Monday, March 2, 2009

Pirates vs. Reds

Oh, it's a cold one here at McKechnie Field. The press box shutters are drawn in an attempt to keep warm, and one of the Pittsburgh beat writers remembered to bring his yellow and black Steelers knit cap.
But seeing as how the northeastern part of the country has been battered by nearly a foot of snow, we really have no room to complain.
So this is John Lembo, sports writer with The Bradenton Herald, and I will be blogging from today's Grapefruit League game between the Pirates and the Reds.
Let's look at the lineups:

Reds:
Chris Dickerson, cf
Jeff Keppinger, ss
Jay Bruce, rf
Brandon Phillips, 2b
Edwin Encarnacion, 3b
Jonny Gomes, 1b
Lance Nix, lf
Ryan Hanigan, C
Wes Bankston, dh
Homer Bailey, p

Yes, that's right - Jonny Gomes, formerly the unofficial mascot of the Tampa Bay Rays, is playing first for the Reds. Wonder what kind of reception he will get...

Pirates
Andrew McCutchen, lf
Freddy Sanchez, 2b
Nate McLouth, cf
Ryan Doumit, dh
Adam LaRoche, 1b
Brandon Moss, rf
Neil Walker, 3b
Jack Wilson, ss
Jason Jaramillo, c
Zach Duke, p

Little different look, with Doumit DHing and Jaramillo, looking to land a job as the team's No.2 catcher, squatting behind the plate. McCutchen and Walker make two Pirate first-round picks in the same lineup.

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