BRADENTON, Fla. -- Keone Kela had a rough outing Saturday but he stood at his locker afterward and thoughtfully answered questions from reporters.
That was a change from last Sunday when he declined an interview request from two radio talk show hosts and told them to tell “the boys I’m not talking to the media all year.”
If there was ever a day in spring training to duck the media this was it, as Kela got hit hard in his one inning. He allowed four runs, coming on three home runs and a double, as the Pirates were routed 10-1 by the Twins in an exhibition game at LECOM Park.
However, Kela was able to shrug things off and even smiled as he walked off the mound. Of course, his spot as the set-up man to Felipe Vazquez is secure.
“I’ll take the process,” Kela said. “I respect the process. Spring training is not result-oriented. It’s just to get yourself ready. I believe in myself. I’m confident in what I do. I’m not really too worried about it. To me, my arm feels great. That’s No. 1.”
The Pirates did not use Kela after Sept. 3 last year because of arm fatigue after pitching 52 innings in 54 games. He had looked good prior to Saturday, having two one-inning scoreless outings in Grapefruit League play.
Adam Rosales and Michael Reed sandwiched solo home runs around Mitch Garver’s two-run blast off Kela. All three were no-doubt shots.
Like many pitchers in spring training, Kela is trying to improve certain pitches. His project has been refining a changeup that he has rarely thrown in his role as a short reliever.
Kela is also getting more acclimated to the Pirates after being acquired last July in a trade with the Rangers.
“I’m happy to be here with my teammates,” he said. “They put forth the effort. We all do. It’s all collective. We’re going to do some special things this year that a lot of people don’t think we will.”
• Corey Dickerson left the game after the third inning with right ankle discomfort. He was hurt while getting thrown out at second base while trying to advance on a pitch in the dirt.
Dickerson is listed as day-to-day and was walking without a limp in the clubhouse after coming out of the game. The grounds crew normally waters the area around second base heavily before games.
“It was muddy, kind of sticky and my cleat kind of got stuck as soon as I slid,” Dickerson said. “Sometimes that happens but when it’s wetter it tends to happen a little more.”
Dickerson also was down for a few minutes in the first inning when he fouled a ball off his groin. He did bounce back to get an infield single during the at-bat and finished with two of the Pirates’ four hits.
“That was no fun,” Dickerson said with a smile.
Clint Hurdle appreciated Dickerson’s toughness.
“I know he had to be sweating because there’s a certain pain that just makes you sweat,” Hurdle said. “Corey’s a grinder, though.”
The Pirates avoided being shut out when outfield prospect Jason Martin tripled in the eighth inning and scored on non-roster catcher Christian Kelly’s sacrifice fly.
The Pirates have scored three runs in three games over the last two days. They dropped split-squad games to the Blue Jays by scores of 11-0 and 5-2 on Friday.
• Clay Holmes started and allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits in three innings with three strikeouts and no walks. All the runs came on LaMonte Wade’s line-drive home run to right field that just cleared the fence.
After Vazquez pitched a 1-2-3 inning after missing a few days with an upper-respiratory infection, Kela had his rough fifth as the Twins increased their lead to 7-0.
Richard Rodriguez and Brandon Waddell each pitched a scoreless inning. Tyler Lyons, though, served up a three-run homer in the eighth to minor-leaguer Joe Cronin.
The Twins hit five home runs.
• Joe Musgrove pitched a simulated game at Pirate City in the morning. He threw 53 pitches over three innings.
Recovered from offseason surgery to repair a stress fracture in his pelvis and a hernia, Musgrove is scheduled to make his first Grapefruit League start Friday night against the Rays in Bradenton.
• The Pirates will play a split squad of Yankees at 1:05 p.m. tomorrow in Tampa, Fla.
Chris Archer is scheduled to start for the Pirates. Others expected to pitch are Nick Burdi, Jesus Liranzo, Geoff Hartlieb and Alex McRae.
Former Pirates left-hander J.A. Happ will start for the Yankees.
