SPRING REPORT
SARASOTA, Fla. — The Pirates and Orioles play a night game IN spring training. What could go wrong?
Plenty, as we’ve found out. Whether it was poor fielding or just hittable pitches, these teams like combining for highscoring night games. They had another one Thursday at Ed Smith Stadium.
The loss snapped a fourgame winning streak for the Pirates (12-11-1) in Grapefruit League play.
Baltimore grabbed the lead for good in the bottom of the fourth inning, as Michael Feliz struggled with his command. The Pirates scored three runs in the seventh and eighth but couldn’t complete the comeback.
On the mound
Sean Poppen started and bounced back-and-forth between strikeouts and getting hit hard. That’s how he got four of his five outs, though he also allowed a home run, triple and five runs.
Richard Rodriguez and Feliz, who gave up homers. They have combined to allow eight earned runs on 17 hits (three homers) in 11 spring innings.
Rodriguez has a better recent track record. How frequently Feliz has been hit hard might be a little concerning.
At the plate
Phillip Evans had 4 hits, 2 RBIs and 3 runs scored. He is the first Pirates player to have four hits in a spring training game since Adam Frazier on March 13, 2017, vs. the Braves.
Wilmer Difo doubled and scored in the first and has reached safely in 11 consecutive games, 10 of those with a hit.
Todd Frazier returned from lower-back tightness, cranked a double and beat out an infield single.
In the field
Evans had a strong defensive game in right field. He made a sliding catch to rob Orioles DH Adley Rutschman to open the fifth. For the final out of the inning, he tracked down a ball from center fielder Cedric Mullens, crashing into the wall as he completed the catch.
On the bases, Pirates runners were twice thrown out at home by Orioles right fielder Austin Hayes — Erik Gonzalez in the first and Wolters in the third.
The Pirates turned a 5-43 to end the sixth, helping Luis Oviedo escape possible trouble. It was their 24th of the spring, which is the secondmost in MLB behind the Miami Marlins (26).
Up next
Game: Pirates vs. Tigers, 1:05 p.m. Friday, LECOM Park, Bradenton, Fla., 1:05 p.m. Pitchers: LHP Tyler Anderson for Pirates; LHP Matthew Boyd for Tigers. Also for Pirates: RHP Trevor Cahill, RHP Duane Underwood Jr., RHP Kyle Crick and LHP Sam Howard. Watch/listen: AT&T SportsNet; No Radio.
— By Jason Mackey