Juan Nicasio had a fantastic start for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but it wasn't enough as the bullpen faltered in the Pirates 9-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium.
It was a fantastic day for Pittsburgh Pirates starter Juan Nicasio, but for everyone else the day did not go as well as the Pittsburgh Pirates lost to the Baltimore Orioles by the final score of 9-3. The bullpen struggled mightily and the offense was held to just three runs on six hits. But the loss does not take away from the fabulous start by Nicasio.
Nicasio pitched 4.0 innings today giving up only one hit and striking out 10 batters. As I stated in my article yesterday, one thing Nicasio has to work on is the amount of hits he has given up. Well today he did just that giving up only one in his four innings of work. Another impressive number is the 10 strikeouts on the day. Nicasio is not known as a guy who will strikeout a lot of batters, but it is nice to see the performance from him today.
Nicasio has yet to give up a run this spring training and, after today's start, has made a strong statement to be the teams fifth starter. The Pirates have not had a solid back-end of the rotation option for the last couple years. If Nicasio can prove consistent on the mound and not give up a lot of runs, he could be a force to be reckoned with at the back of the Pirates rotation.
After Nicasio however, things started going down hill fast on the mound for the Pirates. Next in the game was Jared Hughes who went 1.0 inning giving up three runs on three hits while striking out a batter. The big blow for Hughes was giving up the two-out three-run home run to Johnathan Schoop in the fifth inning. Hughes has had a tendency to give up the long ball this spring training, and that is something he will need to work on as the regular season approaches.
Arquimedes Caminero followed him and struggled just as much pitching 1.1 innings giving up four runs on five hits while walking a batter and striking out two. Caminero was also plagued by the home run ball as Christian Walker hit a three-run home run off of him in inning number seven. Caminero has been known for his inconsistency throughout his time with the Pirates and that is starting to show again here in spring training with a number of good outings surrounded by quite a few bad ones as well.
Both Caminero and Hughes are going to be in the middle of the Pirates bullpen during the season and both have had their struggles over the course of spring training. The long ball has been detrimental to both of these pitchers as Hughes has given up three during the course of spring training while Caminero has given up two. The more home runs you give up the worse off you are, so Hughes and Caminero need to work on those numbers as the season approaches.
Jim Fuller had to come in to relieve Caminero in the seventh and pitched 0.2 innings giving up one run on two hits. The veteran Fuller was trying to clean up after the Caminero home run, but the hits he gave up lead to another run for the Orioles.
Curtis Partch finished out the day for the Pirates on the mound throwing 1.0 inning giving up one run on one hit while striking out two. The home run ball hurt Partch as well, as Joey Rikard hit a solo shot off of him in inning number eight. However, besides that pitch Partch has a pretty good day with the two strikeouts.
The bullpen pitchers struggled mightily today and is what ultimately cost the Pirates the game. Nicasio had a fantastic start and really solidified himself as a contender on this pitching staff. Last year with the Los Angeles Dodgers he was 1-3 with a 3.86 ERA out of the bullpen. He is looking to make a return to the starting rotation, and is making a strong claim for that fifth spot as spring roles on for the Pirates.
The offense struggled today as well. After starter Kevin Gausman left the game they were held to just two hits in the final five innings. They hit the ball well early on off of Gausman, but just could not figure out the Orioles bullpen. There will be a lot of games this year where the Pirates only score three runs or less do to a lack of power, but when your pitching staff is giving up nine runs, it is hard to win many ball games.
Andrew McCutchen was one of the offensive stars today as he went 2 for 3 with two RBI and a run scored on the afternoon. McCutchen hit a long two-run home run off of Gausman in the fourth inning that gave the Pirates the early lead. However, that lead would not hold as the bullpen faltered. It was McCutchen's second home run of the spring as he gears up for the regular season.
McCutchen has not hit under .290 since the 2012 season and shows no signs of slowing down this year. The face of the Pirates franchise, McCutchen has been a proven performer throughout his time with the Pirates and will be called upon to lead again this year. With the loss of power this season, McCutchen will be the guy looked upon to hit 20 or more home runs and produce a lot of RBI's. The team will go as McCutchen goes this season and from the looks of it, McCutchen is ready to go.
Francisco Cirvelli also had a good day at the plate going 1 for 2 with a run scored on the afternoon. Cirvelli is currently hitting .235 (4 for 17) this spring in seven games played. He had a breakout season with the Pirates last year and looks to continue his success behind the plate again this season. The key for Cirvelli will be to stay injury free like he did last season. Cirvelli brings a lot of fire to the Pirates lineup and can get this team going when in a slump.
The loss today brings the Pirates spring training record to 5-9 so far. Even though they lost, there were a lot of positives to take away from today's game. First of all, Nicasio proved that he can compete at the major league level and pitched very well today. Secondly McCutchen, who is currently hitting .263 on the spring, is heating up as April approaches. Hughes and Caminero will both come around and be key contributors to this Pirates team.
The Pirates are back in action tomorrow as they come back home to McKechnie Field to take on the New York Yankees at 1:05 p.m. The Pirates battle for the fifth starter spot continues as Jeff Locke takes the hill trying to follow up Nicasio's fantastic start this afternoon. The Yankees have not yet announced their starter for tomorrow's contest. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. and the game can be seen on ROOT Sports and heard on 93.7 The Fan.
No comments:
Post a Comment