TAMPA, Fla. -- Steven Brault has been maddingly inconsistent in his three seasons in the major leagues. He is following the same pattern again in the early stages of the exhibition season.
Brault retired just three of the 11 batters he faced Thursday in the Pirates’ 8-6 loss to the Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field. That came after Brault pitched two scoreless innings against the Phillies when he started the Grapefruit League opener last Saturday.
In one-plus inning, Brault was charged with four runs as he allowed four hits and four walks. He was removed after walking the bases loaded to begin the second inning.
The most alarming part of Brault’s start was that he threw just 22 strikes in 46 pitches. Five days earlier, 19 of his 23 pitches were strikes.
Brault spent the winter overhauling his pitching mechanics. However, he said he wasn’t about to abandon the changes after one bad start.
“The second inning, I kind of lost what I had been working on all offseason, what I used in the first outing,” Brault said. “You expect some regression when you’re doing something new. I’m going to keep grinding with it. I don’t think I need to change anything. I need to make sure I get it ground into me and, no matter the situation, to stay in the same place I’ve been in.”
Brault is one of four pitchers competing for the fifth starter’s job along with Rookie Davis, Nick Kingham and Jordan Lyles.
The Yankees also had regulars in the first six spots of the lineup. Brault admitted he allowed the big names such as Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Troy Tulowitzki to affect his psyche a bit.
Tulowitzki hit a three-run home run to left field in the first inning. The other run charged to the Brault was in the second inning after he was relieved by Geoff Hartlieb, who got Judge to ground into a double play.
“I threw a lot of pitches in the first inning,” Brault said. “I got really tired because it’s still early.”
Hartlieb and Alex McRae both pitched two shutout innings.
Elvis Escobar gave up a two-run double to L.J. Mazzilli – son of former Pirates outfielder Lee Mazzilli – in the seventh inning as the Yankees broke a 5-5 tie and sent the Pirates to their third straight loss following a 3-0 start.
Brandon Waddell served up a solo homer to Tyler Wade in his one inning of work.
• Jung Ho Kang continued to impress despite sitting out most of the last two seasons because of his inability to secure a work visa following his third DUI arrest in his native South Korea and wrist surgery.
Kang homered in the first inning off left-hander J.A. Happ for his third of the spring.
When I asked if the game is as easy as he has been making it look so far, he smiled and answered in English. “Baseball is hard,” Kang said.
Kang said the key to his good play has been that he is physically stronger. He felt reshaping his body – he is considerably trimmer than he was when he arrived in the major leagues in 2015 – was his best chance to recapture the form that allowed him to hit a combined 36 homers in his first two seasons.
J.B. Shuck belted a two-run home run off Happ and Patrick Kivlehan hit a two-run double as both non-roster outfielders try to buck the odds and make the team. Rookie utility man Pablo Reyes had a solo homer and first base prospect Will Craig went 2-for-3
• Corey Dickerson saw his first action of the exhibition season, starting at designated hitter and going 1-for-3 with a strikeout and a run scored.
“I was a little nervous,” Dickerson said. “I think sometimes when you first get back out there, you want to make sure you can still do it again.”
Dickerson’s debut leaves Adam Frazier and Starling Marte as the two projected regulars who have yet to get into a Grapefruit League game. Clint Hurdle said both should play in the next couple of days.
Francisco Cervelli has made starts at first base and designated hitter but won’t do any catching for at least another week, according to Hurdle.
• Chris Archer pitched a two-inning simulated game at Pirate City, throwing 38 pitches. No word yet, though, when Archer or the other three pitchers assured of spots in the rotation will pitch in major-league exhibitions.
• The Pirates play split-squad games tomorrow, facing the Blue Jays at Dunedin, Fla., and the Phillies at Clearwater, Fla.
Davis will make his first Grapefruit League appearance for the Pirates when he starts against the Blue Jays. He signed a minor-league contract Feb. 18, a week after pitchers and catchers reported to spring training.
Also pitching against the Blue Jays will be Michael Feliz, Jesus Liranzo, Blake Weiman and Eduardo Vera.
Starting against the Phillies will be Kingham. He will be followed in some order by Tyler Lyons, JT Brubaker and Dario Agrazal.
The Blue Jays will start Aaron Sanchez and Drew Anderson will pitch for the Phillies.
