Pirates Recap: Heaney Struggles in Debut; Priester Solid in Win for Red Sox

Andrew Heaney, who signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates last month, made his team debut in a 12-4 loss to the Boston Red Sox at LECOM Park.

If you couldn’t already tell by the score, it was a rough first outing for the left-hander as rust was clearly evident.

Command was the biggest issue for Heaney, who walked three batters in 1.2 innings. He yielded an RBI-single and a bases-clearing triple in the top of the second and was charged with four runs on a pair of hits with one strikeout.

It’s one start for Heaney so there’s no reason to raise any red flags. But the Pirates will be counting on the veteran to provide some stability to their starting rotation come the regular season, especially in wake of Johan Oviedo’s placement on the 60-day injured list.

Heaney made 32 appearances/31 starts with the Texas Rangers last season and posted a 4.28 ERA. In 160 innings — the second most he’s thrown in any year of his career- Heaney allowed 159 hits, issued 41 walks and struck out 159.

Former Pirates’ Pitcher Has Strong Start

The Pirates got good production from leadoff hitter Ji Hwan Bae on Tuesday afternoon. The left fielder went 3 for 3 and blasted hit first home run of the spring, a solo shot off of former Pirates’ pitcher Quinn Priester.

Bae’s blast was all the Pirates could really manage against Priester, who allowed one run on four hits and one walk with four strikeouts in 2.2 innings pitched.

The Pirates traded Priester to the Red Sox in exchange for Nick Yorke during last year’s trade deadline.

Notable Performances

• Andrew Heaney: 1.2 innings, two hits, four runs, three walks, one strikeout
• Caleb Ferguson: 2.2 innings, three hits, four runs, two walks, three strikeouts
• Carmen Mlodzinski: 2.2 innings three hits, four runs, two walks, three strikeouts
• Ji Hwan Bae: 3 for 3, one home run, one RBI, two runs
• Tsung-Che Cheng: 1 for 1, one home run, one RBI, one run
• Andrew McCutchen: 1 for 1, one RBI, one walk, one HBP

The Pirates (6-5) will be back at home on Wednesday afternoon to face the Toronto Blue Jays at 1:05 ET.