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The Pittsburgh Pirates will host the Miami Marlins at LECOM Park in Bradenton for the second game of their Grapefruit League schedule on Sunday afternoon
Yesterday, the Pittsburgh Pirates kicked off their Grapefruit League schedule by traveling to Clearwater to battle the Philadelphia Phillies. Following a 3-2 victory over the Phillies, the team is ready for their 2019 Grapefruit League debut at home.
At 1:05 PM on Sunday afternoon the Pirates will host the Miami Marlins at LECOM Park in Bradenton. This will be the second game of Grapefruit League play for both the Pirates and the Marlins.
Right-handed pitcher Nick Kingham will make the start for the Bucs on Sunday afternoon. Kingham, like yesterday’s starter Steven Brault, is battling with Jordan Lyles for the fifth and final spot in the Pirates’ starting rotation. Kingham is coming off a rookie season in which he posted a 5.21 ERA and a 5.65 FIP in 18 games (15 starts) for the Pirates.
Even if Kingham does not earn a spot in the starting rotation, odds are, he will be on the Opening Day roster as a member of the bullpen. This is due to Kingham being out of minor league options. Also, the Pirates remain high on Kingham. Prior to Tommy John Surgery limited him to just 12 games combined in 2015 and 2016, Kingham was a top-100 prospect.
Even with his struggles last season Kingham still flashed some good things. His 7.6% walk rate and 20.9% strikeout rate were both strong, but he was plagued by the long ball. Kingham allowed 18 home runs in just 76 innings pitched (2.13 HR/9) and had an abysmal 18.9% home run:fly ball rate.
Other than Kingham, five other pitchers are scheduled to pitch for the Pirates. Lefty Francisco Liriano, who is bidding for a bullpen spot, will make his return to the black and gold on Sunday. Dovydas Neverauskas, Nick Burdi, Alex McRae, and Dario Agrazal are all scheduled to pitch as well.
Neverauskas has been up and down between the minor leagues and the MLB level the past two seasons, and McRae made his MLB debut last season. Burdi will be an intriguing arm to watch this spring as he is likely to crack the Opening Day roster due to his Rule 5 status, and Agrazal is a pitcher who could emerge as a bullpen depth option at Triple-A this season.