The Pittsburgh Pirates led the Atlanta Braves 9-0 after two innings Tuesday night, but that lead was blown. Ultimately the Pirates prevailed 12-9, but there were not many style points that came in this win. As a fan of late night television, perhaps it is best to look at things from a Jimmy Fallon perspective and try to balance good from bad. This time there are no punchlines. Pro Twenty-one hits- It was a performance that proved to be a season-high on the offensive end of ... Read More
Archives for May 2016
Mauricio Vargas named to the USL Team of the Week
It’s been quite the week for Mauricio Vargas. The Pittsburgh Riverhounds goalkeeper made his first professional start in the USL for the Riverhounds against FC Cincinnati on Saturday. Although the team lost 1-0, Vargas had a stellar match, saving eight out of nine shots. Only Jimmy McLaughlin’s shot in the 27’ minute was able to make it past Vargas. Vargas’ eight saves were the most by a Riverhounds goalkeeper this season, and the most by a Riverhounds goalkeeper in the past three seasons. ... Read More
Column: Cervelli’s contract well worth it
Normally the Pittsburgh Pirates stick strong to its principles and one of those involves not discussing contract negotiations during the season. It can be a distraction to both player and team alike as each wants to focus on the season, so normally the off-season is when extensions are granted The Pirates already broke this rule once this season when they gave Gregory Polanco an extension and now have done so once more with Francisco Cervelli. This one was more than worth bending the ... Read More
Pirates extend Cervelli’s contract through 2019
Was Francisco Cervelli going to be the next Russell Martin? For a while, it looked that way, as there were no talks of an extension between the Pirates and Cervelli in his contract year. That all changed on Tuesday afternoon, as the Pirates announced they have agreed to terms with Cervelli on a three-year contract extension that would keep the fan-favorite catcher in the city through 2019. The deal is believed to be for $31 million, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports. Sources: ... Read More
Column: Hurdle’s advice motivates Pirates in win
There is always a saying Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle tells the media after games, and it certainly applied to Monday's 8-5 victories over the Atlanta Braves. "So what? Now what?" There was the classic debacle for a Pittsburgh sports fan about whether to watch this game or the Penguins-Lightning Eastern Conference game, and the Pirates attempted to make the decision easier. After three innings, the Pirates led 5-0, and the game appeared over. The Braves have won nine games ... Read More
Crosby’s overtime goal hands Pens Game 2 win
Monday night, the Pittsburgh Penguins faced off against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Penguins were able to tie the series 1-1 after a 3-2 overtime win. The first period started out hopeful for the Penguins after Matt Cullen and Phil Kessel scored the first two goals of the game, allowing the Penguins to lead 2-0. Later in the first period, however, the Lightning came back to tie the game, after Anton Stralman and Jonathon Drouin scored two goals, ... Read More
Penguins hope Lightning doesn’t strike twice
Pittsburgh Penguins In tonight's crucial game, goaltender Matt Murray will once again start over Marc-Andre Fleury, a choice that helped the Penguins win the last round against the Washington Capitals. In the most recent game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, however, Murray didn’t play his best, which showed in Pittsburgh’s 3-1 loss. Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby haven’t been on their scoring game this postseason, and the Penguins had many unnecessary turnovers and didn’t create many ... Read More
Cole, Kang shine in Pirates win
It was just less than two weeks ago that Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole had a start against the Chicago Cubs in which he did not get out of the fifth inning. The Pirates needed him to come through in a big way in order to avoid a sweep. This task became harder when Jon Lester was matching him pitch for pitch, but Cole was not going to let up. His eight-inning performance was one of the main keys to a 2-1 victory. Cole (4-3) had not thrown more than six innings this season, and ... Read More
Column: Simple mistakes cost Pirates
Jake Arrieta appeared mortal. At least that was the case early on, but a Josh Harrison grounder that appeared destined for a single ended that. Arrieta clearly was not pitching his best in the fourth inning and paid the price for it. In that fourth inning, Arrieta allowed two earned runs to the Pittsburgh Pirates for the first time since Sept. 13, 2013 and with Francisco Cervelli on third base after a wild pitch, seemed destined for a third run. That third run never came, and the ... Read More
Riverhounds fall to FC Cincinnati
Even with a change at goalkeeper, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds could not find their first win of the season against FC Cincinnati. In the first meeting between the two USL teams, Riverhounds head coach Mark Steffens elected to start Mauricio Vargas, the Costa Rican international, in goal over Hunter Gilstrap. Gilstrap dressed, but was on the bench for the entire match, as Vargas earned his first ever appearance and start for the Riverhounds. Vargas had a strong match, despite letting a goal ... Read More