Gallen’s Pitching, Marte’s Hit Lift D-backs over Pirates 3-0

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen throws against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, Aug. 8, 2022, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer
PHOENIX (AP) — Zac Gallen pitched seven dominant innings, Ketel Marte had a crucial two-out, two-RBI single in the eighth and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-0 . Gallen gave up just three hits and two walks while striking out eight. The seven innings matched a career high he’s reached 13 times in the big leagues. He threw just 89 pitches but manager Torey Lovullo opted to bring in lefty Joe Mantiply for the eighth. The decision worked. Mantiply retired the Pirates in order in the eighth and Ian Kennedy handled the ninth for his seventh save.

Pirates Sweep Brewers With Second Walk Victory in a Row

(AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Bryan Reynolds raced home on a wild pitch with one out in the 10th inning, lifting the Pittsburgh Pirates past the Milwaukee Brewers 5-4 to complete a three-game sweep. Reynolds tied it earlier in the inning when he hit a ground-rule double down the right-field line off Matt Bush (2-2). Reynolds moved to third on a fly to right field by Ke’Bryan Hayes and raced home when a pitch from Bush slipped by Brewers catcher Victor Caratini to give the Pirates their third comeback win over first-place Milwaukee in as many days.

Cardinals Acquire Veteran Lefty Quintana from Pirates

(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jose Quintana has parlayed his success in Pittsburgh into a job in St. Louis. The Pirates traded have the veteran left-handed pitcher to the Cardinals on in exchange for reliever Johan Oviedo and corner infield prospect Malcolm Nunez. The 33-year-old Quintana signed a one-year deal with the Pirates last fall intent on re-establishing himself as a starter after spending most of the last two seasons working out of the bullpen with multiple clubs. Quintana delivered, going 3-5 with a 3.50 ERA in 20 starts with Pittsburgh, including 5 2/3 shutout innings last week against Philadelphia.

John Perrotto Talks About The Pirates’ Changes & Chances In The Second Half Of The 2022 Season

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

Back in February, it almost looked as if there would be no MLB games in 2022. Now the season is halfway over.

At the halfway point, the Pittsburgh Pirates are 39-54 and sitting in third place in the NL’s Central Division. Beaver County freelance sportswriter John Perrotto joined Matt Drzik on the July 21 edition of A.M. Beaver County to talk about the Pirates’ second half of the season, along with how they got to this point with everything that happened in the first half of the 2022 season.

In Perrotto’s eyes, the strength of the Pirates so far this year is their offense. He noted that the Pirates had the fewest amount of home runs in the 2021 MLB season with 124–20 fewer than the 29th-best Diamondbacks (144), and that they have nearly matched that with 97 in the first half. But on the other hand: “I think where they fall short is pitching,” he countered. “I don’t think they still have enough quality starting pitching to be a contending team. The bullpen has been okay, the starting pitching needs work.”

The Pirates aren’t the only team struggling in Major League Baseball this season; twelve of the 40 teams sit below the .500 mark with eight of those twelve having yet to reach 40 wins in the first half. Perrotto points to the system of financial success as the main culprit: “Unless you really feel you can make the playoffs, there’s no incentive to even try and put a good team together because you gain more from losing than you do from being just okay,” he added. “That’s something that neither the players nor the owners fixed in the collective bargaining agreement that they signed in March.”

The Pirates open their second half hosting the Miami Marlins on Friday night (July 22) at PNC Park. Coverage begins on Beaver County Radio at 6:40, and first pitch is at 7:05.

To hear the full interview with John Perrotto, click on the play button below!

Pirates hit 4 Homers to beat Brewers 8-6, Win Series

(AP Photo/Morry Gash)
By TOM KERTSCHER Associated Press
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Touted rookie Oneil Cruz hit a tiebreaking homer in the sixth inning and Daniel Vogelbach added a three-run shot in the ninth to power the Pittsburgh Pirates to an 8-6 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. Michael Chavis and Ke’Bryan Hayes also went deep for the Pirates, who took two of three from the NL Central leaders. Andrew McCutchen had a two-run homer in the ninth for the Brewers. Chavis tied it 4-all with a leadoff homer in the sixth off losing pitcher Trevor Gott, who had just replaced starter Eric Lauer. Two outs later, the 6-foot-7 Cruz connected for his fourth home run of the season. Vogelbach made it 8-4 with his drive off Chi Chi González.

Chavis Stars with Bat, Defense, Pirates Edge Cubs in 10

(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
By WES CROSBY Associated Press
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Michael Chavis hit a tying home run in the eighth before pulling off a defensive gem and delivering a game-ending single in the 10th, sending the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Chicago Cubs 8-7. Chavis’ solo homer made it 7-all after the Cubs scored five times in the top of the eighth. In the 10th, Chavis charged a slow grounder by Jason Heyward toward first base and threw out Patrick Wisdom at the plate. The call stood after a Chicago challenge. In the bottom half, Chavis blooped a single to right and automatic runner Ke’Bryan Hayes scored in a collision with catcher Wilson Contreras. Hayes remained down for a few moments before walking off under his own power. Hayes homered earlier in the game.

Ohio nips Pennsylvania All Stars in a Classic

Penn Ohio Allstar football game turns into a classic with 50 pts scored in 2nd half. The first half Ohio scored touchdowns in the first and second quarter and looked to be in control of the game. But the Penn all stars had a lot to say in the 2nd half scoring 28 pts in the 2nd half and taking the lead by going for 2 with 3 mins 26 seconds left in the 4th to take the lead. But  Ohio marched down the field and scored with 23 seconds left on the clock to pull out the win, final score Ohio all stars 35 Penn all stars 28.

Steelers Add Veteran DL Ogunjobi with 1-year Contract

(File Photo)
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed veteran defensive end Larry Ogunjobi to a one-year deal. The signing shores up a position of need following Stephon Tuitt’s retirement earlier this month. The 28-year-old Ogunjobi spent last season with the Cincinnati Bengals. A tentative three-year agreement to play for the Chicago Bears was nullified when Ogunjobi failed a physical. He was recovering from foot surgery at the time of the signing. Ogunjobi played well last season for the Bengals, recording a career-high seven sacks. His arrival gives the Steelers another veteran to help shore up a run defense that finished dead last in the league in 2022.

Rookies Madris, Contreras lead Pirates to 7-1 Win over Cubs

(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
By JOHN PERROTTO Associated Press
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Bligh Madris hit his first major league home run and fellow rookie Roansy Contreras pitched five solid innings to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 7-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Madris connected in the sixth for a solo shot to right-center field off Mark Leiter Jr. to close the scoring. It came a day after Madris had three hits in his big league debut. Contreras allowed one run and four hits while striking out three and walking two. The Pirates won their third straight game and the Cubs lost for the 13th time in 15 games.

Goldschmidt, Carlson Homer, Cards send Pirates to 7th Straight Loss

(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
By STEVE OVERBEY Associated Press
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Paul Goldschmidt hit a tiebreaking homer in the seventh inning and Dylan Carlson added a three-run blast to help the St. Louis Cardinals rally past the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-5. Michael Chavis and Diego Castillo homered for Pittsburgh, which dropped its season-high seventh in a row. The Cardinals scored five times in the sixth inning to erase a 5-0 deficit. Brendan Donovan started the comeback with a two-run double. St. Louis has won six of seven against its NL Central rival this season. Chavis highlighted a four-run outburst in the fifth with a three-run homer that put the Pirates up 5-0.