Pirates

Pirates Spring Preview: How Will Roansy Contreras Fare vs. Blue Jays?

Published

2 months ago

March 13, 2024

Roansy Contreras will be on the mound for the Pittsburgh Pirates when they face the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin on Wednesday at 1:07 ET.

Contreras was knocked around in his last appearance on Friday against the Minnesota Twins. In that contest, the right-hander surrendered four hits including a home run and was tagged for four runs in 2.1 innings.

In his fight to try and land a rotation spot, Contreras has largely looked inconsistent during the Pirates’ spring slate. The most encouraging sign is that his fastball velocity is back to the levels he previously shown prior to last season. However, it hasn’t helped him generate strikeouts. Contreras has only one punchout in 6.2 innings on his leger.

Entering play on Wednesday, the Pirates have hit more home runs (34) than any other team in baseball. The Baltimore Orioles are second with 29. The Bucs will try and add to their total with this starting nine:

Pittsburgh Pirates Lineup

Oneil Cruz SS
Liover Peguero 2B
Rowdy Tellez DH
Henry Davis C
Edward Olivares CF
Jake Lamb RF
Gilberto Celestino LF
Alika Williams 3B
Joe Perez 1B

The Pirates will face veteran right-hander Chris Bassitt, who is 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA through three appearances on the spring. Last year, Bassitt went 16-8 with a 3.60 ERA in 33 starts with Toronto.

The game between the Pirates and Blue Jays will be televised on SportsNet Pittsburgh.