Pirates fall to Boston Red Sox
Pirates fall to Boston Red Sox
GAME RECAP
Red Sox 6, Pirates 2
Record: Pittsburgh is 2-6-1.
Key inning: Boston put the game out of reach in the sixth inning when Blake Swihart (ground out) and Pablo Sandoval (double) each drove in a run.
Pirates big bat: Starling Marte went 1-for-2 with a run scored to raise his Grapefruit League batting average to .455.
What Clint Hurdle said: "I'm in a different business than you're in. I'm a crock pot. People have a tendency to be microwaves." - on the results aspect of spring training.
Pirates starter watch: Ryan Vogelsong tossed three innings in his second appearance this spring. The right-hander gave up three earned runs off four hits, including a home run, and walked two without any strikeouts.
Quoted: "You need to battle every once and a while," Vogelsong said. "I'd rather have it now and get it out of the way than a start before the season starts. I wasn't as crisp as I wanted to be, but I got a chance to grind through some innings because that's going to happen. And you need to be in that situation, too."
First pitch by: Kendall Miller, Steve Young and Brad Prechtl
National anthem by: Doug Dierdorf
Roster moves: None reported.
UP NEXT
Who: at Tampa Bay
Where: Port Charlotte
When: 1:05 p.m. Thursday
Starting pitchers: Francisco Liriano vs. Drew Smyly. It's Liriano's second start this spring. The left-hander was sharp in his debut, retiring all six batters he faced - with four coming via strikeouts - in two innings.
Pirates pitching lineup: Jameson Taillon, Neftali Feliz, Jorge Rondon, Curtis Partch and Rob Scahill are scheduled to follow Liriano.
PROSPECT SPOTLIGHT
Alen Hanson
Hometown: La Romana, Dominican Republic
Resides: La Romana, Dominican Republic
Drafted: Undrafted free agent signee
Position: Second base
2015 team/level: Indianapolis, Triple-A
What he did Wednesday: Hanson went 1-for-3, nearly legging out an infield single off a bunt in the first inning.
What he has done this spring: Hanson is 7 for 14 with a double, four runs scored, three stolen bases and three RBIs.
FACES OF MCKECHNIE
Shaun Higgins
Hometown: Monaca, Pa.
Resides: Bradenton
Years here: Less than a year
Stadium job: Coordinator of Corporate Partnerships and Ticketing
Toughest part of the job: "Just trying to keep up with the demand of everything. It's a busy time and so just staying organized and making sure that we're taking care of everyone's needs. And making sure we're creating (an) experience that meets our fans' expectations. We're always striving for that."
Favorite player: "I'll go with Starling Marte. He's a young and exciting one. He's got the qualities of being a potential superstar."
Favorite part of McKechnie: "Just seeing it full of Pirates fans on game days. It's such an intimate stadium that our fans can get so close to the action that it's really unique. It's something that you don't really see at a lot of places."
Best baseball memory: "Would definitely be the first wild-card game that the Pirates played in (2013)."
FIVE QUESTIONS WITH
Francesco Cervelli
Position: Catcher
Age: 30
Drafted: Amateur free agent signee (Yankees)
Resides: Tampa
2015 team/level: Pittsburgh, MLB-NL
Q: What are some of your passions away from the baseball diamond?
A: "Cook and travel. I like to travel a lot. ... Barcelona. I really loved that city."
Q: But you also enjoy soccer, despite coming from a baseball-heavy country in Venezuela. And you support Italian club Juventus. What do you make of their chances against German giants FC Bayern Munich in the second leg of their Round of 16 UEFA Champions League match?
A: "It's tough, but they've got a big chance going there because they are a great team."
Q: How much soccer did you play growing up or was it always baseball?
A: "I used to play a lot, but Venezuela is baseball. ... A lot of problems there with politics getting involved and then it's not good in the sport."
Q: So going back to cooking, what do you enjoy cooking?
A: "I like pasta. It's what I like to cook, but I cannot eat it all the time. I like to cook a little bit of everything. ... Pasta Ragu, short ribs."
Q: And how does it make you feel being beloved by the fans when you take the field and they scream your name?
A: "It feels special every time you come to the field and they support you, it's really good. It feels like you're home. It feels good. And especially in Pittsburgh, people support you and they always follow you everywhere."
This story was originally published March 9, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Pirates fall to Boston Red Sox ."