Three observations from the Pirates' 8-6 win over the Orioles here today at LECOM Park: 

• It seemed bound to happen at some point this spring, but it was encouraging to see an example of the power Marcell Ozuna can bring to the lineup, as he hit his first homer in the seventh inning. Slider right down the middle and he didn't miss. Exactly the type of pitch you'd expect him to punish. I was in the clubhouse at the time that he hit it and Brandon Lowe and Ryan O'Hearn were pretty pumped to see it go out. I think they thought it was only a matter of time, too. 

• Carmen Mlodzinski didn't just breeze through five innings today. He relied on making some in-game adjustments to overcome allowing two runs on seven hits. That's something he's admittedly struggled with in the past. He, Henry Davis and Bill Murphy saw that the Orioles were being aggressive on the fastball, so they pivoted to the splitter early in counts, while still depending on going inside to hitters with the heater. Mlodzinski was able to generate some groundouts and weak contact in the latter stages of his efficient outing, allowing him to feel good coming away from it. 

• Nick Gonzales was tested right away in his first game back at the World Baseball Classic. He fielded a Taylor Ward grounder cleanly at shortstop, planted his left foot and then saw his right foot slip in the grass, allowing Ward to reach without a throw. He wasn't charged with an error and no run ended up scoring, but that's certainly one Gonzales would have liked to have back, especially as he continues to prove himself as a defender.