SPRING REPORT
RED SOX 7 PIRATES 4
BRADENTON, Fla. — One sideways inning ruined an otherwise beautiful Saturday for the Pirates.
Holding a 4-1 lead going to the sixth, the Pirates coughed up six runs on six hits, most of them charged to Geoff Hartlieb, as they dropped the seven-inning game for their third consecutive spring loss.
Hartlieb entered not having allowed a run all spring but gave up six (four earned) while recording just one out. All six hits for Boston in the inning were singles.
The Pirates (12-13-1) had plenty of hits and runners but wound up leaving 12 runners on base.
On the mound
Chad Kuhl had one dominant inning , one that was OK and two more in a simulated game on the back fields. Against the Red Sox, Kuhl showed excellent fastball command early in breezing through a 1-2-3 first.
He walked the first two batters of the second, allowed a run-scoring single to shortstop Marwin Gonzalez, then recovered to strike out second baseman Christian Arroyo swinging on a nasty breaking ball.
He threw 32 pitches, 17 for strikes. But looking just at fastballs, Kuhl threw 19 – just six for strikes.
“It’s just a little uncomfortable right now,” Kuhl said of his fastball command.
Wil Crowe followed Kuhl with two scoreless, dropping his spring ERA to 0.77. Clay Holmes pitched a 1-2-3 fifth and hasn’t allowed a run in nine appearances. David Bednar gave up a double, but notched three more strikeouts in the seventh. Bednar’s spring line: 0.00 ERA, nine games, 81⁄ innings, 3 hits allowed,
3 1 walk, 17 strikeouts.
At the plate
Kevin Newman and Bryan Reynolds each had three hits.
For Newman, the 3-for-4 day brought his average to an absurd .714. He also stole a base and scored two runs. By knocking in Newman in the fourth, Reynolds picked up his ninth spring RBI, one shy of Gregory Polanco for the team lead.
In the field
Anthony Alford made another spectacular diving catch, his second of the spring, as he robbed Boston’s Alex Verdugo of a hit in the third. “He’s a really good outfielder,” Reynolds said of Alford. “He’s fast, gets good jumps like you saw [Saturday] and makes the special plays and the routine plays.”
Michael Perez continued his strong defensive work behind the plate. In the second, he made a key block, then threw out Hunter Renfroe when he tried to advance. He also caught Kike Hernandez trying to steal in the sixth, his fourth caught stealing of the spring.
Up next
Game: Pirates vs. Baltimore Orioles, 1:05 p.m. Sunday, Ed Smith Stadium, Sarasota, Fla. Pitchers: RHP Mitch Keller for Pirates; RHP Matt Harvey for Orioles. Also for Pirates: RHP Michael Feliz, LHP Sam Howard, RHP Luis Oviedo, RHP Edgar Santana. Watch/listen: No TV; KDKA-FM (93.7).