Blogs

After today’s 5-2 victory against the Mets, the Pirates put utilityman Doug Mientkiewicz on the bereavement list and called up outfielder Nyjer Morgan from Triple-A Indianapolis. Mientkiewicz, who is attending to a family matter, might rejoin the team this weekend in Milwaukee. Outfielder Chris Duffy took Morgan’s spot on Indy’s roster. In 26 games with [...]

Discussions continue in manager John Russell’s office about when — not if — to bring up Tom Gorzelanny and Ross Ohlendorf from Triple-A. Russell and pitching coach Jeff Andrews are offering their input to GM Neal Huntington. When those guys are called up, the Pirates will have to figure out how to get them into [...]

The Pirates’ crew of walking wounded converged in the clubhouse at PNC Park this morning. Closer Matt Capps (shoulder bursitis) checked in, on his way to Double-A Altoona to continue his rehab assignment. Capps will pitch Wednesday and throw a bullpen session Thursday, then be activated off the disabled list Friday. “I feel real good,” [...]

Left fielder Brandon Moss left this afternoon’s game against the New York Mets in the bottom of the seventh inning with a badly sprained left ankle. Moss caught his cleat as he tried to run out of the batter’s box after hitting a grounder. His ankle was bent at an odd angle as he tried [...]

According to GM Neal Huntington, the Pirates would have signed second-round pick Tanner Scheppers if the money would have been right. Scheppers, a right-handed pitcher, sustained a shoulder injury last spring while pitching for Fresno State. Surgery was not necessary, but Scheppers was not at full strength — “75 to 80 percent,” in Huntington’s estimation [...]

Scott Boras blinked. Yes, the Pirates had to go way above slot to sign first-round draft pick Pedro Alvarez. But they got the slugger for a $6 million bonus, but they got the deal done for the same money given to No. 3 Eric Hosmer and $200,000 less than what No. 5 Buster Posey got. [...]

With less than eight hours to go before the deadline to sign draft picks, the Pirates this afternoon came to terms with right-hander Robert Miller, their 20th-round pick. Miller, 18, got a $900,000 signing bonus — nearly as much as the combined bonuses for the Pirates’ third-, fourth- and fifth-round picks. It’s also almost $100,000 [...]

The Pirates will announce later this afternoon the signing of their sixth-round pick from 2008, outfielder Robbie Grossman of Cy-Fair High School in Cypress, Texas. Grossman, a prep All-American, is considered a high-end prospect who had a full scholarship to the University of Texas. Grossman, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound switch-hitter, batted .420 as a junior and [...]

The LaRoche brothers will play as teammates for the first time tonight when the Pirates play host to the Reds (53-68) at 7:05 p.m. at PNC Park. First baseman Adam LaRoche, activated from the 15-day disabled list before the game, will bat clean-up. His younger brother of four years, third baseman Andy LaRoche, will bat [...]

Freddy Sanchez returns to the lineup tonight after missing the past two games with discomfort in his right shoulder. The second baseman will bat leadoff as the Pirates meet former teammate Josh Fogg (2-4, 7.98 ERA) at 7:05 p.m. at PNC Park. Paul Maholm (7-7, 3.76 ERA), who has pitched at least six innings in [...]