Grapefruit League Game 16: Baltimore Orioles 13, Pittsburgh Pirates 5

ST The Pittsburgh Pirates saw split squad action on Saturday play games 15 and 16 of their 33 game Grapefruit League schedule.

On Saturday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Pirates had one team host the Atlanta Braves at LECOM Park in Bradenton. Meanwhile, another group headed to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota to battle the Baltimore Orioles.

In Sarasota, Chad Kuhl made his third start of the spring for the Bucs.

In the top of the 1st inning the Pirates drew first blood. After Starling Marte singled, Corey Dickerson drove him home with a double. Francisco Cervelli then hit his 3rd double of the spring to give the Pirates a 2-0 lead.

However, this lead would not last long. In the bottom of the 1st inning the Orioles took a 4-2 lead off of Chad Kuhl courtesy of home runs from Trey Mancini, Manny Machado, and Jonathan Schoop.

Chad Kuhl’s struggles would continue in the bottom of the 3rd inning. After allowing a RBI single to Tim Beckham that made the score 5-2 Orioles, Kuhl walked Chance Sisco to load the bases. This walk also brought Kuhl’s day to an end.

Tyler Eppler took over for Kuhl, inherited a mess, and proceeded to make the mess worse. After allowing 3 hits and a walk, Eppler had been charged with 3 earned runs and the Orioles led 11-2.

In the bottom of the 4th inning Eppler would allow 2 more runs. This extended the lead to 13-2 Baltimore.

Chad Kuhl’s ugly final line was as follows: 2 1/3 innings pitched, 7 hits allowed, 8 runs, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts, and 3 home runs.

The Pirates cut the deficit to 13-4 in the top of the 5th inning. Eric Wood doubled and scored on an Austin Meadows single. A Starling Marte triple then plated Meadows.

After George Kontos pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the 5th inning, Jose Osuna hit a solo home run in the top of the 6th inning. This cut the Oriole lead to 13-5.

Michael Feliz then pitched the top of the 6th and 7th innings. Feliz recorded a pair of strikeouts while retiring all 6 batters he faced. Edgar Santana then struck out a pair in a 1-2-3 bottom of the 8th inning.

Notable offensive performances included Austin Meadows going 1-for-4, Starling Marte going 2-for-3 with a triple, Corey Dickerson going 1-for-3 with a double, and Francisco Cervelli going 1-for-4 with a double. Additionally, Max Moroff and Jose Osuna each went 1-for-3 and Osuna added his 2nd home run of the spring.

Next: Braves 15, Pirates 1

Next up for the Pittsburgh Pirates is a trip to Dunedin to play the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon. First pitch from Dunedin Stadium is scheduled for 1:05 PM on Sunday afternoon.