The Pirates got some very good, and very welcome, pitching and blanked the Yankees’ subs and prospects, 3-0. Several key pitchers bounced back from rough outings.
Check the end here for a couple notes from the minor league scrimmages at Pirate City.
Starter Johan Oviedo had an especially timely rebound. He did a 180 and came out throwing strikes, in the end 31 of them on 41 pitches. He also went very slider heavy and the pitch was effective. No walks, two hits and three strikeouts over three innings.
Jose Hernandez and Colin Holderman also bounced back and also threw strikes — remarkable what that’ll do. Hernandez threw seven in nine pitches, which when you’re throwing 96-97 mph with a good slider is tough. He fanned two on sliders and got a line drive out. Holderman, throwing his usual 97-99, also had a 1-2-3 inning with two Ks.
Carmen Mlodzinski continued to look like the guy-who-comes-out-of-nowhere. The Pirates seem to agree; two weeks ago I’d have guessed he’d be in minor league camp by now. He went through one inning allowing just a single, then got the first out in the next inning, so there seems to have been some very specific number of pitches they wanted him to throw (18). Mlodzinski fanned two and continued to miss bats with a 96-98 mph fastball. Gameday had him throwing a cutter and a sweeper. I can’t tell them apart, but they both look unpleasant if you’re a right-handed hitter.
Dauri Moreta finished Mlodzinski’s second inning, giving up a hit but getting a double play.
Wei-Chieh Huang and Cody Bolton finished against the Yankees’ substitute substitutes. Each threw a scoreless inning and fanned two. Huang got in some trouble, with second and third and one out, but got the two Ks. The first was called on a v-e-r-y slow curve. Bolton had an easy inning.
The offense came all at once. Ke’Bryan Hayes and Bryan Reynolds hit back-to-back home runs in the third, Hayes’ with one on. They were Hayes’ second and Reynolds’ first of the spring. Hayes later hit a 108-mph bullet that caromed off the pitcher for a line drive double play, so his thumb appears to be fine.
On the job competition front, Canaan Smith-Njigba went 2-for-3. He’s hitting 294/429/294, which continues his pattern of showing good patience, hitting the ball hard, and not elevating anything. Tucupita Marcano and Chris Owings were each 1-for-3.
Some notes from Pirate City:
Bubba Chandler and Anthony Solometo threw an inning each this morning. I wasn’t there yet, but I was told that Solometo was sitting at 95-96 mph, Chandler a tick higher.
Javier Rivas has been on the field for scrimmages with mostly upper level players, which may or may not say something.
Jack Brannigan has been playing second base at least some of the time, which also may or may not mean much. There’s no indication whether or when Brannigan will start pitching, except it doesn’t seem to be imminent. Most teams preferred him as a pitcher, but the Pirates did not. That may partly be due to his significant defensive ability.
