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Mitch Keller's longest spring outing yet, Liover Peguero keeps hitting, more from Pirate loss against the Orioles
Mitch Keller had his longest outing of the spring thus far, Liover Peguero remains hot at the plate, and more from the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-4 Grapefruit League loss against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night
On Wednesday, the Pirates played the first primetime game of their Grapefruit League schedule. Their first primetime game of the spring came at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Florida, against the Baltimore Orioles.
In Sarasota, the Pirate were defeated by the Orioles 6-4. This came after the Bucs allowed a pair of runs in the 8th inning, giving the Orioles a lead in a tied game they would not relinquish. With the loss, the Pirates are now 5-7 in Grapefruit League play.
Mitch Keller on the bump
Pirate ace Mitch Keller started for the Bucs, marking his 3rd start of the Grapefruit League campaign. Keller pitched 4 innings for the first time this spring, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits, a walk, a home run, and a strikeout.
It might be easy for some fans to raise an eyebrow over Keller having a 6.75 ERA through his first 9 innings of Grapefruit League action. However, it is nothing to worry about. New contract in hand, Keller should be primed for a big season. While his ERA is not pretty, it is just 9 innings.
Additionally, stats in Spring Training games do not matter. What matters is the approach hitters have in the box, where a pitcher's velocity is, what their stuff looks like, etc. For Keller, through 3 starts, his velocity and stuff have been just fine.
The rest of the pitching
On January 31st, the Pirates signed veteran left-handed reliever Aroldis Chapman to a 1-year, $10.5 million contract for the 2024 season. At first, this looked like a deal that would simply add to an already deep, talented Pirate bullpen.
Well, with David Bednar banged up and Dauri Moreta potentially set to miss extended time with an elbow issue, Chapman's role could be even bigger than originally anticipated. Chapman followed Keller, allowing a run on 3 hits and a strikeout in the 5th inning.
Carmen Mlodzinski is another pitcher who should play a big role in the Pirate bullpen this season. Mlodzinski allowed a hit, issued a walk, and recorded a strikeout in a scorelss 6th inning. Braxton Ashcraft walked a batter in a hitless, scoreless 7th inning.
Non-roster invitee minor league free agent Ryder Ryan took the ball in the 8th inning. While errors by Nick Gonzales and Termarr Johnson hurt Ryan, he allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 2 hits, but he did strikeout the side.
A lot of regulars in the lineup... but not a ton of offense to go with it
Wednesday night's lineup included a lot of players who will likely be regulars for the Pirates this season. This included Liover Peguero. The perceived frontrunner for the starting job at second base, Peguero made his 5th start of the spring at the position which is more than any other Pirate.
In the loss, Peguero was 2-for-2 with a run scored, raising his OPS this spring to 1.214. While Jared Triolo, who started at third base and went 1-for-3 with a run scored, has had a strong spring, Peguero's has been even better. Peguero also continues to flash a strong glove at second base.
Making his first appearance of the Grapefruit League season, Joshua Palacios started in right field and hit lead off. Palacios was 0-for-2, but did draw a bases loaded walk to drive in a run. Bryan Reynolds was 0-for-3, Jack Suwinski was 0-for-2 with a walk, and Henry Davis was 0-for-3.
Rowdy Tellez, Nick Gonzales, Connor Joe, and Canaan Smith-Njigba all went 0-for-2. Veteran non-roster invitee Jake Lamb was 1-for-2 with a RBI.
Next up
Following a day off on Thursday, the Pirates will have their first split squad action of the spring on Friday. Martín Pérez will start for the Pirates at LECOM Park in Bradenton against the Minnesota Twins. At CoolToday Park in North Point, Marco Gonzales will start against the Atlanta Braves.
dark. Next. bench battle. Battle for final bench spot