Final Score: 2-1 Phillies

After a last minute change of plans, I traveled to Bright House Field, home of the Phillies, in Clearwater, Florida. Bright House Field has a homey, yet vibrant atmosphere. Although it holds only 8,500 seats, more than 9,500 fans managed to squeeze in to watch the nailbiter against the Pirates. The park itself is well structured for Florida baseball (and large crowds), with a berm that rings the whole outfield and a tiki hut positioned in deep left. The stadium is also distinctly Philadelphian; the signature concession is a Philly Cheese Steak, and a large Wawa sign adorns the right field wall. The statue in front of the main entrance to the stadium, named “The Ace” by its sculptor, Kevin Brady, depicts a nameless Phillies pitcher in his follow-through, with a metal curve tracing the path of his hand. Like the statue, Bright House Field strikes the correct balance between the culture of Philadelphia and the celebration of baseball.

Last August and September, the Pirates struck the correct balance of terrible pitching, weak hitting, and abysmal fielding to send the team to its 20th consecutive losing season. The Pirates went from 16 games over .500 on August 6th to 4 games under .500 by the end of the season, mirroring the 2011 season, where the Pirates fell from 5 games over .500 on July 28th to 18 games under .500 on September 28th. One of the largest contributors to the sudden drop was the collapse of Pittsburgh’s relief pitching. In 2011, the bullpen posted a horrendous 6.11 ERA in August, kick-starting the Pirates’ precipitous drop. The bullpen of 2012, which had maintained a 2.99 ERA, had a 4.82 ERA for the months of September and October. Following the season, the Pirates dealt away two of the main causes of the sudden increase in ERA, trading Chris Resop to the A’s and Joel Hanrahan to the Red Sox.

Against the Phillies, the Pirates brought forth two relievers vying for major league spots. Andy Oliver, who entered in the sixth, spent last year with the Toledo Mud Hens (AAA, Detroit). He struggled with his control, but managed to escape with only one walk and one earned run (bringing his total to 6 walks and 5 earned runs over 3.1 innings this spring). In contrast, Ryan Reid pitched a scoreless inning. Recently signed to a minor league deal after a consistent season in Durham (AAA, Tampa Bay), Ryan’s spring line stands at 5 innings pitched, 0 earned runs, 0 walks, 2 hits, and 4 strikeouts. With just spring training numbers, it’s difficult to tell if a bullpen can remain consistent through the regular season. For the Pirates, however, who are carrying new relievers like Mark Melancon (who managed a 6.23 ERA in 13 innings last August), history may repeat itself once again. If so, the Pirates will have a different batch of scapegoats to blame.

3/15: I make the drive east to Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, where the Detroit Tigers are playing at home against the Toronto Blue Jays.