Pirates beat Tigers 9-5 behind big bats
GAME RECAP
Pirates 9, Tigers 5
Record: Pittsburgh is 4-8-1.
Key inning: The third-largest crowd in McKechnie Field history at 8,771 fans, saw Danny Ortiz drive in the winning run with a double in the seventh inning
Pirates big bat: Starling Marte (2-for-3, home run, three RBIs) and Josh Harrison (2-for-3, two doubles) recorded the lone multi-hit games among Pittsburgh's starters.
Noteworthy: A windy day at McKechnie yielded five home runs, which tied what the Astros did the previous Sunday for the most of the spring at the Bradenton park.
Pirates starter watch: Gerrit Cole made his spring debut after right rib inflammation was sustained in January. He threw two innings, allowed two runs - both on solo home runs - and struck out one.
Quoted: "Just try to get out there, get a feel the mound, get a feel for competing again, get a feel for the speed of the game," Cole said. "Definitely accomplished those things. ... I just wanted to get through this one and get a feel for what's going on."
First pitch by: Stone Frishman and Mike Mullen
National anthem by: Ellery Carlson
Roster moves: David Freese was signed to a one-year contract late Friday.
UP NEXT
Who: at Red Sox
Where: Fort Myers
When: 1:05 p.m.
Starting pitchers: Ryan Vogelsong vs. Joe Kelly. It'll be Vogelsong's third spring appearance. He's allowed three earned runs, including a home run, in five innings with two walks and two strikeouts.
Pirates pitching lineup: John Holdzkom, Kyle Lobstein and Trey Haley are slated to follow Vogelsong.
PROSPECT SPOTLIGHT
Elias Diaz
Hometown: Maracaibo, Venezuela
Resides: Maracaibo, Venezuela
Drafted: Undrafted free agent signee (Pittsburgh in 2008)
Position: Catcher
2015 team/level: Indianapolis, Triple-A.
What he did Sunday: Went 2-for-4 with an RBI single in the sixth inning that tied the game at 5-5 and a two-run home run in the eighth inning.
What he has done this spring: Diaz is now 8-for-17 with four runs scored and five RBIs.
FIVE QUESTIONS WITH
Jeff Locke
Position: Pitcher
Age: 28
Drafted: Second round in 2006 (51st overall by Atlanta)
Resides: Center Conway, N.H.
2015 team/level: Pittsburgh, MLB-NL
Q: You're a big Walking Dead fan. How did you get hooked into one of the most popular shows on television?
A: "I was in Triple-A and Jeff Karstens was with us down in Triple-A. And he just started watching it on his iPad. It was just one of things where you've got a lot of down time on the road ... and you get into a series and you're hooked. There were only six episodes in the first season, so you could knock them out pretty good. I watched them over two days. And ever since then, I couldn't wait for the second season and then the third season."
Q: TWD is winding down its sixth season, but a few years ago you went with some teammates at the time to see the show getting filmed on set. What was that like?
A: "We got to throw some headsets on and we watched them film some scenes. We got to have lunch in this big cafeteria with cast members. When we sat and had lunch it was A.J. (Burnett), myself, (Neil) Walker, Tony Watson and (Jordy) Mercer. And at our table we had Tyreese, Carol ... Carl's stunt double Sebastian. He was there. Rick was there. Bob, at the time no one knew who Bob was yet because he hadn't really been introduced in the show."
Q: In addition to TWD, you're an avid soccer fan. Which league do you watch and what is it about it?
A: "I really like watching the Premier League on the weekends. I love watching the BPL. It's weird, because there are so many different types of players in there. ... In the BPL, every team is loaded with just everybody's above average. They have studs, of course. But that's my big off-season hobby. I love waking up on the weekends early as can be and just watching the matches."
Q: So how did you get hooked into the beautiful game?
A: "Right before the World Cup in 2014, I started to really get into soccer for some reason. I don't know why. Because before I didn't really like the sport. I didn't understand it. Then before the World Cup, they hype it up before it happens. So I just started to get interested in it. And then after that, we all had a big World Cup pool in the clubhouse and we all had four teams watching the games. And of course when it's on TV, that's all that is on TV is World Cup stuff."
Q: What's your favorite baseball memory from when you were a fan growing up in New Hampshire?
A: "April 12, 1998, I went to my first Red Sox game. And I saw Pedro Martinez vs. Randy Johnson. I saw Pedro's first win as a Red Sox that day. ... I saw him pitch him in between, but I never saw him win again until he won his 100th."
This story was originally published March 13, 2016 at 11:40 PM with the headline "Pirates beat Tigers 9-5 behind big bats ."