Early offense leads Bucs over Dodgers

July 24, 2014

PITTSBURGH - Clint Hurdle isn't sure the Pittsburgh Pirates need an ace to make it to the postseason for the second straight year.Of course, he's not going to complain if his enigmatic and injury-plagued staff finally develops one. Particularly if it's Francisco Liriano.Showing flashes of the form that helped him win 16 games during a resurgent 2013, Liriano handcuffed the Los Angeles Dodgers for seven innings in a 6-1 victory on Wednesday night.Liriano (2-7) overcame his typical early game jitters to allow one run on four hits and pick his first regular-season win at PNC Park in 11 ...

Rockies whip Pirates again

July 27, 2014

DENVER (AP) - Nolan Arenado bounced back from a benching with three hits, including a home run, and the Colorado Rockies beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-1 on Saturday night.Tyler Matzek pitched three-hit ball over seven scoreless innings. Drew Stubbs and Corey Dickerson also homered for the Rockies, who have won three straight.Ike Davis denied Colorado its first shutout at Coors Field this season with a one-out homer in the ninth.It was a bounce-back performance for Arenado, removed from Friday's game when he didn't hustle down the line on a grounder to the pitcher in the fourth ...

Harrison’s 4 hits leads Pirates past Rockies, 7-5

July 28, 2014

DENVER - Josh Harrison proved that last month's escape in a rundown was no fluke. He also helped the Pittsburgh Pirates avoid another sweep at Coors Field.Harrison had four hits, including a tiebreaking homer, to help the Pirates beat the Colorado Rockies 7-5 on Sunday.Gregory Polanco and Travis Snider also went deep for the Pirates, who avoided being swept in Colorado for the second straight season.Harrison was a big part of avoiding a third straight loss. He homered on the first pitch of the eighth to break a tie, but his work on the basepaths in the sixth was nearly a carbon copy of a ...

Goose eggs

July 29, 2014

SAN FRANCISCO - Except for about 30 friends and family in the stands, Sacramento native Vance Worley silenced the announced crowd of 41,794 at AT&T Park with the best performance of his career.Worley tossed a four-hitter for his first shutout, and the Pittsburgh Pirates pounded Madison Bumgarner early in a 5-0 win over the struggling Giants on Monday night."Just glad I gave them something fun to watch," said Worley, who didn't grow up a Giants fan but heard "a lot of lip" from friends after coming up in the Phillies organization.Worley sure seems to bring his best against San ...

Liriano fans 11 in Bucs’ 3-1 win

July 30, 2014

SAN FRANCISCO - His left oblique no longer a painful obstacle, Francisco Liriano is starting to look like the dominant pitcher he was for Pittsburgh in 2013.With the Pirates in the thick of the race in the NL Central, the timing couldn't be better.Liriano struck out a season-high 11 in seven innings to win consecutive starts for the first time this season and Pittsburgh beat the San Francisco Giants 3-1 on Tuesday night."I was just trying to hit my spots, make some good pitches," said Liriano, who last won consecutive starts nearly a year ago. "My last start and tonight, everything's ...

Bucco Blunder: Pirates fail to sweep Giants

July 31, 2014

SAN FRANCISCO - Jean Machi and the San Francisco Giants ended their six-game losing streak in the most wacky way. They don't care how it happened, any break is welcome these days.A timely, heads-up glance by Machi helped San Francisco take advantage of a huge baserunning blunder by Pittsburgh, and the Giants tagged out of two runners who wandered away on the same play to beat the Pirates 7-5 Wednesday."Just like we drew it up, right?" second baseman Joe Panik quipped. "We got lucky with that one. Everything happened so quick. Almost like Little League, a rundown, playing a game of ...