BRADENTON, Fla. -- Someone seemed to take a step forward in the Pirates’ starting shortstop competition Thursday.
Finally.
Kevin Newman went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, a stolen base, two runs scored and three RBIs as the Pirates hit five homers to rout the Phillies 11-2 in an exhibition game at LECOM Park. It was easily the best game of spring training for either Newman or Erik Gonzalez.
Newman’s home run was a two-run shot in the seventh that pushed the lead to 11-1.
“It’s a confidence boost, definitely,” Newman said.
Neither shortstop candidate had inspired much confidence until Newman’s outburst. He is now 7-for-26 (.269) with two doubles and a homer while Gonzalez is 3-for-25 (.120) with one home run and 11 strikeouts.
Newman, though, says he is not concentrating on the head-to-head battle with his teammate.
“I get that a lot, from reporters, from friends, from family, but for me it’s just spring training,” Newman said. “I came in with the same mentality I had last year and the year before that, I’m just getting ready for the season and whatever happens, happens.
“After a day like today, it feels great because you know the competition is there. But do you have a day like this and say, ‘I’m good?’ No. I feel like I need to continue to work and get better.”
Adam Frazier, Corey Dickerson, Starling Marte and Colin Moran also homered as the Pirates ended a six-game losing streak in the Grapefruit League and improved to 8-11.
Marte also doubled as he finished with two hits, three RBIs and a stolen base. Melky Cabrera had two hits to lift his spring average to .333 (10-for-30) and Moran’s home run was a three-run blast.
Dickerson played for the first time since leaving Saturday’s game with the Twins because of right ankle discomfort and is now hitting .615 (8-for-13) in limited action.
• Trevor Williams overcame three errors in the third inning – two by Moran and one by Josh Bell – along with some other shaky defense to allow only one unearned run in his five-inning start. Williams gave up three hits, struck out four and had no walks.
Moran also misplayed a foul pop in the third, but it was not ruled an error.
“There’s no doubt that all of our pitchers are going to face situations where they have to get more than three outs in an inning,” Clint Hurdle said. “Trevor had to get seven and that’s far too many. Those innings can get complicated, especially in spring training, but the pitch execution was outstanding. He put his foot down and made pitch after pitch after pitch.”
Here was what Williams had to say about his outing:
Francisco Liriano, Nick Burdi and Clay Holmes followed with one scoreless inning each. Non-roster reliever Brandon Maurer allowed a solo home run in the ninth while pitching for the first since injuring his knee Feb. 26 in a game against the Twins.
• Rookie Davis and Gregory Polanco took part in games at the minor-league camp.
Davis threw 50 pitches in 2 2/3 innings, striking out three and walking one. He remains a darkhorse candidate for the fifth starter’s job while competing with Jordan Lyles, Steven Brault and Nick Kingham.
Polanco went 0-for-4 with a walk. He also scored on a feet-first slide, which is significant because he tore the labrum in his left shoulder during an awkward slide into second base last September.
• Polanco will get “as many high-level at-bats as possible” throughout the remainder of spring training as a designated hitter as he continues to recover from shoulder surgery. Polanco has been hitting in Triple-A games, but the Pirates have yet to determine if he might DH in a major-league game before spring training ends March 24. He continues to throw from 120 feet and there is no timetable for when he could play right field.
Jordan Lyles played catch Thursday, two days after leaving the game with cramping in his right side. The Pirates do not feel Lyles experienced anything more than cramps.
Elias Diaz is now joining the Pirates in the pre-game stretch and participating in “light” baseball activities, according to Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk. The backup catcher was sidelined for nearly three weeks by an undisclosed virus.
Chad Kuhl and Edgar Santana are throwing on flat ground from 80 feet in their rehabs from Tommy John surgery.
• The Pirates host the Tampa Bay Rays at 6:05 p.m. tomorrow in Bradenton, their lone night game of the exhibition season.
Joe Musgrove is scheduled to start for the Pirates against Wilmer Font. It will be Musgrove’s first Grapefruit League appearance as the Pirates have eased him into action in simulated games after undergoing surgery to repair a stress reaction in his pelvis and a hernia at the end of last season.
Also expected to pitch for the Pirates are Felipe Vazquez, Keone Kela, Kyle Crick, Richard Rodriguez and Tyler Lyons.
The game will be televised by AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh.
PERROTTO'S VIEW
It took nearly three weeks of exhibition games before one of the candidates for the Pirates' starting shortstop job distinguished himself.
While it would be unwise to get too excited about Newman after one good day, he has certainly put the work in since his dismal first taste of the major leagues last December. He has added 15 pounds of muscle and shortened his swing. The rookie finally got some results.
Frazier, Marte and Dickerson look like they could be a potent trio at the top of the lineup. If the trio each have the type of season the team believes they can, then the Pirates should finish higher than 19th in the major leagues in runs scored this season.
Williams had to contend with shoddy fielding but was able to work around trouble for the most part. Considering how porous the Pirates' infield defense has been this spring, it is going to be something all the Pirates' pitchers might have to contend with this year.
Liriano's scoreless inning was shaky, giving up a single and a walk and missing the strike zone badly with multiple pitches. This followed a performance Sunday against the Yankees when he walked four consecutive batters and had to be removed. He may be pitching his way off the team.
Burdi continues to impress. The Rule 5 Draft pick has the added pressure of needing to make the opening-day roster or being offered back to the Phillies but has looked good.
Davis' slim hopes of opening the season continue to fade after needing 50 pitches to get eight outs. That being said, he is 25 and an intriguing option to have at Triple-A Indianapolis.
Polanco continues to make progress but it's hard to envision him being ready to come off the injured list before May. He is going to have to be able to throw from farther than 120 feet before he can play right field in a regular-season game.
The best news of the day is that Diaz is starting to ease his way into baseball activities. I've been doing this 32 years and have never heard of a player being listed as "week-to-week" because of a virus. It certainly sounded serious and it's heartening to see he is feeling better.