Harang looks good as Reds whip Pirates
BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) – Any club would take this performance from its opening day starter 10 days before the season starts. Aaron Harang limited the Pirates to four singles over six shutout innings in his next-to-last spring start and the Cincinnati Reds beat Pittsburgh 5-1 on Friday.
Harang needed only 78 pitches on a sunny, warm day to get through his scheduled six innings, so he threw 15 more in the bullpen to continue building up his arm strength. The right-handed Harang, 16-6 with a 3.73 ERA last season, is scheduled to start a third consecutive season opener when the Reds play Arizona on March 31.
“My pitch count’s in the 90s already,” said Harang, who was 3-0 against Pittsburgh last season. “I’m sure my next one will be about 100. I feel good going out there. I was able to work on some off-speed pitches, make sure my touch was there, and I’m ready to go.”
A Pirates offense that was unexpectedly productive earlier this month certainly isn’t.
The Pirates have been held to one or no runs in six of their last seven losses, with the only exception being a 12-9 loss to the Yankees on a windy Wednesday night in which anything hit into the air had a chance of leaving McKechnie Field. They have dropped six of their last nine.
The Pirates had only one extra-base hit, Ryan Doumit’s double off reliever Mike Stanton in the seventh. They finished with seven hits a day after being limited to four during a 3-0 loss to the Phillies, though new manager John Russell doesn’t seem worried.
“I’ve been pleased with the way we’re going about our business,” Russell said. “The guys are pretty excited about getting started. We have a lot of things we’re still working out … but I don’t see anything where it’s like, ‘Jeez, if we can’t fix that, we’re in trouble,”‘ he said.
The Reds had five runs and nine hits in five innings off left-hander Tom Gorzelanny, a 14-game winner last season who will start Pittsburgh’s second game of the season, April 2 in Atlanta.
NOTES: Harang will start again Wednesday, against the Blue Jays. … The Pirates are 8-15. … Pirates SS Jack Wilson was a late scratch due to an asthma flareup. … Reds RH Matt Belisle had a setback as he tries to become the No. 5 starter, a stiff right forearm that may have resulted from him working on a changeup. He threw at the Reds’ training complex. Belisle, Homer Bailey and Josh Fogg are in the running for the final spot in the rotation. Manger Dusty Baker said, “I don’t know when he’s going to be on the mound again. He’s getting behind. Hopefully he can get on the mound pretty soon here.” … … The Reds assigned C Alvin Colina and LHP Scott Sauerbeck, a former Pirates reliever, to their minor league camp. They have 42 players left in camp, including injured SS Alex Gonzalez and LHP Bobby Livingston. … Pirates CF Nyjer Morgan made a sliding catch of Ryan Freel’s sinking line drive in the seventh.
Copyright Associated Press 2008