Brubaker works quick, uses pitch clock to his advantage

BRADENTON, Fla. — JT Brubaker’s second goaround with the pitch clock showed no signs of hesitation. If anything, he was wildly comfortable with the concept.

The right-handed hurler and prospective starter allowed a single to Minnesota’s leadoff batter, Edouard Julien, but was perfect from there, delivering three shutout innings and striking out four in the Pirates’ 5-2 win at LECOM Park. Sunday afternoon’s showing was a 180 from Brubaker’s spring training outing on Feb. 27 against the Phillies in which he gave up two runs in as many innings.

“Felt good,” Brubaker said. “Everything was coming out of the hand really well, locating really well, even got a swing and miss on my changeup.”

Brubaker said he didn’t particularly mind the pitch clock in his first outing since he already works quickly on the bump. Against the Twins, Brubaker was eager to toe the rubber as soon as possible and attack Minnesota’s hitters.

Though he never worked with the pitch clock when it was first introduced to the minor leagues, since he had already reached the majors, Brubaker has picked up on some personal benefits to the new addition.

“I can use it to slow myself down, especially if there’s a runner on or even if the batter gets in the box early,” Brubaker said of the clock. “I can stand there. So, it can help me hurt them in the majority of the times, I feel like, to attack a hitter.”

Brubaker was creative with his deliveries as well, slide-stepping both out of the windup and the stretch. The righty balanced quick-pitching his batters with taking his time once he’d come set.

Even though he only worked with a runner on in the first inning, that experience provided Brubaker with ample opportunities to acclimate himself to the new rules that permit just two pick-offs per plate appearance.

“From that aspect, it allows me to quick pitch, slidestep, quick pitch, hold, slidestep,” Brubaker said. “It just opens up a different realm of style of pitching, just different leg lifts, different timings that hitters are going to have to see.”

At the plate

Chris Owings continues to bolster his argument for why he should once again make it to opening day with a big league club after starting out as a non-roster invite. The veteran utility infielder started at shortstop and had an extra-base hit for the second game in a row, this time smacking a tworun home run.

“My first couple games, had some walks too, hit the balls hard,” Owings said. “It’s your first couple of atbats, so you’re just feeding off direction, where you’re hitting the ball and making constant adjustments.”

Owings doubled off the wall a few games back against the Orioles, one of the Pirates’ few hits in that game. The well-traveled veteran still has plenty of spring-training baseball to work with, but performances like this will make it difficult for manager Derek Shelton to keep Owings off his roster come March 30, especially with regards to the ongoing battle for the starting job at second base.

“When we signed him, he was part of the competition and his versatility is something that’s really important to us,” Shelton said. “We play him at short, predominantly, but he can play second, he can play third. We’re probably going to see him in the outfield here, but he’s really had consistent and good at-bats so he’s right smack in the middle of that competition.

On the mound

Colin Holderman was both efficient and effective in his sole inning of work. Acquired via the Mets in last summer’s Daniel Vogelbach trade, Holderman’s Pirates tenure didn’t start out terribly well as he posted a 6.75 ERA in nine games in 2022.

The 6-foot-7 right-hander consistently threw in the upper 90s, with one of his sinkers reaching 98.6 miles per hour. It took just eight pitches for Holderman to retire the side in order. He finished off the fifth inning with a strikeout-inducing slider.

“He was really sharp today,” Shelton said of Holderman. “He’s a guy that’s in competition for our bullpen and the last two outings, the ball’s coming out of his hand really well.”

Quotable

Shelton on the death of late Rays radio broadcaster Dave Wills:

“I want to send my heartfelt condolences to the Rays family, to Dave Wills’s wife, Liz. Dave was a close, personal friend of mine. It’s a tragic situation and affected a lot of people that work here deeply.”

Up next

The Pirates’s second night game of the spring is in store Monday evening in Tampa against the Yankees. Luis Ortiz will start against New York and Mitch Keller will do the same Tuesday afternoon at home versus the Blue Jays.