In the Arizona Fall League on Wednesday, Steven Brault made his fifth start for Glendale. Earlier today, Tim Williams wrote about the changes Brault is making in the AFL to become more than just a pitcher who relies on deception and control. Both Trevor Williams and Brett McKinney came out of the bullpen in this game. Reese McGuire was in the lineup as the DH, batting second, while Austin Meadows batted seventh and played right field. Glendale lost 7-5, dropping them to 10-12 on the season.
In the first inning, Brault started off with a ground out to third base for the first out. That was followed by two straight swinging strikeouts to retire the side. He needed just 13 pitches to get through the inning, with ten going for strikes.
In the second frame, Brault got a grounder to shortstop, which resulted in a throwing error. He got a called strikeout for the first out. With the next batter up, the runner from first base was caught stealing. Brault then issued a two out walk, which immediately led to a two-run home run. He finished off the inning with a fly out to center field, but Glendale now trailed 2-1. Brault threw 21 pitches in the inning, 13 for strikes.
Brault had a great third inning, needing 11 pitches to get two strikeouts and a fly out to right field. That put him at 45 pitches for the game, with 32 going for strikes. It also ended his game, which included five strikeouts over three frames. He has a 5.40 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 11.2 innings. That doesn’t include his first start in which he gave up one run over three innings before the game was postponed in the fourth inning due to weather.
In the first inning, Reese McGuire drew a one out walk. Two batters later, he scored from first base on a double. In the second inning, he singled up the middle. McGuire came up in the fourth inning with two men on base and one out. He singled on a line drive to left field, driving in one run to give Glendale a 4-2 lead. In the sixth, he walked to load the bases, reaching for the fourth time. In the ninth, he flew out to right field, making him 2-for-3 with two walks. McGuire is batting .368 in 11 games.
Austin Meadows led off the second inning with a ground ball single through the right side. After the first out, he picked up his third stolen base of the fall. The next batter doubled, bringing home Meadows with Glendale’s second run. In the third inning, he flew out to left field for the final out. Meadows also ended the fifth inning, lining out to third base in what ended up being a double play. Leading off the eighth inning, Meadows flew out to center field.
Brett McKinney came on to pitch in the fifth inning. He gave up a single to the lead-off batter, then the next hitter reached on an error. He got a line out to first base for the first out, then gave up a single to bring home a run. McKinney walked the next batter to load the bases. He threw a wild pitch to bring in another run, then got a fly ball for the second out. A second Glendale error brought home another run. That was the end of the day for McKinney, who threw 25 pitches, with 12 going for strikes. Just one of the three runs he allowed ended up being earned.
In the seventh, Trevor Williams came out to pitch. He got a ground out to third base on the first pitch he threw, then gave up a double one pitch later. Williams picked up a strikeout for the second out, before getting another one-pitch ground out to end the inning. He threw just nine pitches, six for strikes. Earlier this week, we posted an in depth look at Williams and how he fits the Pirates’ pitching philosophy.
