Freese, Williams back Lindblom in Bucs' win
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Pirates right-hander Josh Lindblom tossed two scoreless innings and was backed by RBI singles from David Freese and Jackson Williams in a 3-1 win over the Twins on Wednesday at Hammond Stadium.
First baseman John Jaso added a solo homer in the sixth off 6-foot-10 pitching prospect Aaron Slegers. Lindblom threw two hitless innings with a walk, a hit batter and a strikeout, giving the non-roster invitee -- back in the U.S. after two years pitching in Korea -- three scoreless innings in two appearances this spring.
"Just making steps in the right direction, working on a lot of stuff still," Lindblom said. "Trying to break some bad habits that I created last year. Each outing, I've been able to build, so it feels good."
Twins right-hander Kyle Gibson, in his second Grapefruit League start, went 1 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on six hits and a walk, but the bullpen followed up strong, allowing just one run on three hits in 7 1/3 innings of work.
"Physically, I felt really good but mentally it's frustrating because I fell behind a lot of guys," Gibson said. "I didn't execute the pitches I wanted. But it's only the second start of spring and there's a lot of things to work on."
The Pirates got on the board in the first after Phil Gosselin opened the game with a double. He came around to score on an infield single from Freese that went off Gibson's glove with two outs.
Pittsburgh scored again in the second, when Danny Ortiz led off with a double and scored on a single from Williams.
The Twins, who were held hitless until the eighth inning on Tuesday, didn't get their first hit until the third on a single from outfield prospect Zack Granite. Minnesota tallied a run in the fourth on an RBI double from Matt Hague to score Robbie Grossman.
• Mauer open to batting anywhere in order
Twins first baseman Joe Mauer made his Grapefruit League debut, getting hit by a pitch in the first and drawing a walk in the third.
Pirates Up Next:Steven Brault and Trevor Williams, competing for the fifth spot in the rotation, will pitch for the Pirates as they face Justin Verlander and the Tigers on Thursday in a game airing exclusively via a pirates.com audio webcast. Tyler Webb and Tyler Eppler are also scheduled to take the mound. Andrew McCutchen, Francisco Cervelli and Josh Harrison are among the regulars expected to be in Pittsburgh's lineup. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium.
Twins Up Next: Right-hander Phil Hughes is set to make his second start of the spring on Thursday against the Orioles at 12:05 p.m. CT at Ed Smith Stadium in a game airing on Gameday Audio. Other pitchers scheduled to throw for the Twins include Brandon Kintzler, Taylor Rogers, Nick Tepesch, Justin Haley, Michael Tonkin and Randy Rosario.
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