March 26 — Rays 3 Pirates 1 — Postgame News and Notes
By RaysRadio
Jake Odorizzi, pitching on the warmest night of the Spring, worked into the seventh inning in Bradenton on Saturday in a 3–1 victory over the Pirates. Odorizzi threw 6.1 innings, allowing just a run on five hits, two walks and a hit batter while striking out six. He threw 107 pitches/67 for strikes.
Odorizzi felt his fastball was most effective, as he used it to strike out Andrew McCutchen twice with runners in scoring position. Odorizzi also felt it was a positive to be able to work through the heat and pitch effectively into the seventh inning against an MLB lineup. Odorizzi’s previous two starts were against minor leaguers. The only run he allowed was on a David Freese homer in the sixth.
Dana Eveland retired all five batters he faced, and Tampa Bay native Ryan Garton pitched a 1–2–3 ninth for the save.
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The Rays scored their first two runs in the second inning on a double to left by Steven Souza Jr, who won a 10-pitch at-bat against Pirates Opening Day starter Francisco Liriano. Manager Kevin Cash called it the top moment of the night offensively. Cristian Toribio, who was up from minor league camp, hammered a homer to left-center in the fourth for the other Rays run. Granden Goetzman, a Palmetto native, also started and had a hit and a run scored.
The other moment in the game occurred when a fan got onto the field in the seventh inning and threw some sort of liquid at the Rays in front of their dugout. Third base coach Charlie Montoyo subdued the man and security than arrived. Montoyo said he told the man, who appeared to be in his late 60s, to relax after grabbing him.
The Rays (11–10–1) host the Blue Jays on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. David Carpenter will start in a bullpen by committee day for the Rays. Dave Wills and Andy Freed have the call with first pitch at 1:05 p.m. and coverage beginning at 1 p.m. on 620 WDAE and the Rays Radio Network. Matt Moore will pitch earlier in the day in an intrasquad game.
Below is audio from Cash and Odorizzi.
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