The Pittsburgh Pirates got some great results from their Major League pitchers yesterday, with Wandy Rodriguez, Jason Grilli, and Jeanmar Gomez combining for six shutout innings. Afterwards, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said he was pleased with the three pitchers, and ran through what impressed him with each guy.
Wandy Rodriguez – Hurdle pointed out that he had an aggressive approach, and also was mixing in some curveballs in the second inning. Rodriguez said that the curve was the big difference from his previous work, and that he was working on the location of the pitch.
Jason Grilli – Hurdle said he was very efficient, and working the fastball to both sides of the plate. Grilli said he was focusing on fastball command, but also mixing in some breaking pitches to keep it like a real game.
“You try to make it as real as possible,” Grilli said.
That was Grilli’s Spring Training debut, and he’s on pace for a reduced workload due to his age, the injury he suffered last year, and the small amount of work he needs to get ready for the season.
“We didn’t see the need for him to start pitching the first game of Spring Training,” Hurdle said.
Jeanmar Gomez – He had the most impressive day, throwing eight of ten first pitch strikes, and throwing just 34 pitches in three shutout innings of work. At the start of Spring Training, Hurdle said that the Pirates would get a lot of pitchers to the three inning/50 pitch mark, then decide who to push forward as starting options. Hurdle said the team doesn’t know yet whether Gomez would move beyond the three inning mark in his next outing.
