Pittsburg, PA
Pirates Give Up Historic Series to Rookie
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates had a series to forget against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park this week, and that feeling is only accentuated by the accomplishments of an opposing rookie.
Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong was a major catalyst in the team’s sweep of the Pirates, finishing his trip to Pittsburgh with several games of three or more hits while swiping three or more bases and scoring four or more runs in a contest.
According to OptaSTATS, it’s the first time an MLB rookie has hit all of those thresholds in a series during the league’s modern era, which began in 1901.
The Cubs won the first game of the set by a score of 18-8 over the Pirates. Crow-Armstrong went 3-for-5 with three stolen bases while Chicago bombarded Domingo Germán and Brady Feigl for 14 runs over a four-inning span.
In game two, Jared Jones struggled in his first big league start since hitting the injured list with a lat strain on July 4. The Cubs scored five runs off of the right-hander in the fourth inning, his last frame of the game, before strolling to a 9-5 win. Crow-Armstrong was 0-for-3 with a walk and RBI in the contest.
Game three was simply an unmitigated disaster for the Pirates, who led 10-3 at the start of the seventh inning. After Paul Skenes departed, Chicago tagged Kyle Nicolas and Aroldis Chapman for five runs, cutting its deficit to 10-8 in the eighth inning.
David Bednar proceeded to blow his sixth save of the year in the top of the ninth, giving up five runs while his ERA ballooned to 6.32. Jalen Beeks allowed several inherited runners to score after he relieved Bednar, and the Cubs ultimately pulled off one of MLB’s more prolific comebacks in recent years with a 14-10 victory.
Crow-Armstrong closed the series with a 4-for-4 performance that included an RBI single off of Skenes in the second inning.
After closing the first half with a .582 OPS, the former top prospect is slashing .274/.331/.470 since the All-Star break and is now up to 26 steals on the year while playing elite defense for Chicago.
The Pirates’ record now sits at 62-71 overall and 7-18 in August. They are 10 1/2 games back of the final Wild Card spot in the National League.
Make sure to visit Pirates OnSI for the latest news, updates, interviews and insight on the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburg, PA
About 5 pounds of bees removed from Acrisure Stadium scaffolding ahead of Morgan Wallen concerts
Acrisure Stadium is buzzing with excitement ahead of the back-to-back Morgan Wallen concerts. Except it’s not the fans generating all the excitement — it’s about 5 pounds of honeybees.
The Fine Family Apiary in Monongahela said it was contacted on Wednesday about a swarm of bees clustered on the stage scaffolding. The apiary put the swarm in a “nuc box” and took them home before moving the bees into full-size equipment.
Owner Al Fine estimates the swarm weighed about 4 to 5 pounds and consisted of 12,000 to 15,000 bees. All said, it took less than two hours to get the job done.
Why do bees swarm?
Swarming is how honeybees propagate, Fine explained. According to Penn State Extension, during swarming, the queen and about half the workers leave their home to establish a new nest. The bees will form a temporary cluster, hanging out while scouts search the surrounding area for a more permanent home in hollow spaces like tree cavities or, occasionally, the walls of a home.
Swarms can stick around for several hours or days until they’re ready to move, Penn State Extension says. Meanwhile, the colony left behind is temporarily without a leader until a new queen is established.
With the swarm at Acrisure Stadium removed, Morgan Wallen’s show is ready to go on. The country music megastar will bring his I’m The Problem Tour to Pittsburgh on June 5 and June 6, along with multiple acts like Brooks & Dunn and Ella Langley.
On Sept. 17, multi-platinum country music star Luke Bryan will bring his Farm Tour to 1846 Farms near Latrobe.
Westmoreland County is no stranger to large outdoor concerts. Some may remember the Rolling Rock Town Fair in the early 2000s, while others may recall Luke Bryan’s stop at a farm in South Huntingdon Township just two years ago. Now the country music superstar is returning to the area.
The Unity Township farm’s general manager, Aleisha Stas, gave KDKA a tour of the family farm, which dates back to before the Civil War. She says Bryan’s team first reached out after finding the farm on social media, but she says at first, she and her family thought it was too good to be true.
“This was around April Fools, so we thought it was an April Fools prank,” Stas said. “My whole family, we were like, there’s no way this is about to happen. But this has been incredible.”
Stas says Bryan’s team is handling everything logistically from parking and bathrooms to deciding exactly where the concert will be staged.
“If we have it on this side of the property, we can hold 12,000 people,” Stas said. “And if we have it on (the other side) of the property, it can be up to 20,000. But we have not determined that yet.”
Many of those decisions will be made as September gets closer. In the meantime, however, the farm is holding off on planting in certain fields until the final concert location is selected.
And while hosting thousands of people may sound a little intimidating, Stas says her family is excited to welcome fans to the farm for what they hope will be a memorable night.
“Obviously, we’ve never had this many people here before, so it will be a new thing for all of us, but we are not worried,” said Stas. “Luke Bryan’s team are experts with this, and I think it will go great.”
Tickets for this concert are currently on sale, and they will run you about $77 per person, plus tax for general admission.
-
Nebraska22 seconds agoMiss Nebraska festivities kick off with opening ceremonies
-
Nevada7 minutes agoHillel of Northern Nevada Builds Community at the University
-
New Hampshire10 minutes agoNew Hampshire Pummels Altoona with 14 Runs on 18 Hits
-
New Jersey15 minutes ago‘This Cruelty is Intentional’: The New Jersey Lawmakers Fighting to Shut Down Delaney Hall
-
North Carolina20 minutes ago
Former staffer claims sexual harassment in ethics complaint against NC insurance commissioner
-
New Mexico22 minutes agoNew Mexico Highlands University president sues school
-
North Dakota30 minutes agoNorth Dakota voters to decide single-subject requirement for future constitutional amendments on June 9
-
Ohio37 minutes agoOhio State reaches $100 million settlement with nearly 300 sex abuse survivors | CNN
