Spring stuff

There was actually a lot of interesting things that happened in today's spring game. First up, Steve Pearce hit his third homer of the spring in the first inning today. He's only got 18 at-bats, which makes the three homers kind of impressive, though it's hard to tell how impressive because the wind is always a factor in these spring games. Still, it's gonna be awfully hard for Neal Huntington to keep him in AAA if he keeps up any pace resembling this one.

The other piece of note from the game today was Zach Duke's three scoreless innings. They came in innings 3-5, so it's hard to know who he faced at the plate, exactly, but three one-hit innings with two strikeouts would be a big deal against a Little League team after his first outing this spring. Since Phil Dumatrait and Jaret Wright are being mentioned as possible fifth starters if it isn't Duke, I hope Duke gets himself together.

This is from yesterday, but the Bucs are working on a long-term deal with Snell. That's genuinely good news that not even I can pick a hole in right now, though it's probably because Snell has definitely been my favorite Pirate since Craig Wilson's exit.

The Outback Steakhouse is gone from left field and it's being replaced with a generic sportsbar/restaurant. Actually, I think Outback being gone is old news, but I can't remember.

Also from yesterday, Sean Burnett is a reliever now. I really think the Bucs should try this approach with Bullington and JVB, though there's not really any indication whether they will or not in the article. I guess the switch might help Burnett, but I kind of doubt it. He just hasn't had anything on the ball since all of his surgeries.