SPRING TRAINING REPORT FROM BRADENTON
BRADENTON, Fla. — Cole Tucker isn’t going to Indianapolis without a fight.
Tucker played sound defense at second base and hit a towering home run in the Pirates’ split-squad loss Wedneday against the Atlanta Braves.
He has a hit in five of the seven games in which he has played this spring. One of the biggest questions surrounding Tucker is his ability to hit in the majors.
“I feel great about my timing and the things I’ve done with my swing,” he said. “I’ve been working on my body positioning and always being on time with the swing. I’ve worked to be in a more athletic place at the plate. It’s all about swing decisions and being on time.”
Mike Soroka made the AllStar Game last season and is one of the best young pitchers in baseball. Tucker caught him slipping on a fastball and blasted it onto the boardwalk in left field.
“I knew that he was going to attack with the fastball, so I wanted to beat him to the spot,” Tucker said.
“Baseball is so hard. Anytime it gives you a nugget of success off a guy like that, you take it.”
The Pirates took a lead they held until the ninth. Greyson Jenista and Sean Kazmar Jr. hit late-inning home runs as the Braves took the win.
The Pirates are 2-10-1 in Grapefruit League action.
On the mound
Trevor Williams had a good outing with three innings pitched. He allowed one run on a deep home run by Braves first baseman Peter O’Brien in the second inning.
O’Brien hit another home run against Chris Stratton later in the game.
Williams had good velocity on his fastball and threw his off-speed pitches for strikes. The curveball, especially, was sound.
“Overall, I felt I had a good pitch mix,” said Williams, who struck out three. “I threw everything and in every count today. I feel like I had a good body of work out there.”
Richard Rodriguez struck out two of the three batters he faced in the fifth.
In the field
Williams worked out of a jam in the first. He started by striking out Dansby Swanson. Nick Markakis followed with a double, and Freddie Freeman drew a walk to put runners on first and second with one out.
Williams threw a slider that Travis d’Arnaud hit toward the mound. Williams gathered the ball quickly and threw to Tucker and he completed the double play with a throw to Josh Bell. Tucker was playing second to give Oneil Cruz a start at shortstop.
At the plate
Bell hit a two-run home run in the third inning. The long blast to left-center field was Bell’s first spring home run. Bryan Reynolds walked twice against Soroka and hit his first home run of spring training.
The other group
Hector Noesi had a rough outing by allowing four earned runs on five hits, including a Bryce Harper home run, in a loss to the Phillies in Clearwater.
Kevin Kramer was 2 for 3 and played six innings in left field. Adam Frazier hit his first spring training home run.
— Nubyjas Wilborn
Up next
Game: Pirates at Rays, Charlotte Sports Park, Port Charlotte, Fla., 1:05 p.m. Pitchers: LHP Derek Holland vs. LHP Ryan Yarbrough. Radio: KDKA-FM (93.7).