Cutch, Tulo homer in Estrada's spring debut

March 20th, 2016

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- The Blue Jays and Pirates saw productive days at the plate for a pair of their star players as Troy Tulowitzki and Andrew McCutchen each delivered two-run shots for their respective clubs in Toronto's 3-2 win on Sunday afternoon at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium.
Both home runs came in the first inning, but Ryan Goins -- who also made a series of impressive plays at second base -- put the Blue Jays on top in the fifth with an RBI double.
Right-hander Marco Estada made his first start of the spring after he missed the opening weeks of camp because of a sore back, and there was some noticeable rust. He struggled with his command early and served up an 0-1 pitch to McCutchen that was sent over the wall in right field for his fourth homer of the spring.

Estrada limited the damage to two runs in the first and then recorded a clean second inning before getting pulled in the third after a leadoff walk. He was charged with the two runs on two hits while walking three and striking out one in his debut.
Estrada happy with debut despite rust
"When I was warming up, I didn't feel great, and once I got out there it took me a little bit to get going," Estrada said. "As you saw, I struggled a little bit early, but it was good to be out there. As the inning went going, I threw better pitches and felt much better. Especially the second inning, it was night and day."
Right-hander Gavin Floyd scattered four hits and two walks with two strikeouts over 4 1/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen as he continues to compete for the final spot in Toronto's starting rotation.
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Pittsburgh opted to field a lineup that featured most of its regular position players. David Freese made his first start of the spring at third base and went 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout. He wasn't tested a lot at third but did make a relatively routine play on Russell Martin in the second, and although he almost lost a Kevin Pillar popup in the fifth, Freese did recover just in time to make an acrobatic catch on an otherwise easy play.

Right-hander A.J. Schugel got the start for Pittsburgh and allowed two runs on two hits with one strikeout in two innings. Arquimedes Caminero was the first man out of the bullpen for the Pirates, and he retired all six batters he faced, which included a strikeout of Tulowitzki in the fourth inning.
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Up next for the Pirates: The Bucs will split up Monday for a pair of 1:05 p.m. ET games. Opening Day starter Francisco Liriano will take the mound at McKechnie Field against the Braves, with relievers Trey Haley, Jorge Rondon and Eric O'Flaherty also scheduled to pitch. That game will air on Gameday Audio. Meanwhile, right-hander Juan Nicasio -- fresh off his 10-strikeout performance against the Orioles -- will start on the road against the Twins in Fort Myers, Fla. Neftali Feliz and Jim Fuller will pitch after Nicasio.
Up next for the Blue Jays: Toronto will enjoy an off-day on Monday before right-hander Drew Hutchison takes the mound Tuesday afternoon in a road game against the Tigers. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET as the Blue Jays make their first trip to Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Fla., this spring. Hutchison is competing for the final spot in the Blue Jays' rotation, but he appears to be behind Aaron Sanchez and Floyd on the depth chart. Joe Biagini, Chad Jenkins and Roberto Hernandez are also scheduled to pitch.