Pirates' pitching trio moving forward

Charlie Morton, Jeff Karstens and James McDonald are in various stages of recovery from injuries, but they were all moving in the right direction Wednesday to help a solid Pirates pitching staff.

Pirates to support Penguins in road stretch

Gaby Sanchez is not among the Pirates who follow the Penguins closely, but he will support Pittsburgh's NHL franchise when the Pirates wear Penguins jersey in the coming road stretch.

All joking aside (not really), Bucs have chemistry

The consensus in the Pirates' clubhouse this season is that the players genuinely get along and enjoy one another's company. And they love to play practical jokes.

Snider's pinch-hit grand slam lifts Bucs over Cubs

Travis Snider hit a two-out, pinch-hit grand slam in the sixth inning to give the Pirates a 5-4 victory over the Cubs at PNC Park Tuesday.

Former pitcher Tekulve, scout Guzik to rep Bucs at Draft

The Pirates will be represented on the first day of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft by former pitcher Kent Tekulve, who had 70 wins and 158 saves with the Bucs from 1974-1985, and pro scout Rob Guzik.

Hughes sent to Triple-A; Contreras activated

Jared Hughes had his locker cleared and his bags packed just two and a half days after he arrived in Pittsburgh. He barely got to settle in before he was right back out the door, as Jose Contreras was activated from the bereavement list.

Okla. native Mercer sends thoughts to tornado victims

Jordy Mercer didn't have any family or friends directly affected by a fatal tornado that ravaged part of Oklahoma City and its suburbs on Monday. But Mercer is sending plenty of prayers that way.

McCutchen back in lineup after knee soreness

Andrew McCutchen started Tuesday night after sitting Sunday with soreness in his right knee.

Pirates showing organization is on the rise

Slowly but surely, things have begun to turn around under the guidance of general manager Neal Huntington, and the Pirates' farm system is now ranked seventh in baseball.

Solo shot all Locke needs as Pirates top Astros

Jeff Locke added seven dominant innings to his growing trail in the Pirates' series-clinching 1-0 victory over the Astros at PNC Park on Sunday afternoon.

McCutchen has no structural damage in sore knee

Starling Marte was due to miss his second start of the season, left out of the Pirates' original lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Astros. Instead, Andrew McCutchen missed his second start, scratched with a sore right knee.

Hurdle ejected after close play at the plate

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle was ejected from Saturday night's 4-2 loss against the Astros after Houston took a 3-2 lead in the top of the 11th inning.

Pirates fall in 11th after bullpen has rare misstep

Jason Castro scored from third base on Matt Dominguez's grounder with one out in the 11th inning, a controversial run that snapped a 2-2 tie and sent the Astros to a 4-2 victory over the Bucs.

Pirates hold ceremony for Honorary Bat Girl

The Pirates held a pregame ceremony on Saturday for Maria Heddleston, their winner of MLB's Honorary Bat Girl Contest.

Opposite-field hit may be good sign for McCutchen

Center fielder Andrew McCutchen singled to the opposite field in Friday's ninth inning. It was just his fifth hit to the right half of the outfield at PNC Park this season.

Persistent Pirates benefit from unexpected mishap

Given a chance to reflect on Friday night's victory on a walk-off popup, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle was pretty sure of two things: (a) It was the type of game his 2011 and '12 Bucs would not have found a way to win and (b) tape of the finish makes a pretty good instructional video for players and staff in the team's Minor League system.

Hughes returns to Pirates with improved delivery

Reliever Jared Hughes and his improved delivery were at the ready in the Bucs' bullpen Saturday night.

Hughes recalled from Triple-A to replace Contreras

Righty Jose Contreras suffered a death in his family and left PNC Park before the game against the Houston Astros. The move returns righty Jared Hughes to the bullpen in which he was such a big part during his rookie season in 2012.

Pirates beneficiaries from error of Astros' ways

All the stars aligned in the proper order, and in the end there was Russell Martin clanging a second error off the Houston right fielder's glove for a 5-4 Pirates victory on Friday at PNC Park.

Pirates' pitchers racking up strikeouts

Three years after they ranked last in the National League in strikeouts, the Pirates (330 entering Friday) are on the verge of overtaking the Reds (334) for the league lead. In the first quarter of this season, the staff has already had nearly as many games with strikeouts in double-figures (15) as it had in all of 2010 (16).

Pirates welcome former division rival to town

Clint Hurdle, like any manager would, said that his Pirates will take the same approach against the Astros as they would against anyone else. But he admitted the familiarity with Houston makes things a little easier.

Gomez making most of his opportunity to start

The Pirates made righty Jeanmar Gomez a long reliever to begin 2013, and he surrendered only four runs in 13 2/3 innings during five appearances. But Gomez has gotten the opportunity to start three games in the last few months, and cashed in on that chance.

Snider's three-hit night backs Liriano's strong start

Travis Snider hit a two-run, fifth-inning rocket over the right-center-field wall to back starter Francisco Liriano, and it was all the offense that the Pirates would need in a 7-1 win over the Brewers Thursday night at PNC Park.

Bucs' bullpen living up to 'Shark Tank' nickname

Opponents have something to fear in the Pirates' bullpen, and its nickname seems to fit the bill. Setup man Mark Melancon dubbed the team's group of relievers the "Shark Tank" on Twitter earlier this season, and it has been as deadly as its moniker.

Hurdle hails Martin's tremendous defensive play

A relatively mundane, inconsequential and totally overlooked play by Russell Martin in the Pirates' Wednesday night victory was hailed by multiple team veterans as one of the best they had ever witnessed.

Hurdle gratified with Bucs' attitude, effort, direction

Prior to the start of Thursday's game against Milwaukee, manager Clint Hurdle talked glowingly of the team's 40-game performance.

Wandy outlasts Gallardo as Bucs top Brewers

Wandy Rodriguez stuck to Yovani Gallardo long enough for the Bucs to get enough of an upper hand for a 3-1 victory over Milwaukee at PNC Park.

McCutchen's slump-busting strategy: Just keep hitting

It is only the middle of May, but Andrew McCutchen has already weathered two long slumps this young season. In late April, he went through a career-long 1-for-28 drought, and he dealt more recently with a 2-for-19 drag.

Mercer's quick return comes vs. Gallardo

On Wednesday, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle sat Pedro Alvarez and Clint Barmes, who took a seat in favor of Jordy Mercer.

For now, Hurdle OK with lefty-heavy rotation

Francisco Liriano will start Thursday's finale of the four-game series against the Brewers, marking the second straight time the Bucs will have the three lefties -- including Jeff Locke and Wandy Rodriguez -- follow one another to the mound.