Top prospect Termarr Johnson hit a pair of home runs for the Pittsburgh Pirates in their 8-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays at TD Ballpark in Dunedin on Monday.
Johnson’s first homer of the afternoon came in the seventh inning when he belted an 0-2 fastball far over the right field wall. It was the first home run of the spring for the Pirates (1-3).
Two innings later, Johnson did it again, this one off of left-hander Génesis Cabrera. The pair of homers marked Johnson’s first two hits of the spring slate.
Roansy Contreras made his spring debut for the Pirates. While the final line wasn’t great, the right-hander showed some encouraging sings.
Most notably, Contreras’ fastball velocity was back up, sitting in the 94-96 mph range after a decrease in velocity hampered him last season. He allowed four singles, three of which registered exit velocities under 76 mph.
Toronto (1-2) scored twice off of Contreras. After a pair of singles to open the frame, designated hitter Justin Turner bounced into a double play, which allowed Bo Bichette to score. In the second inning, Cam Eden drove in a run with a single to shallow right.
The Blue Jays struck for four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning agaisnt pitching prospect Sean Sullivan, three of which came on a home run swing from Brian Serven. Serven drove in two more runs in the eighth inning with a double to left.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
- Roansy Contreras’ final pitching line read as follows: 2.0 innings, four hits, two runs and one walk. He did not record a strikeout while 21 of his 35 pitches went for strikes.
- Colin Selby worked out of bases loaded jam with no outs thanks largely to a pair of strikeouts.
- Jared Triolo went 2 for 2 with a double in this one. He’s now 3 for 5 on the spring.
- Sergio Alcántara collected his first hit of the spring with an RBI-single to right field in the eighth. He finished 1 for 2.
- Infield prospect Tsung-Che Cheng went 1 for 2 with a run scored.
UP NEXT
The Pittsburgh Pirates will be back at LECOM Park on Tuesday when they host the Atlanta Braves. Marco Gonzales will make his team debut as the Pirates’ starter. He will be opposed by fellow left-hander Chris Sale, who is also making his team debut. First pitch: 1:05 ET.
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