As they try to clear up their crowded pitching picture, the Pirates got a first look at three of their new arms in Monday’s 6-5 win over the Orioles at LECOM Park.

Trevor Cahill, Duane Underwood Jr. and Luis Oviedo pitched in order between the fifth and eighth innings. Cahill was signed to a one-year deal on March 12, Underwood was acquired from the Cubs on March 7 and Oviedo was selected by the Mets in the Rule 5 Draft and then traded to the Pirates.

Cahill allowed some contact in his outing, including a hard-hit ball by Rio Ruiz that was snagged by Kevin Newman with a slick play at second base in the fifth inning. He needed only nine pitches (six strikes) to get out of that inning, then he bested that by getting through a clean sixth on seven pitches, including a strikeout on his changeup.

“I was just trying to throw strikes, honestly, and just see hitters’ reactions to my pitches,” Cahill said on AT&T Sportsnet after his outing.

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Cahill has been one of the veterans that younger pitchers, like Mitch Keller, have turned to for advice in camp, though health and safety protocols have limited the usual interactions.

“I’ve talked to Cahill quite a bit about pitching,” Keller said, “and we’ve been watching each other’s bullpens and stuff, so it’s kind of cool to learn from him and see what he’s got."

Underwood’s stuff had the most bite of the bunch, though he also made quick work of hitters. He reached 94.7 mph on his four-seamer and drew a whiff each on his fastball, changeup and curveball. Plus, Underwood got to display the slider that he’s been working on this offseason, registered at 87.8 mph.

“Any time you acquire guys and it takes time to get them into game situations,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said, “it’s a little challenging, but a very good first impression.”

Oviedo closed out the eight-inning game, but he allowed a single and a rocketed double within the span of his first three pitches. However, Ruiz, who hit the double, was caught trying to advance to third base on the play, then Oviedo struck out Chris Shaw on three breaking pitches and induced a groundout from Chance Sisco to end the game.

Oviedo will need to prove himself quickly to stay on the team. As a Rule 5 Draft pick, he must be on the active roster or be offered back to his original team for $50,000. With the additions of guys like Cahill, Underwood, Chasen Shreve and David Bednar to complement the existing bullpen, the mix has become quite crowded.

“He's still in the competition for it,” Shelton said. “We made no decisions on him. We still have nine days left, and we're going to have the opportunity to see him on the mound two or three more times. He's still definitely in the mix.”

Pirates reduce roster
The club announced on Monday that outfielder Jared Oliva and reliever Edgar Santana were optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis. Pittsburgh also reassigned infielder Kevin Kramer and reliever Shea Spitzbarth to Minor League camp.

The Pirates’ Spring Training roster sits at 48 players.

A new addition to the booth
Shortly after one former Pirate, Kevin Young, made his broadcasting debut last week, another Bucs alumnus made his.

Matt Capps joined the Pirates’ radio broadcast on KDKA for Monday’s game against the Orioles, serving as analyst beside play-by-play announcer Joe Block. Like Young, Capps is expected to bounce between duties on radio and TV during the final week of Spring Training.

Capps was a closer for the Pirates in some capacity in three of his five seasons with the team, racking up a 3.61 ERA with 67 saves and 208 strikeouts in Pittsburgh. He posted a 3.52 ERA in his eight-year Major League career.

Up next
Chase De Jong will face his former club on Tuesday, when he starts for the Pirates against the Twins at LECOM Park. De Jong, who has allowed just one run in eight innings this spring, made five appearances with Minnesota from 2018-19, including four starts. Slated to follow De Jong on the mound will be Miguel Yajure, Kyle Crick, Michael Feliz and Sam Howard. The game will be broadcast live on MLB.TV, with first pitch scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET.