It was not a good night for the Pirates, nor for quelling the concerns about their rotation.
Last night, the Pirates lost to the Yankees by a score of 12-0. Left-handed pitcher Marco Gonzales gave up nine runs in 3.2 innings of work, giving up three home runs to Giancarlo Stanton. Along with these home runs, Gonzales gave up four more hits with an exit velocity in excess of 100 MPH.
Quinn Priester came on for the final three innings of work, and gave up the remaining three runs of the game. Priester started his outing by loading the bases with two walks and a hard hit single. Stanton plated a run with a sacrifice fly. Anthony Rizzo brought another in with a double. Priester allowed the third run to score on a wild pitch. After that, Priester settled down and got through the rest of the night without more than a few singles.
The Pirates offense was quiet, with doubles from Oneil Cruz and Ke’Bryan Hayes leading the scoreless night. Bryan Reynolds and Andrew McCutchen had the only other hits of the night. The lineup featured something close to what you’d expect to see during the season.
I’m less concerned by a bad night from the offense, and more concerned by continued struggles from the pitching staff. Gonzales has struggled in three of his four Spring Training starts, and is lined up to be one of the innings eaters of the staff. If there’s a silver lining, it’s that Priester has pitched well in three of his five outings, and pulled things together after a rough first frame tonight. Both pitchers were coming off their best outings of the Spring, and will likely each have one more start before the season begins.
Today in Florida
The Pirates take on the Blue Jays tonight at 6:35 PM EST. If you’re at the game, you might see me wandering around somewhere in the stadium. I’ll be at Pirate City this weekend, preparing for my next article at Baseball America, with a few player features planned for this site as well.
Pirates Prospects Daily
Rankings will be going up on Pirates Prospects in two weeks, for the April 2nd premium article drop. In today’s column, I wrote about the new ranking process, which will be less about a numbered list, and more about tiers.
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This Week on Pirates Prospects
The first premium article drop of the year went up on Tuesday, featuring a look at six different pitchers. To access these articles, you need to join via Patreon.
**The History of Anthony Solometo’s Funky Delivery
Read about how Anthony Solometo developed one of the funkiest deliveries in the game and reached the upper levels as one of the top prospects in the Pirates’ system.
**Braxton Ashcraft Returned From Tommy John With MLB Stuff
Braxton Ashcraft is looking like he could help the Pirates in 2024, with the help of three plus offerings.
**Thomas Harrington Emerged as a Top Ten Prospect in His Pro Debut
He’s down with a shoulder issue right now, but Thomas Harrington showed he was a top ten prospect in the system with his 2023 debut.
**J.P. Massey Shows His Future Potential During Eventful 2023 Season
After a trip to the MLB Future’s Game, and a full season in A-ball, J.P. Massey is showing off potential that could lead to a future in Pittsburgh.
**Jackson Wolf’s Elevator Delivery Explained
Solometo isn’t the only lefty with a funky delivery. Read about Jackson Wolf, who the Pirates acquired from the Padres last year at the deadline.
**Aaron Shortridge Progressing Steady As a Turtle
Entering his third year removed from Tommy John surgery, Aaron Shortridge is starting to feel like his former self.
Song of the Day
