The Pittsburgh Pirates showed a lot of good things that they can build upon in their 4-2 win over the Detroit Tigers in the first spring training game of the season.
The first positive from yesterday's game was Kyle Lobstein's performance on the mound. The lefty is fighting with Jeff Locke for the fifth starters spot in the Pirates rotation. He started yesterday's game and threw 2.0 innings giving up only 1 hit, walking 2, and striking out 1. The start proved that Lobstein can be a quality major league starter.
The first inning started out rough for Lobstein. He got Jose Iglesias out on the first pitch, but then proceeded to walk both Justin Upton and Miguel Cabrerra before getting Victor Martinez to ground into a double play. He threw eight straight balls after getting the lead off guy but was able to fight out of what could have been a disastrous inning.
He bounced back in inning number two however, only allowing one hit and striking out a batter. Lobstein is a guy I'm looking for to have success this season, and with his performance yesterday, he is off to a good start. If Lobstein can limit his number of walks in 2016 he will be a much better pitcher then he was in 2015.
Another pitching positive I took away was Neftali Feliz. He only pitched one inning, but it was a perfect inning and he struck out a batter. In 2016, he will be called upon to be a one inning guy late in the game to help open the door for Tony Watson and Mark Melancon. If he can pitch the way he pitched in game one, it could lead to a dominant Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen.
Offensively, there were many bright spots as well. The offense in total collected ten hits on the day and scored four runs. There were contributions made both by members of the big league club and the prospects as well. Both are good signs for the here and now and the future of the Pirates organization.The Pirates offense is the big question for 2016 and the first game of spring training showed some promise.
On the big league club, I was most impressed with Jordy Mercer. He went 2 for 3 on the day with a home run and an RBI. The short stop mostly known for his defense, brought the bat yesterday and contributed in a big way. Throughout his career he has been known as a slow starter. If he can keep a fast start going at the beginning of the season, it will go a long way to improving his offensive numbers in 2016.
A guy I have been impressed with in the early part of spring training is non-roster invitee and minor league outfielder Adam Frazier. He finished the day 1 for 2 with a triple and a run scored. The converted infielder hit .324 last season in Double A Altoona, and so far in the early part of spring, has showed success at the plate. He also had a hit and scored a run in the annual Black and Gold game that was held on Monday.
I know it is still early in spring training as we are only one game in, but I saw a lot of things that show positive signs for the 2016 season. With good pitching and consistent hitting at the plate, the Pirates have a chance to contend for the NL Central title in 2016. Consistency is the key for the Pirates this season both on the mound and at the plate. If they can be a more consistent team, we will see a lot of good things from the Pittsburgh Pirates this season.
Spring Training action continues today as the Pittsburgh Pirates will once again take on the Detroit Tigers. The pitching match up will be Jeff Locke for the Pirates versus Buck Farmer for the Tigers. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m.
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