So many questions surround this roster
BRADENTON, Fla. — The fast-arriving regular season and the need to close out spring training always combine to create an awkward stretch of days.
One where some roster decisions are being made, others are waiting in the queue, and the whole time there’s baseball being played, games that … well, usually don’t look like they do once the regular season starts.
“That’s how it is when you get to that point in the spring,” Ke’Bryan Hayes said after the Pirates suffered a 1-0 loss to the Yankees on Sunday at LECOM Park. “You have one or two games left. Adrenaline starts to dwindle a little bit.
“Once everyone knows who’s on the team, the energy starts to pick back up again. Then opening day, it shoots back up through the roof.”
Fortunately, the weird, inbetween period is almost over, although there were a couple nuggets to highlight from this one.
• Andrew McCutchen singled and walked. He has reached base in seven of eight games this spring, posting a .316 average and .435 on-base percentage.
• Hayes stroked a single the other way in the first inning and has hit .388 with a 1.045 OPS in 17 games this spring.
• Martin Perez delivered three more scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to 0.60 ERA across four Grapefruit League starts.
“It was a great spring for me,” Perez said.
• Late addition Michael A. Taylor showed some improvement during his atbats and collected his first hit as a Pirate.
“I feel like it’s going well,” said Taylor, who cited building a rapport with coaches and teammates at the toughest challenges. “It’s a short amount of time to work all those things out, but we’re doing it.”
However, the story with the Pirates right now was hardly about how they handled a group of Yankees minor leaguers. Nor is it the performances McCutchen, Hayes, Perez, Taylor or even Jared Triolo, who doubled to up his average to .333 over the last 10. It’s about the unknowns. “I think everybody is ready now,” Perez said. “We just have to turn the page in three days and show people what we can do as a team.”
On the mound
Strange moment for Aroldis Chapman in the fifth inning, when his velocity was way down for a short stretch, as much as 6 mph. There was even a conference on the mound around the time of the dip.
Fortunately for the Pirates, who already could be down Colin Holderman and Carmen Mlodzinski to start the season, Chapman picked it up later in the frame, running his sinker up to 99 mph.
David Bednar appeared in his second game of the springof and allowed back-toback doubles, leading to the only run of the game.
The biggest question with Pirates pitchers: Who fills out the starting rotation? It should be Jared Jones and Luis Ortiz, but you never know.
In the bullpen, we need to know more about Mlodzinski’s availability. It’s looking like that group could include Josh Fleming, Brent Honeywell Jr. and perhaps Bailey Falter, even though he has struggled this spring.
At the plate
The big decision among position players revolves around the fourth outfield spot: Edward Olivares or Billy McKinney? The logic for Olivares would be his 109+ the past two seasons, the Pirates believing he’s one of the team’s better hitters despite a .217 average and .625 OPS this spring.
If the Pirates went with McKinney, it would probably mean they wanted to take a closer look after his performance this spring, when the 29-year-old hit .359 with a 1.080.
One notable observation from the clubhouse was that Ali Sanchez’s locker was empty. He’s out of options and almost assuredly headed to waivers, as the Pirates look to open a 40-man roster spot for someone. They’ll actually need to open a couple spots on the 40.
“We’ll have decisions [Monday] on our full group,” Shelton said.
In the field
Same as Saturday, the Pirates opened the game with double plays in the first and second innings. The second one of those featured a strong throw to second base from Rowdy Tellez.
Hayes made a highlightreel catch in the fifth inning, snaring a liner off the bat of second baseman Caleb Durbin for the final out of the frame.
“It was OK,” Hayes said. “Just a line drive out. Wasn’t anything crazy, at least I didn’t think so.”
Up next
The Pirates wrap up their Grapefruit League schedule at home against Blue Jays. Marco Gonzales will look to bounce back after allowing four home runs and nine earned runs in his last start.