MILWAUKEE -- Carmen Mlodzinski was desperate. This was December 2023, following his first season in the Major Leagues. Mlodzinski had decided to spend the winter in Hawaii and needed a throwing partner. So the Pirates pitcher Googled professional baseball players in the area. With a curious mind and a desire

MILWAUKEE — General manager Ben Cherington said Monday the Pirates were excited to add to this year’s team because they believe, with the right moves, a push into October is possible. There’s ample work ahead to fulfill those expectations — and what occurred this week in Milwaukee needs to serve

MILWAUKEE -- Twenty-four hours and a few big moves later, not much changed for the Pirates. Once again they struggled against Brewers pitching, this time against arch nemesis Kyle Harrison, as they dropped another 4-2 decision to Milwaukee at American Family Field, unable to rally behind Paul Skenes. Earlier in

MILWAUKEE -- The Pirates waited as long as they could. But when Marcell Ozuna’s bat didn’t come around, despite a hefty price tag, they had to move on, releasing the designated hitter Wednesday and ending a frustrating season after the designated hitter never got on track in Pittsburgh. Added this

MILWAUKEE -- The talk around the Pirates following Monday’s Trade Deadline focused entirely on pitching. But Spencer Horwitz made a salient point when discussing the additions. "They’re only going to help us,” Horwitz said. “We know our offense has been great at times, but it’s been scuffling recently. So we

MILWAUKEE -- When Don Kelly entered the visitors’ clubhouse at American Family Field on Tuesday, the Pirates' manager could sense that something was different. An excitement in the air. Fresh perspective. Oh, and a drastically different bullpen, complete with the three relievers Pittsburgh added Monday at the Trade Deadline. “The

MILWAUKEE — Selling wasn’t an option. Although the Pirates didn’t exactly arrive at Monday’s MLB Trade Deadline on a heater, there’s enough belief in this group throughout the organization that their direction was simple. The expectation remains reaching the postseason. And this team — with the right reinforcements added —

MILWAUKEE — Following all the hustle and bustle of the MLB Trade Deadline, the Pirates still had a game to play. Ironically enough, it came down to the exact area general manager Ben Cherington addressed just hours earlier: the bullpen. While reinforcements won't arrive until Tuesday, the current iteration of

MILWAUKEE -- The Pirates’ starting rotation has remained remarkably healthy this season. That changed Monday, as they announced Mitch Keller will be out for the season with a teres major muscle injury in his right shoulder. Keller won’t throw for six to eight weeks, preventing a possible return. The teres

MILWAUKEE -- Concern over the bullpen has followed the Pirates this season. It also defined what they did at the MLB Trade Deadline, addressing that group aggressively because postseason baseball remains the goal. One general manager Ben Cherington believes Pittsburgh took important steps toward reaching Monday as they added Luke

MILWAUKEE — A magical July for Esmerlyn Valdez made the Pirates right fielder’s first MLB award appear, as he was named the National League’s Rookie of the Month on Monday. Valdez led all rookies in home runs (eight), total bases (54), slugging percentage (.587) and extra-base hits (14) in the

CINCINNATI — The past two starts represented modest-yet-important progress for Mitch Keller. What happened Sunday in Cincinnati was unquestionably a step in the wrong direction. Keller recorded just six outs in the series finale at Great American Ball Park and allowed seven earned runs during a 10-2 Pirates loss. The

CINCINNATI — As Camilo Doval spoke for the first time as a Pirate Sunday morning at Great American Ball Park, there was plenty of laughter in the corner of the clubhouse between Gregory Soto, Yohan Ramirez and others. That's not quite Doval's personality — he's much more reserved — but

CINCINNATI -- Two days before Monday’s MLB Trade Deadline, the Pirates made the first of what could be several moves to address the bullpen and other key areas for the stretch run, acquiring right-hander reliever Camilo Doval for a pair of prospects on Saturday. Those two are catcher Omar Alfonzo

CINCINNATI — As he prepared for his first professional hacks earlier this week at PNC Park, Derek Curiel chatted with home clubhouse manager Kiere Bulls, who asked what the No. 5 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft needed for batting practice. When the conversation concluded, Curiel rejoined his tour

CINCINNATI — The silence in the visitors’ clubhouse at Great American Ball Park Friday night spoke volumes. There was obviously frustration over another loss, Pittsburgh’s fourth straight, this one by an 8-7 score to the Reds. The key play was one they absolutely should have made, and Brandon Lowe and

CINCINNATI — Comb through the Pirates’ 3-2 loss to the Reds on Thursday at Great American Ball Park, and you’ll find plenty of storylines. Some were encouraging. Others not so much. Yohan Ramirez, Hunter Barco and Noah Murdock combined to give the Pirates seven innings of two-run ball. Nick Gonzales

CINCINNATI — Jake Mangum knows a sideways look or awkward conversation could be coming. When the Pirates return to Great American Ball Park on Thursday, it’s technically the scene of the crime — theft. Or Mangum asking a visiting clubhouse attendant for a traffic cone ... and then the team

Twenty-four hours earlier, Brandon Lowe stood in the same spot and described one of the unfortunate realities of baseball, especially when the stakes are raised. “Baseball’s a very interesting game,” Lowe said. “It can humble the crap out of you. I say this all the time. It’s the only game

Brandon Lowe knows the look and feel of winning baseball, the need for resilience, the execution, how it energizes the crowd. The Pirates second baseman also believes this team has what it takes to reach that step of the journey and succeed. Which is why the focus for him this

When Josh Harrison returned to PNC Park last month — his first time back since 2023 — the Pirates fan favorite tried to stay low-key. It didn’t work. Harrison bounced from conversation to conversation, only catching glimpses of the game, but there was one interaction that stood out more than

The external competition was obvious. After two losses to open their biggest homestand in a decade, in the thick of a playoff race, the Pirates needed to salvage a game Sunday against the Cubs. They accomplished that goal with an 8-7 victory at PNC Park, but there was an internal

Jay Johnson has won two NCAA national championships as the head coach of LSU's baseball program, but he described Saturday as "one of the coolest nights of my coaching career." That's because instead of winning games and titles -- a big part of the past five years for Johnson at

Given how much time he’s missed over the past few seasons, pretty much the last place Endy Rodríguez wants to be is on a rehab assignment. But the Pirates catcher remains upbeat, especially considering the injury that knocked him out of the lineup has subsided. “I feel pretty good,” Rodríguez

NEW YORK — The length of a baseball season allows for many different types of days. There are doubleheaders, which the Pirates can’t seem to avoid, plus getaway days, rain delays, slogs and quick games. One Yohan Ramirez has yet to experience: a bad day. The Pirates reliever might be