PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – An impressive opening start to the 2021 season for Steven Brault as the Pirates lost to the Brewers 4-2 Wednesday afternoon.
The lefty suffered a lat injury in Spring Training and went 75 pitches in four innings allowing three hits, a run, a walk and two strikeouts. It was his first start with the Bucs in 11 months Wednesday.
“It felt like being back where I should be,” Brault said. “It felt like being home. I say that, one because I love pitching in the big leagues, two because I feel like I’ve pitched in Milwaukee every other start in my career.”
“It is a good lineup, it was a good little test for the first start back.”
“I think after the first inning, he settled down,” said Pirates manager Derek Shelton. “The one thing you can never replicate is big league pitching and big league hitting. Some of the pitches he executed that may have been swung at AAA were not swung at today. I think he made an adjustment the last three innings and executed pitches. Overall first outing was good.”
Brault made 11 appearances in 2020, 6 of those starts he didn’t give up a run. Overall last year Brault was 1-3 with a 3.38 ERA in 42.2 innings. You take away the one outing against Detroit where he didn’t get an out before leaving and giving up four runs. The ERA would be 2.55.
The former Orioles 11th round pick is arbitration eligible and under control for two more years. He said of what he wants to bring to the staff.
“The best thing is when the starting rotation is competing against each other in a friendly way. So you have one person does well. So the next day the next person wants to do better and you keep going like that.”
“It’s really fun to be in that competition with each other where it’s like, ‘you went six with one run’, ‘well suck it, I’m going six with none’. That healthy competition is what I am going to try to drive into the brains of the youngins.”
“I was talking to him about it the other day,” said Pirates catcher Jacob Stallings. “It’s been weird not having him in the dugout on off days to hang out with and talk to. He’s obviously a big personality in a good way. He brings a lot of energy and a lot of positivity to the clubhouse.”
Ah Hoy
Acquired for Clay Holmes, Hoy Park had his third double in as many games with the Pirates. The lefty is 4 for 12 with three RBI playing three different positions in the field.
“It’s extremely challenging,” Shelton said of what they are asking him to do. “One of the things we like about him is the fact that he is very versatile and it has not affected him in any way.”
“He’s got good reads and jumps in the outfield. He did a nice job today in right, which is a challenging position to play, and had good at bats. We like the versatility, like the bat. He’s going to get an opportunity in different spots.”
“Initial impression, he’s done a nice job.”
Park has a career-high in home runs in his pro career this season at AAA with 11 HR in 61 games and batting .292 with a .439 on-base percentage.
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Pirates open a four-game series in Cincinnati with RHP Wil Crowe (3-5, 5.40 ERA) starting Thursday night at 7:10 on 93.7 The Fan opposed by RHP Sonny Gray (3-6, 4.26 ERA). Crowe pitched a one-hitter over six innings his last start and the previous struck out a career-high nine. JT Brubaker, Mitch Keller and Bryse Wilson are the other scheduled starters against the Reds.