Pirates Crush Orioles as Henry Davis Hits Grand Slam

Henry Davis hit a grand slam, David Bednar blew a save opportunity — albeit in the fourth inning — and the Pittsburgh Pirates knocked off the Baltimore Orioles 15-5 at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla.

Dylan Carlson began the game with a leadoff home run against Carmen Mlodzinski, the lone run charged to the third year right-hander in three innings pitched. Mlodzinski wasn’t at his most efficient, facing 14 batters and throwing 64 pitches in that time span.

Oneil Cruz tied the game in the bottom of the frame with an RBI single, going on to finish the day with two hits, two stolen bases and a walk. The Pirates (11-9) built their lead to 4-1 by the top of the fourth, when Bednar spelled Mlodzinski and promptly gave up three runs (two earned) across two outs. The fault largely fell to Pittsburgh’s defense, as a leadoff double fell into no man’s land — and out of Suwinski’s glove — before a single slipped just past Nick Gonzales. Instead of two quick outs, a batter scored, then a passed ball from Endy Rodríguez added another run.

Pirates Pile On

Jack Suwinski helped make up for the earlier miscue with a diving catch on a sacrifice fly to rob Dylan Carlson of extra bases, and Cruz later grounded out with the bases loaded to put the Pirates back in front. They never trailed again. Suwinski added a two-run single in the sixth, working the count full and then battling for 12 pitches, while Nick Cimillo and Jace Bowen doubled home runs the following frame. Davis blew the game open with his grand slam in the eighth, pulling a 91.8 mile per hour fastball hanging just above the zone.

The Pirates will be back in action at 1:05 p.m. on Sunday, March 16, facing the New York Yankees on the road.