Toronto Blue Jays' Whit Merrifield (15) slides safely into third base ahead of the tag by Pittsburgh Pirates' Rodolfo Castro (14) after a failed pickoff attempt at second base during the third inning of a spring training baseball game Wednesday, March 15, 2023, in Dunedin, Fla. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Chris O'Meara
DUNEDIN, Fla. – Starter Kevin Gausman pitched 3 1/3 sharp innings and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-1 Wednesday in spring training baseball action.
Gausman surrendered just two hits and two walks while striking out seven in picking up the win.
Whit Merrifield and Phil Clarke each drove in two runs and L.J. Talley had a solo homer for the Jays.
Pirates starter J.T. Brubaker gave up four runs on four hits and struck out five over 4 1/3 innings to get tagged with the loss.
Merrifield opened the scoring with an RBI double in the third inning, then came around to score on a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. double.
The Jays added two more runs in the fifth inning. Nathan Lukes drove in Cavan Biggio with a triple then crossed the plate on a Merrifield sacrifice fly.
Pittsburgh got on the board in the top of the seventh with Travis Swaggerty’s run-scoring single, but Clarke answered in the bottom of the inning with a two-run single.
Talley capped the scoring in the eighth with his second home of the spring.
The Blue Jays (12-7) take on Baltimore on Thursday at Sarasota, Fla.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 15, 2023.
