BRADENTON, Fla. — The Pirates debuted their all-Francisco battery Saturday, as left-hander Francisco Liriano threw to catcher Francisco Cervelli in the Pirates’ 2-2 tie against the Boston Red Sox at McKechnie Field.
Off the field, the union is still a work in progress.
“Everybody is calling him Frankie, too,” Liriano said. “Sometimes, I look; sometimes, he looks. We'll have to get used to it."
On the field, things are fine.
In his first appearance since being named opening-day starter, Liriano struck out six and scattered two hits and three walks over four scoreless innings. He threw 81 pitches, his highest pitch count this month, and blamed the short outing on “trying to overthrow, trying to be nasty.”
With one out in the third, Rusney Castillo singled and Daniel Nava walked. Liriano’s frustration showed. Cervelli, who had worked with Liriano in an abbreviated “B” game earlier in the week, jogged out to the mound.
"He just told me, ‘Stay back a little longer. You're rushing too much,’ ” Liriano recalled.
Liriano agreed. He was rushing.
"Don't try to strike them out with that very first pitch,” Cervelli told him.
He struck them out anyway, as Allen Craig and Garin Cecchini went down swinging.
Liriano twice said he and Cervelli are quickly “on the same page,” and he paid him a mighty high compliment, too.
“He’s pretty similar to Russell [Martin] back there,” Liriano said. “Lots of energy. You can throw anything into the dirt, and he'll block it for you.”
Cervelli, acquired in November to be Martin’s replacement, was 1 for 2 with an infield single against the Red Sox, one day after he hit his first two home runs of the spring off Minnesota Twins right-hander Kyle Gibson.
“We're knocking the to-do list off with Francisco Cervelli, as far as who he hasn't caught,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “He's just about nailed everybody.
“… He’s a quick learner.”
Slowing down Kang
Infielder Jung Ho Kang was listed at third base and batting third in the lineup when it was originally posted Friday afternoon, but Saturday morning his name had been removed. He did not participate in team warm-up activites and did not play against the Red Sox.
Hurdle said Kang is not injured, nor is there any issue, it was simply a “work day” for him.
"We're just slowing him down a little bit,” Hurdle said.
Kang has started at shortstop, third and, most recently, second this spring. He has three hits in 23 at-bats.
“He's in a good place,” Hurdle said. “We've just got to make sure we don't overload him with information and just keep it simple. Usually, it's one thing a day, keep it moving forward."
Allie embraces change
Prospect Stetson Allie, the Pirates’ second-round pick in 2010, is in transition again. He was drafted as a pitcher, moved to first base in 2013 and is now headed to right field.
The move will allow the Pirates to better use Allie’s athleticism, according to Hurdle. He discussed the move with Allie at his exit interview March 15, when he was sent to the minor league camp after going 2 for 7 in a short stay in the major league camp.
“He embraced it,” Hurdle said. “There weren't any second thoughts on his part.”
Stephen J. Nesbitt: snesbitt@post-gazette.com and Twitter @stephenjnesbitt.
First Published: March 22, 2015, 4:00 a.m.
