Toronto Blue Jays lose to Pittsburgh Pirates 1-3 – MLB Spring Training
Toronto Blue Jays lost to Pittsburgh Pirates 1-3 at the Florida Auto Exchange Stadium in Dunedin, Florida on Sunday, April 1 in their Grapefruit League encounter of the 2012 Major League Baseball Spring Training Session.
For Pittsburgh, Jeff Karstens pitched with great control and accuracy. Karstens will be playing a starting pitcher for the first time this season. After releasing Ross Ohlendorf this offseason, the Pirates decided to test Karstens as a starter on regular
basis. Toronto’s only run came run in the fourth innings with Edwin Encarnacion and Kelly Johnson earning a single and a double respectively.
"I don't think I trained with the mentality I have now. I think it's a little different this year, knowing the expectations. ... I want more of that and I want the other guys to see more of that."
"I think he's evolving," manager Clint Hurdle said of Karstens. "I think his mentality, his ability and awareness on the field is as good as his skill set -- great ability to read swings, a real good touch and feel for all his pitches, able to throw secondary
pitches behind in counts -- and the command of his fastball is very, very good."
The Blue Jays will be very disappointed with the break in their winning momentum. John Farrell and his men have given some incredible results since the start of 2012 Spring Training. With 23 wins and only six defeats, the Blue Jays have given their fans
plenty to celebrate this spring.
However, the real test lies ahead in the regular season when other MLB teams will play to their maximum strength. It will be interesting to see if the Blue Jays can live up to the hype to win their first World Series finals since 1993.
The Pirates, on the other hand, will be very pleased with the way the responded to the pressure situations during the contest. Showing great composure and fighting abilities, the Pirates earned their ninth spring win of the season. Pirates’ Manager Clint
Hurdle was very delighted to see his team playing as a single unit and he aimed to put up similar numbers in the upcoming regular season.
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