Two Pirate pitchers, Charlie Morton and Brian Burres, combined for a line of four innings, three runs, two hits, seven walks, and two hit batters. Maybe Joe Kerrigan needed to set up his pink strings for the duo.
The Pirates banged out four hits total (one an Andy LaRoche dinger), and the Buccos dropped their second spring outing by a 4-2 score.
But there was a silver lining, at least in the field. Jeff Clement again looked adequate at first, and the much maligned Delwyn Young was part of three DPs, starting one and turning a pair. Lastings Milledge threw a guy out at third and came within a gnat's eyelash of robbing Chipper Jones with a dive that came up just short in the fifth.
And Brad Lincoln got his first taste of the bigs. He got through his inning unscathed, but not unbloodied. He gave up a pair of knocks, but with runners on second and third and two away, he K'd Matt Diaz on three pitches. Kinda nice to have the ability to miss a bat when the chips are down, no?
Jeff Karstens worked a perfect frame, Anthony Claggett struck out a pair and walked one in his inning, and Vinnie Chulk gave up the fourth Brave run by yielding a hit and two walks in his appearance.
Bobby Crosby singled in the Bucs other run, while Ryan Church and Young also added singles. The Pirates left a dozen on base, although only four got into scoring position.
Tomorrow, they visit the O's in Sarasota. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:05 PM and will be radio-only, broadcast on 104.7 FM, WPGB.
Zach Duke and Daniel McCutchen will start and are slated for two innings of work apiece. Virgil Vasquez, Evan Meek, Javier Lopez, Jeremy Powell, and Claggett are scheduled pitch an inning each.
It should be another Bomb Squad extravaganza; the Pirates home opener is against the Phils on Saturday afternoon at 1:05 PM, and JR is expected to trot out his starting lineup then, the same one he used against the Yankees.
I can tell you like Lincoln. I do, too. I think he is a VERY bad man. At least, potentially so. People tend to forget---because he's been gone so long due to injury---that Lincoln was a no-brainer draft pick when he came out of college. I expect him to quickly become our ace if he is able to stay healthy. An added bonus is his bat, always a plus in the National League.
ReplyDeleteYah, Will, it does look like a question of when, not if, for Bad Brad.
ReplyDeleteWhich brings us to a question. Assuming he is ready to go say, by June, do the Pirates then trade one of their starting pitchers? If so, who is likely to go? I still think Zach Duke is going to be the one traded. Paul Maholm might go, but I think we're more likely to hold onto him and let him play out his deal, or perhaps even re-sign him if the team improves significantly. I still say he's better than Duke if he's healthy.
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