Bad Day For Starters - Bucs Go Down 8-4 v Detroit, 4-3 v Phils & Notes

Day Two: Derek Holland got the start against the Tigers at LECOM Park today in an 8-4 loss. D’s second pitch was banged over the fence, then he settled in to fan the side. Will Craig’s sac fly small-balled the tying run in the Bucco half. Holland was tagged with another run after giving up a pair of two-baggers; the Pirates rallied back with an RBI double from Oneil Cruz and a flare to left by JT Riddle to plate Cruz to take the lead at 3-2.

That was the highlight. Ric Rod and Sam Howard each worked an inning and gave up a run (plus the lead), and a three-run shot off Robbie Erlin by Daniel Pinero iced it. Cal Mitchell’s sac fly scored Jason Delay (yes, both Bucs) in the eighth, but Riley Greene’s dinger off Nick Economos in the ninth made the final 8-4 El Tigres.  Motown banged four homers, though Steven Brault, Keona Kela and Dovydas Neverauskas (a guy to watch this spring; he and Clay Holmes are the guys thought most likely to rebound under a new staff) put up scoreless frames. JT Riddle and Luke Maile each had two raps for the Pirates.

And yes, the Bucs played two: Don Kelly got to manage the bus boys as Trevor Williams took the hill against the Phils at Spectrum Field in Clearwater. That one was close, but again no cigar as the Pirates fell 4-3. Williams was not ready for prime time; he was rattled for four runs in the opening frame, surrendering four hits, a walk and tossing a wild pitch. He then twirled a 1-2-3 second, and the rest of the hill gang – Hector Noesi, Nick Burdi, Montana DuRapau, JT Brubaker, Cody Ponce and Blake Weiman – posted a zero the rest of the way, giving up just four hits.

The Bucs got two back in the third on a pair of walks, both chased home by a pair of ground ball singles, one off a glove. They cut the lead to one when Jake Elmore doubled home Jared Olivo. The Steel City nine put runners on first and third in the eighth, but a strikeout was followed by a caught stealing to meekly squelch that effort. The Pirates had runners on first and second in the ninth with an out, but no luck again – they finished the day 3-for-15 w/RISP and stranded a dozen men on the basepaths. Jose Osuna had the club’s only two-hit outing. So there’s a new staff in town, but sadly, the SOB have showed up the past two days at the dish.

Tomorrow: The Bucs visit the Yankees at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. The game will be aired on 93.7 The Fan.

Notes:

• One thing  the early slog shows is the importance of Josh Bell, Bryan Reynolds and even Colin Moran to the lineup – with Starling and his 23 HR gone, this team has no muscle but isn’t built for small ball. How Shelty and the braintrust manage to grind out runs is going to be the key to whatever success they’ll have. You can see an effort to increase the team’s speed, but Oneil Cruz is the only near-term prospect with plus power. It’s gonna be interesting to follow that process…

• S/O to John Dreker of Pirates Prospects, who reported that the Bucs added 18-year-old Taiwanese SS Tsung-Che Cheng to the camp roster today. He signed for $380K in July as one of their top rated international signings.
• Shelty had the perfect gang to kick off his managing career with yesterday, his old buds from the Twins, manager Rocco Baldelli, Hall-of-Famer Rod Carew and Tony Oliva. The foursome got in a little pre game socializing before the main event.