The Pittsburgh Pirates saw its Grapefruit League losing streak run to three games with an 8-3 defeat Friday at the hands of the Minnesota Twins. With the loss, the Pirates fell to 4-5-2 on the spring.
Casey Sadler was scored on for the first time this spring, in his third start. Sadler [1-1] threw 2.1 innings and allowed five hits, four runs and a walk.
The Twins scored three runs in the first inning, the first of which came on one of the Pirates three errors, as Jordan Schafer reached base on a Neil Walker throwing miscue. The other two runs were scored on a Kenny Vargas home run, his second of the spring.
The other run off Sadler came in the third inning. Sadler allowed a walk, a single and another single to three of the first four batters and then was replaced by Wilfredo Boscan. Boscan allowed a single to his first batter, Oswaldo Arcia. Boscan pitched the final two-thirds of the inning.
Tony Watson pitched the fourth inning, allowing a hit, but did not surrender a run. The same could not be said for Jared Hughes who gave three runs on three hits in the fifth inning.
Vargas led off the inning with a single and was driven home on a double by Arcia. Arcia scored when Eddie Rosario hit a two-run home run to left field. It was his second long ball of the spring.
The Pirates countered with three runs of their own in the bottom of the sixth inning. Neil Walker opened the inning with a double. With two outs, Stetson Allie walked and then Tony Sanchez doubled, scoring both runners. The next batter, Gorkys Hernandez added the third run on a single to center field.
Radhames Liz followed Watson and threw two innings. In the seventh inning, Eric Farris singled to score Mitch Garver.
Rob Scahill and Josh Wall each pitched a scoreless inning to finish the game. Ervin Santana [2-0] won the game for the Twins.
The game was played in front of 6,363 people. Josh Harrison was 2-3 for the game and is batting .333 on the spring. Andrew McCutchen was a late scratch because of lower body soreness and he was replaced by Jaff Decker who now is a .417 hitter on the spring.
The Pirates will next play on Saturday in a road contest against the Boston Red Sox in a game that will start at 1:05. Gerrit Cole will start for the Pirates and face Henry Owens. Also expected to pitch for the Pirates are Clayton Richard, Stolmy Pimentel, John Holdzkom and Brad Lincoln. The game will be broadcast on 93.7 FM and the Pirates Radio Network.
