The Pittsburgh Pirates secured a 4-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays at LECOM Park on Monday in spring training action. Yordany De Los Santos paced the offense, going 1-for-1 with a home run and two RBI, giving the coaching staff plenty to be encouraged about as the exhibition schedule continues. On the mound, Mike Clevinger turned in a solid outing, working 3.0 innings of scoreless ball with three strikeouts. The Pirates finished with 8 hits on the day while holding the Rays to 4. The victory gives the Pirates positive momentum heading into the final stretch of spring training. The coaching staff will look to build on the strong showing in the games ahead.
Key Performers
Yordany De Los Santos was the top performer at the plate, going 1-for-1 with a home run and two RBI. His ability to drive the ball out of the park was the highlight of the afternoon. Performances like this give the Pirates confidence that the lineup is rounding into form.
Javier Rivas provided support, going 1-for-1 with a home run and an RBI, Jake Mangum also contributed, going 2-for-3, and Ryan O'Hearn chipped in, going 1-for-2. The depth of production throughout the lineup was encouraging to see.
On the other side of the diamond, Logan Davidson led the Rays offense with a 1-for-3 with an RBI day. Gregory Barrios also contributed, going 1-for-3 with a double. Chandler Simpson added a 1-for-3 effort as well. Despite those contributions, the Pirates pitching staff did enough to limit the damage and secure the victory.
On the Mound
Mike Clevinger got the start, putting together a workmanlike effort, working 3.0 innings while allowing 0 earned runs on 1 hit with three strikeouts. He threw 49 pitches in the outing. It was a useful learning experience as the Pirates evaluate their pitching depth heading into the regular season.
The bullpen combined for 5.3 innings of work, allowing 1 earned run while striking out four. Spring training gives the coaching staff a chance to evaluate bullpen depth, and today was an encouraging showing from the relievers. Each reliever is auditioning for a roster spot, and innings like these factor into those decisions. Evan Sisk recorded the save to close out the game.
Among the relievers, Carmen Mlodzinski stood out with 2.1 innings of 1-run work, striking out two. His performance was one of the day's bright spots from the bullpen.
How It Happened
The Pirates struck first, scoring a run in the third inning. Rays countered with a run in the fourth. The Pirates struck back with three runs in the seventh. The Pirates out-hit Rays 8-4 on the day, with 2 errors committed between the two clubs. A crowd of 4,390 was on hand to take in the action.
Looking Ahead
As the exhibition schedule nears its conclusion, the Pirates can point to this game as a step in the right direction. The combination of solid pitching and timely hitting is exactly what the coaching staff hopes to see at this stage of the spring. The focus now shifts to maintaining this level of play with the regular season just around the corner.
