Pirates Notes

By JOHN LEMBO
jlembo@bradenton.com
BRADENTON – Nate McLouth’s diving catch saved two runs in the second.
Andrew McCutchen gunned down a runner trying to tag up from the third.
A trio of infielders nearly turned a triple play.
Defense was the name of game for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday, who defeated the Cincinnati Reds 2-1 in front of 2,841 fans at McKechnie Field.
“What’s going to be a big key for us is defense, as well as pitching,” said manager John Russell. “But they go hand in hand.”
The score was tied at 1 before McCutchen threw out the Reds’ Paul Janish trying to tag up in the eighth inning. In the bottom half, McCutchen scored the game-winning run on Andy Phillips’ single.
It was a sacrifice bunt by Luis Cruz that put McCutchen into scoring position.
“Especially in the spring for us, it stresses how much the little things help win games,” Russell said. “We concentrate on good throws from the outfield, we throw a guy out at the plate…Things like that really help you.”
The Pirates (5-1) nearly turned a triple play in the third, when with two on and none out, third baseman Neil Walker fielded a grounder, tagged Wes Bankston going from second to third and forced Chris Dickerson at second.
Second baseman Freddy Sanchez made a solid throw to first – but the batter, Jeff Keppinger, just beat it out.
Walker, who was playing in the baseline, was surprised to see Bankston in front of him. The runner from second usually stops if the ball is hit to the third baseman, in turn forcing the fielder to tag the bag.
Instead, Walker just tapped Bankston and fired to Sanchez.
“It was close,” Russell said.
FAMILILAR FACE: Former Tampa Bay Ray Jonny Gomes started at first base for the Reds on Monday, and received a nice ovation from the fans. Gomes went 1-for-1 with an RBI, and is batting .375 on the spring.
SEE YOU SOON: Pirate pitchers Ian Snell (Puerto Rico) and Dave Davidson (Canada), along with infielder Ramon Vazquez (Puerto Rico), will be playing in the World Baseball Classic and joined their teams Sunday. Pirate’s athletic trainer Mike Sandoval is working as the Mexican team’s trainer, while Luis Dorante, Pittsburgh’s bullpen coach, is helping coach the Venezuelan team.
PART ONE OF SIX: Monday’s game was the first of six scheduled meetings this spring between the Reds and Pirates, and the fans should get their fill of the rivalry now – this is the Reds’ final spring in Sarasota. The two teams meet for real when the Pirates head to Cincinnati during the first weekend of the regular season.