'We trust the kid': Even without best stuff, Jones keeps Cubs at bay
CHICAGO -- Jared Jones didn’t catch much of what Yasmani Grandal was telling him in the sixth inning at Wrigley Field on Thursday night. His fastball wasn’t playing like it normally was, so he was leaning heavily on his slider. The veteran catcher didn’t like how the pitch was looking
All you need to know for Skenes' encore today, FREE on MLB.TV
CHICAGO -- Paul Skenes made his first Major League start on Saturday, perhaps the most anticipated debut for a pitching prospect in Pirates history. So what’s on deck for his second start? Skenes will be facing the Cubs again, but this time it will be held at the historic Wrigley
Injuries & Moves: Contreras traded to Angels
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3 takeaways about Skenes' stuff from his debut
If Paul Skenes' big league debut last weekend was any indication -- the seven strikeouts in four innings, the triple-digit heat, the wipeout secondary pitches -- there are some dominant games in the tank for baseball's top pitching prospect. The Pirates' 21-year-old right-hander makes start No. 2 on Friday at
Get all that MLB.TV has to offer for half the price
You can follow your favorite players and teams on MLB.TV for just HALF the price. During the MLB.TV May Limited Time Only Sale, the All Teams Yearly package, allowing subscribers to stream every out-of-market game live or on demand, is available for just $69.99, while the Single Team package will
Get to know MLB No. 1 pitching prospect Paul Skenes
Paul Skenes' Major League debut, which came less than a year after he was selected first overall by the Pirates in the 2023 Draft, showcased why he is the top pitching prospect in baseball. The right-hander used his triple-digit fastball, mid-80s slider and electric splinker to strike out seven Cubs
Mock draft: Big college bats stir things up at the top
With the 2024 Draft still two months away, there's not much hard intel on who's going where in the first round. That picture will become clearer as college and high school players start wrapping up their seasons in the next few weeks, and teams conduct interviews and get medical information
Pirates trade Contreras to Angels for cash
The Angels have made a change in their bullpen, acquiring right-hander Roansy Contreras from the Pirates for cash considerations. Contreras appeared in 12 games for Pittsburgh this season, allowing eight earned runs and eight walks over 16 1/3 innings while striking out 16. He will fill the spot on the
'Everything was off': Pérez stung by homers in rough start
MILWAUKEE – It’s a start Martín Pérez would just as soon forget. The veteran lefty took the mound against the Brewers at American Family Field Wednesday afternoon having pitched effectively away from PNC Park this season. In four prior road starts, Pérez had given up just six runs in 22
How Cruz, other Pirates rank in Statcast tools
This story was excerpted from Alex Stumpf’s Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Surprise! One encouraging prospect-related development for each team
Six weeks into the Minor League season, we have witnessed plenty of pleasant prospect developments. Athletics 2023 first-rounder Jacob Wilson is batting a sizzling .438 and already has reached Triple-A. Mets right-hander Jonah Tong has been a revelation with elite fastball characteristics and a Minors-best 0.33 ERA. As one Chourio
Priester trusts process, finds groove after rough frame
MILWAUKEE – Pirates right-hander Quinn Priester got some run support for the first time while on the mound in any of his starts this season, but an otherwise stellar outing on Tuesday night was undone by a rough second inning in which he was tagged for six hits and four
Reynolds' career-high 5 hits lead resurgent Bucs offense
MILWAUKEE -- Bryan Reynolds’ career night at the plate breathed much-needed life into a scuffling Pirates offense on Monday night against the Brewers in Milwaukee. Reynolds went 5-for-5 with a homer, two doubles and a pair of singles to lead the Pirates past the Brewers, 8-6. The first career five-hit
Familiar foe strikes Pirates again despite Cruz's best efforts
PITTSBURGH -- A year ago, the Pirates and Cubs were both 73-76 in games they did not play against one another. The difference in their two seasons, in which the Pirates finished 10 games under .500 and the Cubs nearly made the postseason, was head-to-head play, where the Cubs won
A splinker? Skenes' hybrid pitch may be his most electric
PITTSBURGH -- When rehabbing with Triple-A Indianapolis last month, Yasmani Grandal got a chance to catch Paul Skenes and see his stuff first-hand. Much has been written about the right-handed phenom’s triple-digit fastball and wipeout slider, the two pitches he rode to the heights of the College World Series with
How to watch Roku MLB Sunday Leadoff FREE
There is a new place to watch free baseball every Sunday this season. Catch your favorite MLB action with Roku MLB Sunday Leadoff, streaming free on The Roku Channel every Sunday morning.
Who takes the hardest swings on each MLB team?
The Statcast era of baseball research has reached another milestone: bat speed is live on Baseball Savant. You can check out this page for more thorough details on what bat speed entails and how it’s calculated. But in the meantime, we’re kicking things off by breaking down the best of
Skenes strikes out 7, tops 100 mph 17 times in MLB debut
PITTSBURGH -- As if it were scripted, the rain clouds parted and the sun snuck through to the North Shore of Pittsburgh as Paul Skenes walked out of the dugout to go to his pregame bullpen Saturday. The fans who were already seated 40 minutes before first pitch gave him
Here's the freshly updated Top 100 Prospects list
Break out the caps and gowns. It’s time for a whole bunch of graduations and an updated Top 100 Prospects list. Young players who began the 2024 season on a Major League Opening Day roster with zero MLB service time exhausted their prospect status Sunday by way of the 45-day
Top moments from Skenes' historic debut
A little over 10 months removed from being selected first overall in the 2023 MLB Draft, flamethrowing right-hander Paul Skenes made his highly anticipated MLB debut, striking out seven across four-plus innings in the Pirates' 10-9 win over the Cubs on Saturday at PNC Park.
- Why the Pirates believe
Livvy Dunne chimes in on boyfriend Paul Skenes' MLB debut
Paul Skenes is the reigning No. 1 MLB Draft pick, the Most Outstanding Player in last year’s College World Series, MLB's top pitching prospect, and he ate up Triple-A hitters all spring with his electric stuff. For good reason, his arrival in the Major Leagues with the Pirates was highly
Leadoff hitter in Skenes and Strasburg debuts? The same former MVP
The anticipation and hype surrounding Paul Skenes’ Major League debut has been so reminiscent to that which followed Stephen Strasburg when he, too, made his debut just under a year after being selected first overall in the 2009 Draft. But the two dates have even more in common, something that
Why the Pirates believe now is the right time for Skenes
PITTSBURGH -- Ultimately, the decision to call up Paul Skenes was two-fold, the first being that the things he was working on with Triple-A Indianapolis -- such as certain pitch executions and use of pitches -- had been satisfied. The second, and more important in general manager Ben Cherington’s eyes,