BRADENTON, Fla. — Ivan Nova, making one of his final starts of spring training, allowed three runs on six hits in a 9-3 loss to the Rays on Wednesday at LECOM Park.
Nova, 31, lasted five innings, walking one and recording one strikeout. The Pirates' opening day starter, Nova has now made three starts this spring, allowing five earned runs in 10 innings.
His final stat line against the Rays was not indicative of how well he pitched, though. Nova struck out Wilson Ramos with a well-placed sinker on the outside corner to end the first. He allowed a leadoff double in the second; however, the ball was a simple line drive over Kevin Newman's head at short that bounced enough for Joey Wendle to take an extra base.
Nova then recovered in the second by getting two ground balls and an inning-ending strikeout, freezing Brandon Snyder with a changeup. Carlos Gomez hit a two-out double off Nova in the third to give the Rays a 1-0 lead, and Micah Johnson hit a solo home run in the fourth with the help from quite a bit of wind blowing out to right field.
Nova now has a 4.50 ERA this spring, and he pitched four innings in an intrasquad game at Pirate City last week. With only 13 games left in Grapefruit League play, it will be interesting to see how many more starts he will get to prep for his opening-day assignment.
• Nick Kingham, a right-handed starting pitcher, entered in the seventh inning and promptly allowed two runs, including a leadoff solo home run to Brandon Lowe. Kingham, who will begin the season at Triple-A Indianapolis, has struggled in back-to-back outings, having to rely on his changeup on both occasions because his fastball command was off the mark.
He allowed four runs on six hits with a walk in two innings against the Rays.
• Michael Feliz, the right-handed relief pitcher acquired in the Gerrit Cole trade, pitched a scoreless ninth inning and now has a 4.50 ERA this spring.
• Elias Diaz broke the scoreless tie in the second by ripping a single to left, scoring Josh Bell, who singled to lead off the inning, from second base. First baseman Eric Wood added a solo home run in the seventh inning. Bell went 2 for 3, but Adam Frazier, Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco went a combined 1 for 9.
The Pirates had just eight hits and were 2 for 4 with runners in scoring position.
• Todd Tomzcyk, the Pirates' director of sports medicine, provided injury updates on a few players, including right-handed relief pitcher A.J. Schugel.
• Here's Hurdle's lineup for the game:
1. Adam Frazier, 2B
2. Starling Marte, CF
3. Gregory Polanco, RF
4. Josh Bell, 1B
5. Corey Dickerson, LF
6. David Freese, 3B
7. Elias Diaz, C
8. Kevin Newman, SS
9. Ivan Nova, P
• Joe Musgrove is expected to start tomorrow against the Yankees at 1:05 p.m. in Tampa. Felipe Rivero, Kyle Crick, Kevin Siegrist and Dovydas Neverauskas are also scheduled to pitch.