ALTOONA, Pa. — Right-hander James McDonald took the mound at People’s Natural Gas Field on Saturday afternoon to get some final work in of the spring before the season kicks off on Monday against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park. Facing the Pirates Double-A affiliate the Altoona Curve, McDonald had a rough first inning –allowing four runs– but was able to finish off the lengthy frame with a scoreless second to end his outing.
“I think at times, James just tries to feel his way through things,” Manager Clint Hurdle said. “One of the things that we continue to stress with him is that needs to just go out and make pitches with intent, conviction. He knows what he’s got. He’s got downhill angle on the fastball. He’s got three other pitches he can use effectively. He’s got to work ahead and throw first pitch strikes. That wasn’t in play today. Today he probably got another wakeup call before the season goes of now what can I do to be successful, what I got to do to compete and what I got to do to give our team a chance to win. The sequences out there [today] weren’t clean and he knows that better than anybody.”
The young bucs quickly filled up the bases against McDonald in the first after a leadoff single from Mel Rojas, Jr., and a one-out walk from Matt Curry, the first of four free passes the Curve would draw. Andrew Lambo and Adalberto Santos each picked up an RBI to follow before McDonald issued a second walk of the frame. The Curve’s catcher Carlos Paulino ripped a double just fair down the right field line to bring in two more before McDonald was able to get a strikeout to end it.
“It was a long inning,” McDonald said. “Just kind of wanted it over, and move on from there…I made an adjustment after I went back out there the second time. I found a rhythm and felt better from there.”
Despite the rocky start from McDonald, the Pirates skipper Clint Hurdle is confident that he will be just fine this season. McDonald finished the 2012 season in the bullpen after having a tale of two seasons with Pittsburgh last year –a 2.37 ERA at the All-Star break compared to a 7.52 mark to finish out the season.
“This is my 39th spring, and what you see in the spring doesn’t mean that’s what you’re going to see in the season,” Hurdle said. “He knows what’s at stake. He knows his role and responsibility in the rotation and the accountability to the other 24 men on the club. I’m firmly confident in the fact that when the bell rings we will be able to reset. Everybody knows its game time. It’s been a long spring. We’re looking to play some games that count. I have every optimism that James is going to show up well for us.”
McDonald allowed just a walk in his second and final inning of work. Overall, McDonald allowed four runs on three hits with four walks, two strikes and two wild pitches.
McDonald will get the third start of the season against the Cubs on Thursday, April 4th at PNC Park. He finished Grapefruit League action with a 4.19 ERA over 19.1 innings, nine walks and 14 strikeouts. Of the five starts by the 28-year-old, three of them were scoreless outings. Most of the damage from the other outings came early in the ballgame.
“I had a decent spring overall,” McDonald said. “Other than today, I think I was pretty solid…A couple times I had a rough inning, but some of those innings they got seeing eye hits. Sometimes you can’t help it. The first inning; I need to lock it down and try to focus a lot harder. Once I get going, it’s pretty smooth from there.”
“A lot of times this spring when I got into a situation, I was able to minimize the damage and didn’t let it get too hectic. A lot of times this spring where I had guys first and second, I just need to make my pitch and get a double play ball. Just need to settle myself down when I need to.”
Marte Hits a Grand Slam…Off His Teammate
Left-hander Tony Watson followed Jason Grilli, taking the mound for the Curve in the second inning. After Watson allowed a lead off double to Gaby Sanchez, a walk to Neil Walker and a single to Russell Martin to load the bases, the 27-year-old had to face rookie Starling Marte, who was the Curve’s MVP after an impressive 2011 season in Altoona. The Pirates left fielder crushed a 3-2 fastball into the seats in left field for a grand slam. After the game, Marte was all smiles when asked what he said to Watson after the game.
“It’s all in good fun.”
“[I] feel very confident [at the plate],” Marte said through translator and third baseman Pedro Alvarez. “Playing winter ball in the Dominican helped out a bunch. The biggest thing is plate discipline –especially when the pitcher is not throwing many strikes. {I’m] making sure pitchers are throwing strikes to [me]. At the end of the day, [I] need to get some good swings off and square up the ball.”
Marte finished the spring hitting for a .323 clip, reaching base safely in eight of his final nine games. He also made his first Opening Day roster and will be the Pirates staring left fielder in 2013. Making the club out of camp was something that Marte said was exciting.
“It was a goal [I] achieved,” he said. “[I] tried to obviously make the team, and it happened. The next step now is to try and do the best [I] can to help this team…Getting on base, score for the guys behind [me]. Just help out the team anyway possible.”
“He has everything you want in a baseball player,” Hurdle said. “He’s got everything you want in a player that can make an impact. He can create separation in the game with his glove, with his legs, with his bat. He’s experienced. He needs to go play. There’s things that are coming together for him. There are things he needs to continue to work on everyday to get better to improve. We’re excited to have him. It’s going to be a fun season to watch him grow up right in front of us.”
Notes:
— The Pirates lost 8-6 to the Curve in just their second exhibition game in franchise history and the first since 2000. However, the Pirates team had Curve players, and the Curve players used Pirates players. 10,116 fans packed the field for the biggest in club history.
“These are challenging games because you’ve got your guys pitching on both sides, players splitting things up,” Hurdle said. “At the end of the day, we got off the field and everyone is healthy. Guys that needed to pitch today, pitched. They got their last mound action. We will work out tomorrow and we will be ready for Opening Day.”
— Jason Grilli, who started for the Curve, Jared Hughes (Curve), Mark Melancon (Pirates) and lefty Justin Wilson (Curve) each tossed their final outing of the spring, and it was a scoreless one.
— The Pirates have a workout at PNC Park on Sunday, which is free and open to the public from 1-3 P.M.
