EmailEmail
PrintPrint
Sanchez sparks Pirates to 5-3 victory
Friday, March 05, 2010

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Nice spring-training debut tonight for Tony Sanchez, the Pirates' fourth-overall selection in a draft where detractors considered him a pick who should have gone later: He threw out a runner attempting to steal second in his first inning, and he smacked a 415-foot homer to center field in his first at-bat.

It came in the middle innings of a 5-3 Pirates victory over Baltimore before 4,187 at Ed Smith Stadium.

Sanchez replaced starting catcher Ryan Doumit with the Pirates trailing by 3-2. He was catching left-hander Javier Lopez, making his first Grapefruit League appearance for the Pirates. Lopez got designated hitter Luke Scott on a flyout, reserve Brandon Snyder on a groundout and an assist from Sanchez on left fielder Jonathan Tucker, who singled. Sanchez nailed him trying to steal second to end the sixth.

Zach Duke and Daniel McCutchen each gave up one earned run and two hits in their two innings apiece.

Aki Iwamura drove in his first run of spring -- albeit in his second start and the Pirates' third Grapefruit game -- in the top of the third, tying the score at 1-1. After Ronny Cedeno got a bloop single, moved to second on Neil Walker's walk and stole third. Iwamura rapped a single up the middle to score him.

Adam Jones promptly restored Baltimore's lead with a one-out homer to right field off McCutchen.

The Pirates answered in the fifth. Walker walked again, stole second and moved to third on a Raynor single. A Garrett Jones groundout scored Walker and tied the game at 2-2.

The Orioles regained the lead at 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth against Jeremy Powell and via defensive miscues -- three errors, a hat trick -- by each Walker, Cedeno and Iwamura.

Then, with two outs in the eighth inning, came Sanchez's homer to tie it once more, at 3-3. After fouling off four pitches at least, he knocked a 2-2 pitch from minor-leaguer Troy Patton some 415 feet over the center-field wall.

He threw out a bunting Matt Angle to lead off the ninth.

Chuck Finder: cfinder@post-gazette.com. For more, visit the PBC Blog.
Looking for more from the Post-Gazette? Join PG+, our members-only web site. You'll get exclusive sports content, opinion, financial information, discounts from retailers and restaurants, and more. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.
First published on March 5, 2010 at 10:10 pm