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Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Central

Pirates stumble, but still hold advantage in wild card race

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A fielding blunder cost the Pittsburgh Pirates an important game in the middle of their playoff chase.Maikel Franco hit a tiebreaking single in the seventh inning, Freddy Galvis was a triple shy of the cycle and the Phillies beat the Pirates 4-3 on Tuesday night.The Phillies took a 1-0 lead in the first on Chase Utley's RBI single. Franco hit a popup to shallow right that fell for a double when second baseman Neil Walker couldn't see it in the lights.It ended up costing the Pirates, who entered the night with a 1 1/2-game lead over Atlanta and Milwaukee for the second ...

Liriano dominant in Pirates win over Phillies

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Francisco Liriano tossed eight dominant innings against Philadelphia. The only time the Phillies managed to score was in the ninth after Liriano's work was done.Liriano struck out a season-high 12, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Phillies 4-1 on Thursday night. He allowed only six baserunners.Pittsburgh won for the seventh time in eight games to strengthen their hold on the second wild-card spot in the National League. Ike Davis and Neil Walker broke out of slumps with RBI hits, and the Pirates scored three times in the sixth inning.Liriano (5-10) got rare run ...

Bucco magic set to continue

Time flies, doesn't it?Here we are, nearing mid-September, and it wouldn't be out of the question to start bringing those winter coats out of the attic. It dipped to the low-50s on Thursday night, after all.Heck, there's already a foot of snow up in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.But just a few days ago, it finally felt like summer was giving a last-ditch effort to bless us with warmth before the changing of the season.It certainly has been an inconsistent few months in the weather-realm. The same could be said for the Pittsburgh Pirates.It was chilly back on March 31 - opening day at PNC ...

Bucs stop Cubs

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Gerrit Cole has picked the right time to start winning - in the midst of a pennant race.Cole won consecutive starts for the first time since early June, National League batting leader Josh Harrison had three hits, and the surging Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 7-3 Friday night for their seventh win in eight games.Cole (9-5) improved to 5-0 against the Cubs, allowing three runs, five hits and one walk in six innings with six strikeouts. He also won at Wrigley Field last weekend.Cole's only other consecutive winning starts this year were April 4 and 10, and May ...

Pirates late rally falls short against Chicago

PITTSBURGH - Rookies Javier Baez and Matt Szczur homered, and the Chicago Cubs snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 6-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday night.Baez connected for a two-run shot in Chicago's three-run third, and Szczur hit a leadoff drive in the eighth for his first career homer. It was Baez's second homer in two nights and No. 9 on the season.Felix Doubront (2-1) pitched six scoreless innings for the Cubs in his third start since he was acquired in a trade with the Boston Red Sox.Russell Martin hit a three-run double in the eighth for Pittsburgh, which ...

Triple the fun

PITTSBURGH - A triple play helped the Pittsburgh Pirates maintain their 1-game lead for the NL's second wild card.Josh Harrison started Pittsburgh's first triple play at home in 21 years and hit a tying two-run double in a six-run fifth inning Sunday as the Pirates rallied past the Chicago Cubs 7-3."It was fun," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "You've got to pour some fun on everything you do, and we had more fun after the triple play."Edinson Volquez (12-7) improved to 4-0 in his last 10 starts for the Pirates, who have won eight of their last 10 games. Milwaukee kept pace with a 9-2 ...