BRADENTON, Fla. -- As Andrew McCutchen prepared to go to bat for a third time, Derek Shelton asked him if he wanted a pinch-runner if he got on base. McCutchen joked he was going to hit a double and run hard to first. Shelton quipped back, why not just hit a homer then?

He ended up doing just that, launching his first home of the spring.

“He ran hard to first,” Shelton said with a smile after.

That was one of two homers the Pirates hit in their 6-3 win over the Twins at LECOM Park Friday, the other being a solo blast by Ke'Bryan Hayes. Over at CoolToday Park in North Port, Fla., Pittsburgh's split-squad team played the Braves to a 6-6 tie, with Canaan Smith-Njigba going deep.

That gives the Pirates 24 homers this spring, the most of any team. But after the game, the players who hit those homers downplayed their solo shots and instead preached the importance of playing small ball.

“Homers are overrated in Spring Training,” McCutchen said. “People don’t realize that the conditions we play under are unrealistic. We don’t have those conditions more times than not.”

Spring homers don’t always translate to future homers. Pitchers could throw more of one certain pitch that needs more work. Winds could carry the ball out more. McCutchen wrote off his line drive homer as definitely a double at PNC Park, given its cavernous left field. (Statcast begs to differ, projecting it went 418 feet.)

“Don’t put any stock in ‘em at all,” Shelton said. “... Our guys are taking good swings, but the little things are why we’re going to be successful offensively.”

Of course, some more power would be a good thing. In 2023, the Pirates hit just 159 home runs, the third-fewest in the league. The return of Oneil Cruz and signing of Rowdy Tellez this winter should boost the team’s home run total, not to mention the continued maturation of young hitters like Hayes and Henry Davis.

But for this team to be successful, they’re going to have to do the little things right. Hayes brought up April of last year as the type of style they want to play: Speedy baseball where they create and cash in on opportunities.

“I don't think we're a team that needs to worry about hitting home runs, because we run so well,” Hayes said. “I think first, having a one-through-nine lineup that consistently hits line drives all over the field, I think that's the biggest thing for our team."

“We have some pop in the lineup, but we have to remember that we have to play small ball,” McCutchen said. “Homers come and go. We have to chip away at the things that we can control.”

Pérez simplifies
Martín Pérez tossed four shutout innings Friday, allowing one hit while walking and striking out a pair. The veteran lefty has five pitches at his disposal, but he heavily leaned into his cutter, changeup and sinker, while only throwing two curveballs and one four-seamer.

The cutter and changeup are going to be vital pitches if Pérez is going to try to reclaim his 2022 All-Star form, and it’s no coincidence that they’ve been the two pitches he’s thrown the most this spring.

“The game's already hard,” Pérez said. “I think as a player, you've just got to go out there, enjoy it and have fun. Simplify and just enjoy it. Try to have fun and throw the ball where you want it. Read the swings and read their body, what they're looking for. How they react with any pitch and you can have a better idea and you start mixing the ball."

Pérez added that he feels at about “85%” in his preparation for the season.

Cutch in the booth?
Friday marked the broadcasting debut of former Pirates pitcher Steven Brault, who jumped in the booth with Greg Brown and Bob Walk for SportsNet Pittsburgh.

Brault is a very gregarious guy and should excel in the broadcast booth. But what about McCutchen? Would he have any interest in jumping in the booth when he eventually hangs the cleats up?

“I can’t see myself sitting there with a suit on talking,” McCutchen joked. “I don’t know. I just can’t. Maybe that can change. A lot of stuff can change. But I don’t know. I don’t mind talking sometimes, I just don’t like talking all the time.”