Three observations from the Pirates' 6-4 win over the Twins here today at LECOM Park:
• José Urquidy isn't a guy who is going to overpower anyone. He relies heavily on three specific pitches -- fastball, changeup, curveball -- and focuses on attacking the zone and fooling heaters without the upper-90s stuff. He looked like he did exactly that here today. But more importantly, he came away feeling healthy. This is a guy who has played in just 18 games since the beginning of the 2023 season. He's underwent two Tommy John surgeries in his career, but is determined to fight for a spot on the Pirates' 26-man roster coming out of camp. One of the most encouraging sights today? The fact that he hit 94 mph with his fastball and averaged around 93. He said he sat around 94, 95 mph with that pitch prior to that second surgery.
• The Pirates need to keep their foot on the gas more in 2026. There were quite a few times last season where the offense would actually look alive to score a few runs in an inning and then go silent the rest of the game. Similar situation in this one where they scored three early runs and then couldn't get much else going in the run-scoring department before Shawn Ross' late two-run homer.
• An 0-for-3 effort that included two strikeouts for JoeyBart today. The Pirates need at least one of their catchers to hit this season. Bart has done it in the past and I think he'll need to show that his bat can still play this spring.
THE ASYLUM
Three observations: Urquidy's focus on attacking
Three observations from the Pirates' 6-4 win over the Twins here today at LECOM Park:
• José Urquidy isn't a guy who is going to overpower anyone. He relies heavily on three specific pitches -- fastball, changeup, curveball -- and focuses on attacking the zone and fooling heaters without the upper-90s stuff. He looked like he did exactly that here today. But more importantly, he came away feeling healthy. This is a guy who has played in just 18 games since the beginning of the 2023 season. He's underwent two Tommy John surgeries in his career, but is determined to fight for a spot on the Pirates' 26-man roster coming out of camp. One of the most encouraging sights today? The fact that he hit 94 mph with his fastball and averaged around 93. He said he sat around 94, 95 mph with that pitch prior to that second surgery.
• The Pirates need to keep their foot on the gas more in 2026. There were quite a few times last season where the offense would actually look alive to score a few runs in an inning and then go silent the rest of the game. Similar situation in this one where they scored three early runs and then couldn't get much else going in the run-scoring department before Shawn Ross' late two-run homer.
• An 0-for-3 effort that included two strikeouts for Joey Bart today. The Pirates need at least one of their catchers to hit this season. Bart has done it in the past and I think he'll need to show that his bat can still play this spring.
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