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Pirates Prospects Deliver Victory Over Tigers

Published

3 days ago

March 7, 2026

Pirates Prospects Deliver Victory Over Tigers

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates needed production from their best prospects and they got exactly that in their most recent Spring Training game.

The Pirates outlasted the Detroit Tigers in a 5-3 win at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Fla., thanks to some important hits from their best young talent.

Pittsburgh finally ends their surprising three-game losing streak, as they lost both games in the split squad day on March 6, 9-2 to the Toronto Blue Jays at TD Ballpark in Dunedin and then 14-10 to the Philadelphia Philies at LECOM Park in Bradenton, plus a 3-2 defeat to the St. Louis Cardinals at home on March 5.

The Pirates improve to 10-5 in the Grapefruit League and the Tigers fall to 3-7, tied for the least wins.

How the Pirates Got the Victory

The Pirates got going in the top of the second inning, as left fielder Jhostynxon Garcia singled and then center fielder Dominic Fletcher got hit by a pitch, before right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez singled to score both runners and made it to second base on the error.

Designated hitter Termarr Johnson made it his second straight day with an RBI-single, scoring Valdez and putting the Pirates up 3-0.

Pirates left-handed pitcher Hunter Barco made his second Grapefruit League start and threw two scoreless innings before struggling in the third inning.

Mar 1, 2026; Jupiter, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Hunter Barco (45) warms up before the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Barco loaded the bases and then gave up a ground-rule double and a ground out, scoring all three runners to tie the game up at 3-3.

Both teams struggled to score runs before the Pirates got things going in the top of the sixth inning, with catcher Henry Davis walking and then first baseman Enmanuel Valdez singling, putting runners on the corners.

Garcia grounded into a double play, but scored Davis and put Pittsburgh up 4-3 over Detroit.

The Pirates loaded the bases after this, but third baseman Duce Gorson popped out and they held onto their one-run game.

Mitch Jebb led off the top of the eighth inning with a triple and Yordanny De Los Santos would single soon after to bring him home and double the Pirates lead at 5-3.

De Los Santos, a minor leaguer, has had a great showing in the Grapefruit League for the Pirates, slashing .556/.600/1.667 and an OPS of 2.267 in six games, with a league-high eight RBI and also three home runs.

Pirates Get Good Pitching to Take Down the Tigers

Right-handed relief pitcher Michael Walsh, a ninth round pick out of Yale in 2022, threw a scoreless fourth inning and then fellow right-handed relief pitcher Justin Lawrence continued his solid spring with a scoreless fifth inning

The Pirates then went with right-handed pitcher Thomas Harrington in the sixth inning and he would put on his best showing of the Grapefruit League, throwing four scoreless innings to get the save.

Apr 1, 2025; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Thomas Harrington (78) throws a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays in the second inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Harrington hardly faced any trouble in his outing, with just two hits and a walk allowed, with two strikeouts, getting a number of groundballs and mixing up his vast arsenal of pitches.

This isn’t the first time Harrington got a four-inning save, doing so last year in his PNC Park debut in an 8-4 victory. Harrington became the first Pirates pitcher that earned a four-inning save since Jason Christiansen did so in a 5-1 win over the Montreal Expos on July 17, 1998.

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Steelers Add Year to Cam Heyward’s Contract, Creating Cap Space

Published

10 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Steelers Add Year to Cam Heyward’s Contract, Creating Cap Space

The Pittsburgh Steelers finally have some clarity on Cameron Heyward’s short-term future with the team.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac, the Steelers have added an extra year to Heyward’s deal. As a result, they freed up right around $5.5 million in cap space.

SOURCES: The Steelers have added a year to DE Cam Heyward’s contract, creating nearly $5.5 million in cap space. His new deal is worth $32.25 million over two years with the first year guaranteed.
— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) March 10, 2026

Heyward’s contract is now worth $32.25 million across two seasons, though only the first of those two years is guaranteed.

The reigning second-team All-Pro previously had one year left on his contract, which carried a cap hit of $19.150 million.

Heyward’s deal was a source of contention during training camp last summer, as the 15-year veteran looked to negotiate his contract after previously having agreed to a two-year, $29 million extension leading into the 2024 campaign.

Nov 23, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (97) against the Chicago Bears during the second half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images | Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

The 36-year-old, who was a first-team All-Pro that year, later compromised with Pittsburgh after it added a little over $3 million in incentives to his contract before Week 1 of the 2025 season.

Over 17 games, Heyward recorded a total of 3.5 sacks and 78 tackles with a forced fumble.

With it appearing set in stone that he’ll return for the 2026 season after agreeing to his modified deal, the question now becomes whether or not Heyward will play out the duration of his contract through 2027.

What Could Steelers Do with Extra Money?

Pittsburgh was rather active both shortly before and immediately after the legal tampering period began, re-signing cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. and linebacker Cole Holcomb while also signing former Tampa Bay Buccaneers corner Jamel Dean and acquiring wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. via trade from the Indianapolis Colts, whom it immediately inked to a three-year, $59 million extension.

It’s been a bit quiet for the Steelers since that initial wave, however, with punter Cameron Johnston representing their only move on the second day of free agency.

There’s still plenty of names out there on the open market, and with needs remaining along the offensive line, at safety and receiver even after adding Pittman Jr., the action shouldn’t stop for Pittsburgh.

While quarterback remains the most substantial question mark for the Steelers on paper, the widespread assumption remains that Aaron Rodgers will eventually return to the franchise. When that decision will, or could, become official, though, is anyone’s best guess at the moment.

The money Pittsburgh saved by revising Heyward’s contract could help fill out its roster not only through free agency, but also via the 2026 NFL Draft now that it has 12 picks at its disposal upon being awarded four compensatory selections.

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Game Preview: Pittsburgh Penguins @ Carolina Hurricanes 3/10/2026

Published

22 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Game Preview: Pittsburgh Penguins @ Carolina Hurricanes 3/10/2026

Who: Pittsburgh Penguins (31-17-14, 76 points, 3rd place Metropolitan Division) @ Carolina Hurricanes (35-22-5, 75 points, 5th place Atlantic Division)

How to Watch: Local broadcasts on FanDuel Sports Network South and SportsNet Pittsburgh, streaming on ESPN+

Pens’ Path Ahead: The Penguins are heading out West later this week to play some late-night games against the Vegas Golden Knights (Thursday, 10 p.m. ET), Utah Mammoth (Saturday, 9 p.m. ET) and Colorado Avalanche (Monday, 9:30 p.m. ET). Then it’s back for a rematch with the Hurricanes in North Carolina next Wednesday.

Opponent Track: The Hurricanes are still on top of the Metro, and they’ve won seven of their last nine, but they’re coming off a loss in Calgary that featured a wild five-goal third period last Saturday.

Season Series: The Penguins won this last matchup 5-1 on Dec. 30. Next up is that road game next Wednesday, followed four days later by a 3 p.m. ET Sunday matinee in Pittsburgh.

Hidden Stat: The Penguins haven’t won in Carolina since March 2019. The visitors are 0-4-4 in eight matchups over that span.

Getting to know the Hurricanes

Andrei Svechnikov – Sebastian Aho – Seth Jarvis

Taylor Hall – Logan Stankoven – Jackson Blake

Nikolaj Ehlers – Jordan Staal – Jordan Martinook

William Carrier – Mark Jankowski – Eric Robinson

Jaccob Slavin – Jalen Chatfield

K’Andre Miller – Sean Walker

Mike Reilly – Alexander Nikishin

Goalies: Brandon Bussi, Frederik Andersen

Potential scratches: Shayne Gostisbehere (day to day)

Injured Reserve: Charles-Alexis Legault, Pyotr Kochetkov, Nicolas Deslauriers

Gostisbehere missed the Hurricanes’ Saturday loss to the Flames with a lower-body injury. Mike Reilly will likely slide out of this lineup if he is able to go.

Nicolas Deslauriers has yet to make his Hurricanes debut since his trade from the Philadelphia Flyers. If the Canes decide to slot him into the lineup Monday night, he would slot into their fourth line.
The Hurricanes have historically been a tough matchup for the Pens, but the Penguins could take some lessons from the Flames. Calgary got beaten on face-offs (52.5 percent to 47.5 percent) and 5-on-5 scoring chances (24 to 21) while holding strong on hits (26-20) and getting some nice saves from Dustin Wolf to claim a 5-4 win over the Canes on Saturday.

Egor Chinakhov – Rickard Rakell – Bryan Rust

Anthony Mantha – Tommy Novak – Ville Koivunen

Elmer Soderblom – Ben Kindel – Avery Hayes

Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Noel Acciari

Parker Wotherspoon / Erik Karlsson

Sam Girard / Ilya Solovyov

Goalies: Arturs Silovs, Stuart Skinner

Potential Scratches: Evgeni Malkin (suspended), Ryan Graves, Connor Clifton, Kevin Hayes, Justin Brazeau (day to day)

IR: Sidney Crosby, Filip Hallander

Jack St. Ivany is off IR. He’s headed to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on a conditioning loan, per Seth Rorabaugh.
Justin Breazeau’s status is uncertain after he was sidelined against the Bruins on Sunday with a day-to-day upper-body injury.
Today should also lead to more information on whether Sidney Crosby is joining the team for the upcoming five-game road trip. Dane Muse said Sunday that decision would be made after the matchup against the Boston Bruins.
Evgeni Malkin is set to miss the third game of his five-game suspension tonight. He won’t be eligible to return until the Penguins rematch against the Hurricanes next week.
It’s a milestone game for Kyle Dubas, who has served as general manager for 600 career games, per Pens PR. A win tonight would tie him with Steve Yzerman for the 14th-most wins through that milestone with 326 victories.

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Steelers sign breakout star running back

Published

1 day ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Steelers sign breakout star running back

The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t done making moves on the first day of legal tampering. Per Jordan Schultz, the Steelers are signing former Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle. The South Carolina product rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of the last two seasons, averaging just under five yards per rush in each season.

This comes after the Steelers were very active on unofficial beginning of the new league year. They traded for Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr and also signed cornerback Jamel Dean. Internally, they re-signed cornerback Asante Samuel Jr and linebacker Cole Holcomb.

Dowdle now joins Jaylen Warren in the backfield, replacing Kenneth Gainwell, who left for Tampa Bay. On paper, this is one of the better one-two punches at running back in the NFL.

Let us know what you think in the comments. Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more!

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