This afternoon, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle confirmed that Juan Nicasio will be slotted in as Pittsburgh's fifth starter in the rotation. Nicasio, who signed with the Pirates on Dec. 10, has earned this right after coming off of impressive play in Spring Training. Rob Biertempfel of the Trib had the news first. Juan Nicasio will be in #pirates starting. rotation. Ryan Vogelsong to bullpen. — Rob Biertempfel (@BiertempfelTrib) March 30, 2016 The 29-year-old right hander came into ... Read More
Archives for March 2016
James Conner to throw out first pitch on Pirates’ Opening Day
It's been quite the year for Pitt running back James Conner, but he will get an honor on Sunday. Conner will throw out the ceremonial first pitch when the Pittsburgh Pirates open the Major League Baseball season by hosting the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park on Sunday. After suffering a knee injury that cost him his season in Pitt's first game of the season, Conner announced this past December he had been diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. “I'm honored and thrilled to throw out the first ... Read More
Kessel shootout goal completes comeback against Sabres
The Pittsburgh Penguins (42-25-8) found themselves down 3-0 against the Buffalo Sabres (31-35-10), but were able to climb out of a deep hole. Tom Kuhnhackl had two points (1 G, 1 A) and was the tying goal for Pittsburgh in the second period. Before tonight's game, in their last eight meetings Pittsburgh held a commanding 8-0 record with 33 goals and a 31.8 percent powerplay, compared to only nine goals and an 11.1 percent powerplay by Buffalo. The Penguins would end up roaring back and ... Read More
Pens Preview: Penguins look to finish month on high a note
Pittsburgh Penguins (42-25-8) The Penguins, who are coming off of a stellar over tie win against the New York Rangers, will have the Buffalo Sabres to deal with this evening in Pittsburgh. The Penguins need to prevent themselves from underestimating their competition and put together a solid win. With Matt Murray in-between the pipes for Pittsburgh this evening, the offense must be able to continue their dominance and find an early lead. "[Sitting often has] been a different challenge I ... Read More
Pirates trim roster to 35
The Pittsburgh Pirates made several moves Tuesday morning which bring the team closer to finding its major league roster. Infielder Jake Goebbert, pitcher Trey Haley and Rob Scahill were all sent to Triple-A Indianapolis while outfielders Danny Ortiz and Antoan Richardson in addition to pitchers Curtis Patsch and Robert Zarate each got reassigned to minor league camp. Goebbert was an early off-season signing who provided a left-handed bat with capabilities of playing first base and right ... Read More
Pitt commit Corey Manigault decommits
As expected, Pitt commit Corey Manigault became the second Panthers recruit to decommit after Pitt hired Kevin Stallings as its new head coach. Manigault follows point guard Justice Kithcart, who also asked for his release from his National Letters of Intent. Manigault, a 6-foot-8 power forward from Fairfax (VA) Paul VI, announced his decision on Twitter. Officially decided to reopen my recruitment — Wop (@CoreyDoeee) March 28, 2016 Maryland, Providence and Temple are among the ... Read More
What does Kevin Stallings bring to the table for Pitt?
Pitt fans have had a good 24 hours now to let the hiring of Kevin Stallings sink in and the opinion really hasn't changed as mostly the entire fan base views this as a terrible hire from athletic director Scott Barnes. But what exactly does Stallings bring to the table as a coach? While personally I am not thrilled with the hire, I'm not dead set against it either. Here's a few areas where Stallings will improve the Panthers in quick time. The biggest improvement will be at ... Read More
Kevin Stallings offers first scholarship; Justice Kithcart decommits
It didn't take long for new Pitt basketball coach Kevin Stallings to get to work. It also didn't take long for the first incoming player to jump ship. Stallings, who won't be introduced until Monday afternoon, has already offered his first scholarship. Stallings already has reached out to four-star 2017 point guard Aaron Thompson and offered him a scholarship. Thompson, who is a current teammate of 2016 Pitt signee, forward Corey Manigault, is ranked as a four-star prospect by Scout and ... Read More
Crosby’s overtime goal pulls Penguins closer to second place in Metropolitan Division
This evening the New York Rangers (43-24-8) hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins (41-25-8) in a battle that made the battle in the Eastern Conference and the Metropolitan Division that much more interesting. Eric Staal scored a pair of goals and were the Rangers' only two goals in their 3-2 loss against the Penguins. Pittsburgh drew even closer to the second place spot in their division with tonight's win and has made the race for the playoffs much more interesting. Marc-Andre Fleury has continued ... Read More
O’Flaherty traded to Braves
With Opening Day, a week away, the Pittsburgh Pirates elected to trade Eric O'Flaherty to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for cash considerations. The story was broken by Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports and confirmed by the Pirates. O'Flaherty is a left-handed relief pitcher who was in the conversation for a bullpen spot, though this trade translates into the fact that he would not have made the team. In 10 Spring Training games, O'Flaherty was 0-1 with a 2.89 ERA. This included allowing 15 hits ... Read More