BRADENTON, Fla. -- Pirates pitching prospect Trevor Williams liked what he saw out of his developing changeup on Sunday in his start against the Minnesota Twins -- with one glaring exception.
Twins prospect Daniel Palka was able to turn on an 0-2 changeup that caught too much of the outer half in the second inning.
"He went after that changeup and got it," said Williams, the Pirates' No. 18 prospect. "I was going to back up third base [after he hit it] and I went, 'Oh, my' when it went out. I threw it where I wanted to throw it and sometimes those pitches get hit."
Williams still picked up the win in the Pirates' 4-3 victory after he allowed two runs on three hits. He struck out three and didn't walk a batter over three innings.
"I liked the fact that his fastball command was sharp today," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "I liked the fact that he didn't walk anybody and he got some swings and misses."
Originally drafted by the Marlins in the second round of the 2013 Draft, Williams went 9-6 with a 2.53 ERA in 20 games for Triple-A Indianapolis last season and earned the club's Most Valuable Player Award.
Bucs in WBC 2017: Outfielders Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco of the Dominican Republic got the better of teammate Andrew McCutchen and Team USA in Saturday night's 7-5 win in Game 2 of Pool C in the World Baseball Classic.
Marte had a big day for the Dominicans, going 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, two runs scored and an RBI. Neither McCutchen nor Polanco saw action in the game. With its second win of the tournament, the Dominican team clinched a spot in the next round. Team USA was set to play Pirates Minor League infielder Eric Wood and Canada on Sunday night. Wood went 1-for-4 in Saturday's 4-1 loss to Team Colombia.
Vogelsong returns to Bradenton: The Pirates saw a familiar face on the mound of LECOM Park on Sunday.
Ryan Vogelsong, who pitched six of his 12 big league seasons with the Bucs, including last season, signed a Minor League deal with the Twins that included an invitation to Spring Training this past offseason.
The veteran right-hander allowed three runs on four hits in 2 1/3 innings, striking out one.