Enough, Already: Baltimore Spanks Pirates 13-0

Hector Noesi looked to get the Bucs on track today against the Orioles. He did his part with two goose eggs, but Keone Kela, who is having a rough February, gave up a double, homer, double, wild pitch and sac fly in the third to put Pittsburgh in a 3-0 hole. The Pirates kept their RISP futility level on high alert. They stranded a leadoff double in the second and had Colin Moran thrown out on a bang-bang play at home in the fourth, trying to score from first with two away on Jake's two-bagger. Geoff Hartlieb gave up a walk, a couple of singles, a couple of  doubles and a handful of runs around a couple of outs; Pedro Vazquez took over and gave up consecutive two-out hits to hand the Birds a 9-0 lead. Chris Stratton took over in the fifth, giving up a pair of solo shots. Yacksel Rios fanned a pair in a quiet sixth; the Buccos were still at zero, with just three hits.

Yacksel Rios - photo 2019 Thearon Henderson/Getty

Cody Ponce was clocked in the seventh for two runs on four hits, including another long ball. Luis Escobar gave up two knocks in the eighth but escaped with a zero. The Pirates...eh, three more nadas. Another bad day at the ranch, with the Birds romping 13-0. Baltimore banged out 19 hits and four long balls (Pittsburgh, to compare, had four hits in all).

Tomorrow: It's back-to-back with the Orioles; they'll take the bus ride to play at LECOM Park Friday. Willy is slated to start. The first pitch is at 1:05 with the game aired on AT&T SportsNet.

Notes:

• Redbeard had two hits today; Stalls had a double and walk. Non-roster IF Phil Evans had the other rap.
• At 0-6-1, the Pirates are the only team without a W in spring ball.
• Shelty is still serving youth - today's regulars in the lineup are Kevin Newman, Jake Stallings and Colin Moran. CF Jarrod Dyson is the only regular yet to see action; he was a late sign and may need a little more time to get in shape, or it could be a concession him being 35 years old. At any rate, he's supposed to be in tomorrow's match.
• Archie's stiff neck (officially, a cervical neck sprain) will limit him to playing catch for a few days; after that, he'll have to get through a bullpen session before rejoining regular camp activities. Eric Gonzalez is also on track to be cleared for baserunning action after breaking his foot in winter ball, and from there, onto full baseball activities.