PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates waited out several thunderstorms during their home matchup against the San Deigo Padres at PNC Park. During the rain, the announcement came more than once that the game would resume and then later be delayed again. Two hours and 40 minutes later, play resumed, but during the break, outfielder Andrew McCutchen shared his own update.

Tweeting from the locker room, McCutchen said he didn’t know what was happening during the delay.

The game would eventually resume after several hours of clearing the warning track and surrounding areas. Despite their playoff push, the Pirates fell to San Diego 6-0 after a disasterous return to play. Giving up four runs in the fifth inning between pitchers Jake Woodford and Kyle Nicolas, Pittsburgh never gained momentum and ended their late night with a loss.

McCutchen finished with one hit on three at bats and a .714 on base percentage.

The teams will return to action for a second matchup with the Pirates hoping to rebound in. Now back to even at 56-56, Pittsburgh needs to begin stacking wins in order to control their playoff fate this season. They’ll have two opportunities to do so against San Deigo.

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As first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the New England Patriots have withdrawn from the Brandon Aiyuk sweepstakes. Of the reported teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns remain. However, it seems that Aiyuk is dead set on going to Pittsburgh, while the 49ers need the right compensation to move him.

The Steelers and 49ers have gone back and forth about the trade for months, but only now are the 49ers receptive to these offers. Pittsburgh appears to be the front-runner in the sweepstakes, as Aiyuk has the leverage to veto a trade.

Aiyuk wants to be one of the top receivers in the NFL, which means over $30 million annually. While the Patriots were seemingly willing to pay him and gave the 49ers a package they liked, Aiyuk’s refusal to sign a long-term contract with the Patriots held it up. That is why Aiyuk is not in Cleveland or New England.

With all that in mind, if the 49ers are going to move Aiyuk, the Steelers seem like the natural landing spot. He could pair with George Pickens to create a dynamic wide receiver duo on the outside and put a bow on what appears to be a completely reshaped offense for Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates and Pittsburgh Steelers both play on the North Shore in the City of Pittsburgh, but chose to recently meet up in a different location.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington and manager Derek Shelton met with Steelers owner Art Rooney II, special teams coach Danny Smith and former general manager Kevin Colbert at Steelers training camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa.

The Pirates play home this upcoming series against the San Diego Padres, Tuesday-Thursday, allowing Shelton and Cherington to enjoy a Steelers training camp practice. First pitch Tuesday night is at 6:40 p.m.

Cherington and Shelton started working for the Pirates prior to the 2020 season. Cherington has worked on a number of trades and MLB Drafts to build the franchise and Shelton is 274-383 (.417) in his fifth season at the helm.

The Steelers have spent almost the past two weeks at training camp in Latrobe and will play their first preseason game against the Houston Texas Friday night at 7:00 p.m. at Acrisure Stadium.

Rooney has worked in the Steelers front office for more than two decades, working as vice president and general counsel. He has served on the board of directors since 1989 and has been the president of the Steelers since 2003. He also became the majority team owner in 2017 following the death of his father, Dan Rooney.

Colbert worked for the Steelers for 23 years from 2000-22. He spent 2000-2010 with the franchise as director of football operations was general manager from 2010-16 and both vice president and general manager from 2016-22, stepping down after the 2022 NFL Draft. Tony Khan now serves as the Steelers general manager, dealing with contract negotiations, trades, and drafts.

Smith is heading into his 12th season as special teams coordinator for the Steelers. He had previous stints as a special teams coordinator with the Washington Redskins from 2004-12, the Buffalo Bills from 2001-03 and the Philadelphia Eagles from 1995-98.

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