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Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Central

Jordy Mercer hits grand slam, Pirates hold off Brewers 5-3

MILWAUKEE — Jordy Mercer’s first career grand slam capped a five-run sixth inning that started with two errors by Milwaukee third baseman Jonathan Villar, and the Pittsburgh Pirates held on for a 5-3 win on Friday night over the Brewers. Villar bobbled a bouncer by Andrew McCutchen to open the sixth, then threw wildly to second after making a diving stab on Gregory Polanco’s hard shot. Starling Marte followed with an RBI double off starter Matt Garza (4-6) to break a scoreless tie. Three batters later, Mercer cleared the bases with his homer to left-center. The Brewers ...

Bucs stop skid in Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE — Andrew McCutchen feels right at home in Miller Park. McCutchen hit a home run and a pair of RBI singles through the shift, including the tiebreaker in the 10th inning as the Pittsburgh Pirates stopped a nine-game skid in Milwaukee, beating the Brewers 3-2 Thursday night. He now has 44 RBIs in 56 career games at Miller Park, his highest total at any opposing park. “There’s no (surprise) elements here,” McCutchen said. “You get the same thing. You know what you are going to get. You know how the ball is going to look, regardless of the weather. There are really ...

Cole struggles again as Pirates fall to Astros and lose series

PITTSBURGH (AP) — After seeing rookie Jameson Taillon and newcomer Ivan Nova put together gems the previous two nights against the Houston Astros, the Pittsburgh Pirates hoped to get the same from Gerrit Cole. Pittsburgh’s struggling ace couldn’t deliver. Cole went just five innings and the Pirates fell to Houston 5-4 Wednesday, their fifth loss in six games. Cole (7-9) allowed five runs in five innings. He has a 6.07 ERA through five August starts. “I’ve been trying to look at approaches and maybe see how I can use my stuff better. I thought today there were some good ...

Jankowski steals home, Padres beat Bucs

PITTSBURGH  — Travis Jankowski and the San Diego Padres are turning the straight steal of home into a trademark this season. Edwin Jackson pitched two-hit ball over seven innings, Travis Jankowski capped the scoring by stealing home and the Padres beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-0 on ...

McCutchen homers to spark 6-5 comeback win over the Giants

SAN FRANCISCO — The way things are going for the Pittsburgh Pirates these days, even when they dig themselves into a hole there’s still hope. “You start winning a few games, regardless of what the score is, if it’s early we know we’ve got a chance to make something happen,” ...

Yelich hits early homer as Marlins sweep Pirates

PITTSBURGH — Jose Urena’s start Sunday had little resemblance to his previous outing. Urena allowed two runs and four hits in six innings, and the Miami Marlins rallied past the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 to complete a three-game sweep. Christian Yelich homered in the first inning and Miami added a pair of unearned runs in sweeping a series for the sixth time this season. Urena (2-4) bounced back after allowing a five-run first inning at Cincinnati on Tuesday. “This is a different game and a different day, too,” the 24-year-old right-hander said. “You’re going to face ...