Pittsburgh Pirates

Pirates third baseman Jung Ho Kang who has not played in the Majors since the 2016 season, has been granted a work-visa to re-enter the United States. Kang, 31, will report to Bradenton and remains on the restricted list, per the Pirates. STATEMENT FROM PIRATES PRESIDENT FRANK COONELLY “After a lengthy process, we are pleased that Jung Ho has been allowed to re-enter the United States. We are encouraged by the steps that Jung Ho has taken to date and are hopeful that having the game he loves taken away from him for more than a year has driven home the reality that he must make better life decisions as we move forward together. As we have communicated to him throughout the process, we will work to provide Jung Ho with the resources and support necessary for him to meet the high expectations that we have for him as aRead More »

Pirates 7 – Marlins 3 GAME LEADERS Starling Marte | 5-5, HR, RBI, 4 R Josh Bell | 3-5, 3 RBI, R Corey Dickerson | 2-4, 2 RBI Francisco Cervelli | 1-3, RBI Ivan Nova | 6.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 9 K The Pittsburgh Pirates took 2 of 3 from the Miami Marlins to improve to 11-4 at the 15 game mark. What the Pirates continue to do is beat teams they should if they want to have a respectable season and they’ve been exceptional on the road, now 7-2 away from PNC Park. Starling Marte had a monster game with a home run and 5 hits. Josh Bell drove in 3 runs, while Corey Dickerson had 2 RBIs. Marte’s huge day spiked his batting average .64 points. Starter Ivan Nova allowed 3 runs in 6 2/3 innings, striking out 9.

Pirates 5 – Reds 0 W: J.Taillon (2-0) L: T. Mahle (1-1) Jameson Taillon (2-0, 1.26 ERA) was dealing Sunday afternoon vs the Reds (2-6) in throwing a 1-hit complete game shutout in a Pirates (7-2) 5-0 win at PNC Park. Taillon who threw 110 pitches in nine innings, struck out 7 and walked 2 in a dominant outing.Taillon also went 1-3 at the plate and drove in a run. Like the opener and even more so today, Taillon was dialed in and improving to 2-0 on the season, Taillon has a K/BB ratio of 16/2. The Pirates have to be thrilled with Taillon looking everything of an ‘ace’ thus far. Gregory Polanco continues to be red-hot, hitting a 2-run homer in the 5th inning for his 3rd homer of the season and picking up RBIs 12, 13 on the season. Josh Harrison was 2-3 with a walk and isRead More »

The Pittsburgh Pirates today acquired outfielder Bryce Brentz from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for cash considerations, the team announced. The right handed hitting Brentz was selected by the Red Sox 36th overall in the 2010 draft. Brent spent the entire 2017 season with Triple-A Pawtucket, where he hit .271 with 31 home runs and 85 RBI in 120 games. Brentz 31 home runs ranked fifth in all of minor league baseball in 2017. He has appeared in 28 career Major League games (.287-1HR-9RBI), none since the 2016 season.

A year and a half ago pitcher Drew Hutchison was called by Pirates GM Neal Huntington as being a “very nice complement to Gerrit Cole” for the present and future. Hutchison for now will be a nice piece for the Philadelphia Phillies to throw batting practice this spring. Hutchison, 27, who elected free agency in October, is out of the Pirates organization and today inked a minor league contract with the Phillies. For the Pirates, the Francisco Liriano trade that also included OF Harold Ramirez, catcher Reese McGuire going to Toronto, didn’t exactly pan out for the organization despite the Pirates believing they had something in Hutchison. Huntington on Hutchison (July 31, 2016): “Our scouts have liked him a lot in the past; we believe his surface numbers are not reflective of the potential,” Huntington said. “We’ve got multiple years of contribution from Drew. He’s a very nice complement toRead More »