Pirates Split-Squad Day: One Win, Two Homers; Prospect’s Hot Start Continues

It was a split-squad day for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday.

The Pirates hosted the Baltimore Orioles at LECOM Park in Bradenton and were on the road to face the Atlanta Braves in CoolToday Park in North Port. The Bucs were victorious against Baltimore 7-3 and fell to the Braves 9-4. Here are some notables from each game.

Pirates vs. Orioles

The Pirates’ offense received contributions from up and down the lineup. Matt Gorski, who entered the game as a substitution, continued to stay hot.

The 27-year-old connected on his third homer of the spring and drove in three runs. Through his first three games of the spring, Gorski already has three home runs and a whopping nine RBIs. Spring performances are always to be taken with a grain of salt, but Gorski is putting himself more squarely in the first base competition.

Another in-game substitution also had a strong showing. Henry Davis finished the game with a pair of his, including a double, and scored a pair of runs. The 2021 top pick is hoping to prove himself in the big leagues after a subpar start to his career. He’s off to a good start.

Notable Pirates’ Performances

• Henry Davis: 2 for 2, one double, two runs, one steal
• Matt Gorski: 1 for 1, one home run, three RBIs, one run, one sac fly
• Tommy Pham: 2 for 3
• Bailey Falter: 2.0 innings, no hits, no runs, one walk, three strikeouts
• Tim Mayza: 1.0 inning, two hits, no runs, no walks,  three strikeouts

Pirates vs. Braves

In the Pirates’ loss to the Braves, Jack Suwinski, who is fighting for a spot on the Opening Day roster, homered as part of a three-hit day at the plate.

Suwinski is coming off of an abysmal season with the Pirates in which he slashed .182/.264/.324 with nine home runs and 26 RBIs in 88 games. Like the aforementioned Davis, he’s hoping to erase last season’s woes with a strong spring carried into the regular season.

DJ Stewart also continued his strong spring with a multi-hit performance. Stewart now has five hits (three extra-base hits) in his first nine at-bats.

Notable Pirates’ Performances

• Jack Suwinski: 2 for 3, one home run, one RBI, one run
• DJ Stewart: 2 for 3, one RBI, one run
• Joshua Palacios: 2 for 3
• Jack Brannigan: 1 for 1, one triple, one run
• Mike Burrows: 2.0 innings, two hits, two runs, one walk, one strikeout
• Fineas Del Bonta-Smith: 1.2 innings, no hits, no runs, one walk, three strikeouts

The Pirates will head to Fort Myers on Thursday afternoon to take on the Minnesota Twins.