Three would-be Pirates’ starting pitchers have solid day
BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) – Four of the six pitchers competing for one open spot in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ starting rotation got a chance to make an impression Wednesday – but one separated himself from the group in a painful way. Left-hander Dennys Reyes was struck on the right temple by a line drive off the bat of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays’ Aubrey Huff in the fifth inning of a split-squad game at St. Petersburg, Fla., and was forced to leave the game. Reyes was taken off the field on a golf cart and was listed in stable condition at Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg.
“His vital signs are good and that is encouraging,” Pirates General Manager Dave Littlefield said. “Situations like that are always scary and we’re hopeful he will be fine.”
While Reyes had a scary moment in a 3-3 10-inning tie, right-handers Jeff D’Amico and Julian Tavarez turned in solid performances in an 11-3 win over Tampa Bay in a split-squad game here.
D’Amico started and scattered one run on five hits in four innings with one walk and two strikeouts.
“I would say it was an encouraging outing, on the whole,” said D’Amico, who had been bothered a stiff lower back in his previous outing last Friday against Cincinnati.
Tavarez followed and gave up one unearned run on two hits in three innings with one walk and three strikeouts.
“I thought D’Amico threw the ball well, though he put some balls up in the (strike) zone,” Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon said. “I thought his curveball got better as the game went along.
“As far as Tavarez, he did well with his sinker but got hurt a little with his slider. On the whole, he certainly had good stuff. I would say both he and D’Amico had solid outings.”
In St. Petersburg, fifth-starter candidate Brian Meadows started and the right-hander allowed two unearned runs on four hits in four innings with no walks and one strikeout.
Right-hander Rolando Arrojo and Salomon Torres are also competing for the No. 5 job. They are tentatively scheduled to pitch Friday against Philadelphia in Clearwater, Fla.
From a statistical standpoint, Torres seems to have at least a slight edge as he has compiled a 2.70 earned run average in 10 innings. Meanwhile, Meadows has a 3.09 ERA in 11 2-3 innings, Tavarez’s ERA is 3.86 in seven innings, D’Amico has a 4.76 mark in 11 1-3 innings, Arrojo has a 7.04 ERA in 7 2/3 innings and Reyes has an 8.76 mark in 5 1-3 innings.
However, McClendon said a lot of factors will go into the decision.
“You take into account the results they are having this spring but it goes beyond that,” McClendon said. “You evaluate a number of things, including how they’ve pitched in the major leagues in the past and what you project they might be able to do in the future. It’s a decision that won’t be made lightly.”
The Pirates don’t have to make the decision for at least two weeks as they open the season March 31 at Cincinnati. However, they are likely to narrow the field of six down to three after Friday.
“There comes a point where you have to make sure you get enough innings for everyone to be ready for the season and that’s coming soon,” McClendon said. “I wish I had an answer now as to who the No. 5 starter will be. There is no magic formula, though, and we’re not to the point yet where someone has clearly won the job.”