Bucs Snatch Defeat From the Jaws of Victory Twice, Split Squad Losing 9-7 Counts To Atlanta and Philly

How do ya make up for a day off? Ya play two! The Pirates hosted the Braves at LECOM Park with Trevor Williams on the hill, with another clash scheduled against the Phils in Clearwater at Spectrum Field, w/Hector Noesi getting the call.

Vs Atlanta: Willy was banged for a dinger, but Tuck, J-Bell and Bryan Reynolds each swatted two-run shots before Redbeard's run-scoring triple to make it 7-2 (Michael Feliz was tapped for a run) after five, with Nick Mears and Ric Rod posting zeroes. The Bravos put up a three-spot off Chris Stratton to make it a game, using a two-out single and back-to-back dingers to squeeze the score. Atlanta closed the gap to a run when they turned a walk and two two-out pop singles into a tally off Nik Turley; Robbie Erlin had to close out the frame, and followed with an eighth-inning goose egg.

Tuck has been squaring up so far this spring - image Pittsburgh Pirates

Shoulda used Robbie for another inning; Miguel Del Pozo gave up a leadoff home run to knot the score. It got worse; he loaded the bases with two outs, then gave up a two-run knock to put the Bucs two runs down, and that's how it finished, a 9-7 triumph by Atlanta. The long ball was king - the Bravos airmailed four balls and the Pirates three over the fence today.

At Philly: Tough start for Hector; he gave up four runs (Realmuto and Harper homered) in two frames. Phil Evans doubled in a pair for the Bucs, but...Dovy let another tally score, Yacksel Rios gave up a second long fly to Harper, and it's 7-2 after four frames. The Bucs chipped away in the fifth and sixth; a three-base Philly boot led to one run and a Fraze solo shot added another. And here they come...Lolo Sanchez went deep to add two more and cut the lead to one run after seven, as Sam Howard, Williams Jerez and Montano DuRapau kept the board clean.

Lolo banged his second bomb of the spring - 2018 Bowman Draft

Pittsburgh tied it the next at-bat when Ji-Hwan Bae doubled to plate the equalizer. The party was short-lived; Luis Escobar came on and gave up a two-run homer, and that was the final margin in a 9-7 Philadelphia victory. The big blast was the diff - the Phils had four balls leave the yard (the Bucs hit two) while the small-ball Pirates went 3-for 13 w/RISP, again leaving a lot of ducks quacking on the pond.

Tomorrow: Pittsburgh visits the Rays at Charlotte Sports Park, with the game on MLB.com. Derek Holland will get the starting honors.

Notes:

• Six starters opened the game in Bradenton: Jarrod Dyson, Bryan Reynolds, Josh Bell, Gregory Polanco, Colin Moran and Jake Stallings. Two, Kevin Newman and Fraze, who Shelty like to keep together, went to Philly; Oneil Cruz (SS) and Tuck (2B) manned the middle at home. For all the scoring, Stalls (v Atlanta) and Kevin Kramer (v Philly) were the only Bucs to collect two hits.
• Per Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the "Pirates are going to explore multiyear deals with a select group of young 0-3 (service time) players. Candidates may include Reynolds, Newman, Musgrove, others. Doesn’t mean anything will happen but will give a few the longterm option." Sounds like they may be expanding a bit on the old protocol of trying to get guys to sign team-friendly deals to provide financial certainty for both sides through the arb years (and make them easier to trade, as a FO side bene).
• Here are the Pirates Top 30 Prospects, just released by MLB.com.
• Coronavirus (COVID 19) has reared its ugly head in Manatee County, the Bucco's spring home. They're keeping a wary eye on it, in conjunction w/AGH, but for now just are saying "It is too early in the fact-finding process regarding the reported case in Manatee County to comment on any potential impacts on our operations." The team spent their off day by giving their Florida facilities a Clorox bath.