Pirates Recap: Triolo Has Big Day, Bullpen Regulars Solid in Loss to Braves

Jared Triolo had a three-hit game and several regulars in the bullpen had scoreless innings for the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 6-5 loss at the hands of the Atlanta Braves on Saturday afternoon.

Triolo, who entered play with only two hits in 18 at-bats on the spring, went 3 for 3 with a triple and two runs scored. He was one of three players with multi-hit games along with Bryan Reynolds and DJ Stewart.

Meanwhile, relievers David Bednar, Colin Holderman, Tim Mayza and Kyle Nicolas combined for four-scoreless innings with five strikeouts and zero walks. Each of the four pitchers allowed one hit.

Prospect Jaden Woods, however, squandered a three-run lead in the ninth with Atlanta scoring four times for the win.

McCutchen On-Base Machine

Andrew McCutchen finished the game 1 for 1 and drew two more walks in the win, giving him seven walks in 17 plate appearances this spring. The 38-year-old is batting .375 with a staggering .706 on-base percentage and trails only Tommy Pham (eight walks in 24 plate appearances) in free passes.

Among players with double-digit plate appearances in spring training, McCutchen’s 41.2% walk rate trails only Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Dalton Rushing (50%).

McCutchen’s 1,116 career walks rank second among active players behind Carlos Santana, who has 1,278. No other active player has more than 1,100 in their career.

Notable Pirates’ Performances

• Jared Triolo: 3 for 3, one triple two runs
• DJ Stewart: 2 for 3, one run, one steal
• Bryan Reynolds: 2 for 4, one RBI
• Jack Suwinski: 1 for 4, one double, one RBI
• Mike Burrows: 2.0 innings, two hits, two runs, one walk, two strikeouts
• David Bednar: 1.0 inning, one hit, no runs, no walk, one strikeout
• Colin Holderman: 1.0 inning, one hit, no runs, no walk, one strikeout
• Kyle Nicolas: 1.0 inning, one hit, no runs, no walk, one strikeout
• Tim Mayza: 1.0 inning, one hit, no runs, no walk, two strikeouts

The Pirates (9-6) will host the Detroit Tigers on Sunday afternoon in Bradenton at 1:05 ET.