Duke throws CG, 4-hit shutout in 7-0 win

In front of a sell out crowd, Zach Duke threw a four hit, complete game shutout leading the Pittsburgh Pirates (4-3) to a 7-0 victory over the Houston Astros (1-6), Monday afternoon at PNC Park. Duke (2-0) is off to a strong start after a 5-14 season in 2008 and credits pitching coach Joe Kerrigan for the turnaround. Duke’s complete game shutout was the first by a Pirates pitcher in a home opener since 1978 While Duke dominated on the pitchers mound, Freddy Sanchez had three doubles, starting a five run third inning for the Pirates. Adam LaRoche who is notoriously a slow starter in April had three hits including a two run homer in the third inning to give

Sanchez, Duke lead Pirates to 7-4 win

Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson combined for 8 hits and pitcher Zach Duke went 6 1/3 innings, allowing three runs as the Pittsburgh Pirates (2-1) beat the St. Louis Cardinals (1-2) 7-4 Wednesday night at Bush Stadium. Duke, (5-14) last season, showed strong command throughout the evening to record his first career win at Bush Stadium and his first victory over the Cardinals since a complete game on Aug. 11, 2006, at home. Duke struck out four, walked two and scattered five hits on the night. Freddy Sanchez led the Pirates hit parade going 4-for-5 for his third straight multi-hit game on the season. Sanchez is batting .571 on the season and is at 100% health for the first time

Pirates rally in the 9th inning; beat Cards 6-4

Jack Wilson’s three run double with two outs in the ninth inning capped off a four run inning as the Pirates rallied to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-4 Monday evening. The Pirates got a strong pitching performance from starter Paul Maholm who pitched 6 2/3 innings allowing two runs and striking out one. Tied at 2-2 in the eighth inning, Ryan Ludwick hit a leadoff homer in the eighth inning off Tyler Yates, and David Freese added a sacrifice fly off John Grabow to give the Cardinals a 4-2 lead going into the top of the ninth. The Cardinals sent rookie closer Jason Motte to the mound in the ninth inning and new year, same problem for the Cardinals

The Latest Pirates Buzz

Pirates targeting Niemann, inquire about Hammel The Pirates continue to “kick the tires” on Rays pitcher Jeff Niemann. They are currently waiting for the asking price to drop. The Rays are asking for an infield prospect along with prospect Robbie Grossman. The Pirates have no interest in moving Grossman. The Rays are looking at Pirates prospects from the Double-A level down. The Pirates have had significant interest in Niemann since last summer’s trade deadline when the Rays offered Niemann and a lower tier prospect for Jason Bay. The 6-foot-9 Niemann went 2-2 with a 5.06 ERA in five games, two starts last season. Niemann, 26, was the Rays‚Äô first-round pick in the 2004, the fourth overall selection, and he is

MLB Insider: Hermida & Young on Pirates radar?

The market for Jack Wilson is strong and six teams have expressed interest but that number will get smaller once free agency begins. The top two shortstops on the market will be Orlando Cabrera and Rafael Furcal. Once those two are off the board, it will become apparent where Wilson could end up. Check the MLB Chart for the list of teams. Cleveland is among four teams to express interest in Freddy Sanchez The New York Mets are a potential landing spot for John Grabow