Blue Jays 8 – Pirates 5

— Travis Snider drove in three runs and the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8-5 on Sunday afternoon to sweep the opening two game series.
The Pirates fall to 0-2 in Grapefruit League play.
— Pirates starter Erik Bedard (0-0, 9.00 ERA had a rocky start in spring debut, struggling with his control early on. Bedard hit the first batter of the game in Rajai Davis on his second pitch. Travis Snider then doubled and Ben Francisco’s sacrifice fly scored Davis giving Toronto a 1-0 lead three batters in. Overall, Bedard in two innings of work, surrendered 2 runs, while hitting a batter, walking one and striking out one. “We need to get him to work lower in the strike zone,” manager Clint Hurdle said of Bedard. “For everybody’s first time out, I don’t want to evaluate too much. I want them to do one thing at a time, not look for too much.”
— Catcher Rod Barajas went 2-for-2 with 2 RBI’s and a run scored in the loss
— Alex Presley (.333) was 1-for-3 with a run scored
— Nate McLouth (.333) who started in right field was 1-for-3 with 2 strikeouts.
— Evan Meek struggled allowing four runs on three hits and two walks in 2/3 of an innning.
— Top outfield prospect Starling Marte (.250) was 0-for-2 in the game and had an error. He is scheduled to play again tomorrow.
— The Pirates were sloppy defensively in the loss and credited with three errors in the game. “We were sloppy,” manager Clint Hurdle said, via Tribune-Review. “Our awareness wasn’t where it needs to be to play a game — a major league game, a minor league game or an exhibition. It’s a lack of focus.”
— The Pirates will face the Baltimore Orioles on Monday. Several regulars including Andrew McCutchen, Neil Walker, Nate McLouth and Jose Tabata aren’t scheduled to play.
Monday’s Lineup vs Orioles: 1. Alex Presley LF, 2. Josh Harrison SS, 3. Yamaico Navarro 2B, 4. Matt Hague DH, 5. Pedro Alvarez 3B, 6. Gorkys Hernandez cf, 7. Garrett Jones 1b, 8. Starling Marte RF, 9. Michael McKenry C.
Starting Pitcher: Jo-Jo Reyes LHP

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