Pirates Lose Late to Red Sox
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates didn't get enough offense going and lost to the Boston Red Sox late on, 2-1 in the Grapefruit League at JetBlue Park at Fenway South in Fort Myers, Fla.
The defeat for the Pirates (14-12) makes it three losses in their past four games and back-to-back. They suffered road defeats, 5-2 to the Tampa Bay Rays on March 19 and 8-6 to the Detroit Tigers on March 17, with their only win coming vs. the Philadelphia Phillies at home on a walk-off home run on March 18, 3-2.
Pittsburgh also goes 0-2 vs. Boston in Spring Training, as they lost 12-4 vs. Boston at home on March 4.
The Pirates had many scoring opportunities in this game that they didn't take advantage of, leading to the defeat.
Pirates left fielder Tommy Pham doubled and then catcher Joey Bart singled with two outs in the top of the first inning, but second baseman Nick Gonzales struck out.
Third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes singled and got to second base after Pham walked in the top of the third inning with two outs, but Bart grounded out.
The best chance for the Pirates came in the top of the sixth inning, as right fielder Bryan Reynolds walked and both Pham and Bart singled, loading the bases with no outs. Gonzales would strikeout and then Triolo hit into a double-play, ending that inning with no runs scored.
Pittsburgh stayed in the game with great pitching through the first seven innings. Starting pitcher Mitch Keller allowed one hit in three innings of work with five strikeouts, while Caleb Ferguson, David Bednar, Denis Santana and Burch Smith each pitched a scoreless inning, allowing no hits and just three walks combined
The Red Sox finally broke through in the bottom of the eighth inning off of Pirates relief pitcher Wilkin Ramos.
Ramos hit second baseman Kris Campbell and then allowed a single from infielder Nick Sogard, moving Campbell to third base. Center fielder Cedanne Rafaela grounded out, but scored Campbell and moved Sogard to second base and then pinch hitter Rob Refsnyder singled, scoring Sogard for a 2-0 lead.
The Pirates attempted a comeback in the top of the ninth inning, as second baseman Mike Jarvis led off with a single. He made it home after two outs, but left fielder Eddy Rodriguez struck out, ending the game.
Pittsburgh will return back to LECOM Park in Bradenton, as they face Baltimore for a 1:05 p.m. first pitch on March 22.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.