FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Pirates finally broke into the win column Saturday, with their pitching carrying them to a 2-0 victory over the Twins, led by starter Derek Holland's 2 2/3 scoreless innings.
And, yes, he is still considered a starter option. Derek Shelton reaffirmed it before the game.
"We have some openings in the rotation, and he's definitely one of the people we're looking at," Shelton said.
Holland said he prepared to be a reliever this season after falling out of the rotation last year with the Giants. The Pirates gave him an opportunity for him to reclaim a rotation job, and while nothing is guaranteed -- not even a roster spot -- so far, he has made a good case for himself. He struck out five in his debut on Feb. 23 and navigated some premier hitters in the Twins lineup Saturday.
But if he is going to make that jump back to the starting five, he is going to need to reclaim his offspeed pitches.
Holland more or less abandoned his offspeed stuff last year as he bounced between teams and roles, dropping his changeup usage to 4.1% and his curveball usage to 4.3%.
For his second outing this spring, the focus was "100 percent" on sharpening those offspeed offerings.
"I got the results I needed to," Holland said of his outing. "Used my offspeed I needed to. Located the way I needed to."
Holland's offspeed stuff got a heck of a test in the third inning, facing former MVP Josh Donaldson. He struck out Donaldson in the first, but he was nearing the end of his night, stretched out for a third inning for the first time this spring and nearing his pitch count. It was one of those plate appearances you remember when a roster needs to be constructed.
The two battled, with Donaldson pulling Holland's changeups foul. Eventually, Donaldson won, hanging back just long enough to hook an inside changeup down the line fair.
"I had a game plan going into that last inning of throwing more offspeed, and he was making the adjustments that were necessary," Holland said of his battle with Donaldson. "He saw that I was going to come in one time, I did it, and that was it."
He followed that by losing another battle with Nelson Cruz, who walked on a full count, ending his night. Still, he did what he set out to do that inning and executed his gameplan.
Holland had been working outside most the night to right-handers. He knows about his hand splits -- righties batted .288 with a .997 OPS against him a year ago -- and how that needs to be rectified if he is going to seriously be in the mix for starter. Offspeed stuff away is the classic counter when you don't have the hand advantage.
"Those are things I want to work on," Holland said. "Trying to work the counts, in and out, with right-handed hitters, and doing the same thing with left-handed hitters."
Holland got away from that last year, but has emphasized it in his first two starts this spring. The goal is still a starter spot, but he knows there's a crowded field of candidates for those jobs. Right now, he's trying to get his stuff where it needs to be.
"I'm definitely fighting for it, but at the same time, I'm going to take what I can get," Holland said. "I think we've done a good job of doing what we [he and pitching coach Oscar Marin] need to do. I'm not putting any stress on myself. I know there's a lot of guys that are competing for these spots, and I've got to do my part."
• It took nine tries, but the Pirates are finally in the win column this spring, with Dovydas Neverauskas getting the win and Montana DuRapau with the save. Just like how we all drew it up.
Again, just to make sure the people in the back hear it, these results don't matter. Or as Holland put it:
"You can't get so caught up in wins and losses and all that crap, because at the end of the day, nobody's been crowned champion for spring training. Nobody gets a Cy Young for spring training. None of that. People need to realize that. This is a time where we try new things. We can't get so caught up in results.
"I know how frustrating it looks that we're not winning, but you know what, we're doing what we need to do, and that's what's more important."
• I don't know how many home runs Jose Osuna will end up with this spring, but I'm making a mental note to add one to his final total because he was robbed in the sixth. He barreled up a drive to left just about as perfectly as one can, but the wind was blowing in strong that it died before it even reached the track.
"I hit that ball good," Osuna responded when I asked if he thought he had it. "I feel like that one, everything was perfect."
On a positive note, the wind ended up taking it too far for the left fielder to play it, so Osuna ended up getting an RBI double out of the deal. On a less positive note, Charlie Tilson had a tough time reading it and ended up being thrown out at home despite starting at second base.
It was a weird sequence all around.
• Blake Weiman got out of the bases loaded jam in the third, striking out Eddie Rosario on a nasty slider. He doesn't have the fastball velocity of Blake Cederlind or Nick Mears, but he's another young relief arm that Pittsburgh could be seeing sooner rather than later.
• In one of the more amusing spring stories so far, Richard Rodriguez left his jersey in Bradenton, meaning he had to wear a loaner for this one. He remembered to bring his fastball, though, punching out one batter and get two to ground out softly in the fourth.
So if he ever needs to break out of a slump, he can switch back over to number 81.
• Clay Holmes was removed from the game in the sixth inning after being struck in the ankle by a Cruz ground ball. He will be re-evaluated Sunday.
• Erik Gonzalez started a base running program Saturday as he continues his rehab from left foot surgery. He didn't make the trip to Fort Myers, and has yet to appear in a game this spring.
• Shelton had no idea what Rocco Baldelli had in store for his return back to the Twins' spring home, but Baldelli ended up going pretty easy on his friend and former bench coach, playing a montage of pictures of Shelton during travel trips in his time with the Twins.
“I was only here two years, but these people are like family to me, so it’s cool to be back,” Shelton said about the return.
Derek Shelton watches the Hammond Stadium scoreboard Saturday. - ALEX STUMPF / DKPS• Who threw today:
Derek Holland: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 2 K, 1 BB, 1 HBP
Blake Weiman: 0.1 IP, 1 K
Richard Rodriguez (No. 81): 1 IP, 1 K
Dovydas Neverauskas: 1 IP, 1 H, 2 K
Clay Holmes: 0.1 IP
Robbie Erlin: 0.2 IP,1 K
Miguel Del Pozo: 1 IP, 1 K
Williams Jerez: 1 IP, 1 H
Montana DuRapau: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 K
