Double Trouble - Bucs Drop Another 7-5; MLB Pulls Plug On Camp, Delays Season...

The Bucs gave Big Joe a quick 2-0 lead over Toronto in the bottom of the first, keyed by Fraze, who doubled to drive in a run and later scored. B-Rey added a solo shot in the third to make it 3-0 at the wrong end of the inning - the Pirates left the bases loaded. Musgrove ran out of gas in the fourth, when a Vlad Jr. homer and three singles made it 3-2; Joe's D helped him plenty that frame, turning a DP and notching a caught stealing. The Jays tied it in the fourth on a Dante Bichette dinger and Geoff Hartlieb came on to get the final two outs. It was a rough day for Joe - he went 4-1/3 IP, giving up three runs on nine hits (two home runs) with four Ks. Hartlieb hurt himself in the sixth - he walked a pair, bopped another batter, and then gave up a two-run, two-out single to make it 5-3 Jays.

Big Joe's looking for his groove - he has a 10.80 ERA this spring (photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

Pittsburgh got a run back in their half on a Joey O double and Kevin Newman knock. Sam Howard tossed a zippo seventh while the Buccaneers stranded a pair of runners. Yacksel Rios surrendered an infield rap followed by a two-bagger, a couple of walks and a fly-ball single. He wasn't hit real hard, but still gave up a pair - once again, free runners proved costly - without getting an out. Miguel Del Pozo came on to get a 1-2-3 ending to the inning. Tuck banged his third dinger of the spring to pull the Bucs within two runs at 7-5. Del Pozo made it six-in-a-row in the ninth and the Pirates created no more mayhem to bring a 7-5 loss and spring training to an unfortunate finish.

Like Clint, Sheltie would like to play an uptempo game. But the Pirates had a runner thrown out at home (runner on third, no outs, grounder to 3B) and another at third trying to move up two bases on a single to center; lotsa luck getting the Pirates ponies to gallop, new guys.

There won't be much in the way of game action to sharpen up, either. Per MLB: Spring Training games are canceled as of 4 PM and the start of the regular season will be pushed back by at least two weeks due to the national emergency created by the coronavirus pandemic.

Per MiLB, the farm teams will also work on a delayed basis. They were supposed to start on April 9th, but that will be pushed back to a yet-to-be-determined Opening Day now.

Notes:

• Bryan Reynolds, Fraze and Gregory Polanco each had two hits today. The Pirates had 12 as a team, with five (three-2B's, two-HR's) for x-tra bases.
• Except for Luke Maille catching and Joey O at first (J-Bell is the DH), it's a regular lineup for the Buccos today. Jarrod Dyson is batting eighth, and so far Sheltie appears to like him at the bottom rather than top of the lineup. Can't steal first...
• If Clint's shifts made ya grimace, wait til Sheltie gets his playbook in place - he's been showing four OF'er formations which look a bit like the fielding setup for a home run derby at bat. 
• The Pirates-Jays were just one of five exhibitions today; teams had heard of the rumored shutdown through the grapevine and many cancelled today's action.