New-look OF to get first test in split-squad opener

Cutch and Co. to face Orioles at home, while Lindblom starts vs. Rays on road

February 24th, 2017

BRADENTON, Fla. -- After a week of full-squad workouts, the Pirates will unveil their new-look outfield Saturday as they begin their Grapefruit League schedule.
Featuring a lineup led by , and , the Bucs will host the Orioles at LECOM Park. Another split-squad will head south to face the Rays at Charlotte Sports Park. Both games are scheduled to start at 1:05 p.m. ET. Orioles-Pirates will be broadcast in an exclusive audio webcast on pirates.com, while Pirates-Rays will air on Gameday Audio.
"Drills are drills. Practice is practice. Now, we have time to work through spring and some games," manager Clint Hurdle said. "Just look for the simplistic parts of the game: throwing strikes, making plays, having good at-bats."
Spring Training: Info | Tickets | Schedule | Gear
Left-hander is slated to start against the Orioles with a host of pitchers scheduled for one inning each afterward: , Tony Watson, , , , , A.J. Schugel and Pat Light.
The home opener lineup includes Marte in center, McCutchen in right and Polanco in left field, the first time they've used that alignment in a game. Marte will bat second behind shortstop with McCutchen hitting third and Polanco batting cleanup.

Third baseman , first baseman , second baseman , catcher and designated hitter round out Pittsburgh's lineup for the home opener. Shortstop prospect , infielder and catcher are also scheduled to play.
Non-roster right-hander Josh Lindblom will start against the Rays. He will be followed by reliever and a handful of non-roster invitees: lefties Dan Runzler, Jared Lakind and Cody Dickson and right-handers and .
Second baseman Josh Harrison, shortstop and first baseman headline the traveling squad's lineup. They will bat atop the order followed by designated hitter , right fielder Joey Terdoslavich, left fielder , third baseman Phil Gosselin, center fielder and catcher .
The first home game will give the Pirates a chance to show off the recently renamed LECOM Park, formerly known as McKechnie Field. The ballpark added one feature in addition to the new name: a high-definition scoreboard, 45 feet wide and 25 feet high, in left-center field.
"Love it," Hurdle said. "Looks great."