigers agree to $5.25M, 1-year deal

AP source: Jordy Mercer, Tigers agree to $5.25M, 1-year deal
By RONALD BLUM, AP Baseball Writer
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A person familiar with the negotiations says shortstop Jordy Mercer and the Detroit Tigers have agreed to a $5.25 million, one-year contract.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the agreement was subject to a successful physical.
Mercer had spent his entire seven-season big league career with Pittsburgh. The 32-year-old hit .251 with six homers and 39 RBIs, down from 14 homers and 58 RBIs in 2017.
His agreement was first reported by Fancred.
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Former Pirate Charlie Morton and Tampa Bay agree on $30M, 2-yr deal

AP source: Charlie Morton, Rays agree on $30M, 2-yr deal
By BEN WALKER, AP Baseball Writer
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays are perfectly comfortable putting relief pitchers on the mound to begin games. But the chance to add an All-Star to their patchwork rotation, that was too good to pass up.
Coming off a career-high 30 starts, Charlie Morton reached a $30 million, two-year contract with the Rays, a person familiar with the agreement told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been officially announced.
The 35-year-old Morton was a first-time All-Star last season when he went 15-3 with a 3.13 ERA for Houston.
Morton helped the Astros win their first championship in 2017. He started and won Game 7 of the AL Championship Series against the Yankees, then was the winning pitcher in Game 7 of the World Series against the Dodgers with four innings of relief.
“He’s a good pitcher,” Boston president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. “You never like to have good pitching come into the division, prefer they go somewhere else.”
Morton’s success with the Astros came after a career that had been beset by injuries and inconsistency. He’d undergone Tommy John surgery and was just 46-71 with Atlanta, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia for going to Houston.
The right-hander joins a Rays staff led by AL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell.
The Tampa Bay rotation was wrecked by injuries this year, and the team often used relief pitchers as starters in their “opener” strategy on the way to 90 wins.
The Rays’ approach became a trend in baseball, especially when teams saw how well it worked. Tampa Bay went 46-38 with traditional starters and was 44-34 when using relievers at the start.
Manager Kevin Cash said earlier this week at the winter meetings that the Rays will employ the strategy again this season.
“I think right now we’re discussing internally whether we do it two times through the rotation or three times through the rotation,” Cash said Monday. “But the nice thing is we’ve got all that information last year and we have a bunch of candidates that we can fill in as a traditional starter if need be.”
Two days later, the math became a little easier with Morton.
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Bucs Deal Ivan Nova to White Sox for minor league pitcher!!!

Pitcher Ivan Nova acquired by White Sox from Pirates
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Right-hander Ivan Nova has been acquired by the Chicago White Sox from the Pittsburgh Pirates for minor league pitcher Yordi Rosario and $500,000 in international signing bonus pool allocation.
A 31-year-old right-hander, Nova was 9-9 with a 4.19 ERA in 29 starts this season, striking out 114 in 161 innings. He is 78-64 with a 4.26 ERA in nine seasons with the New York Yankees (2010-16) and Pirates (2016-18).
Nova has a $8.5 million base salary next year in the final season of a $26 million, three-year contract, then can become a free agent.
A 19-year-old right-hander, Rosario was 1-4 with a 2.57 ERA in 11 starts and three relief appearances last year in the Dominican Summer League and Arizona Rookie League. He struck out 70 in 56 innings.
The trade was announced Tuesday at the winter meetings.
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