Derek Holland was dressed in black and gold from head to toe, with an emphasis on the Pittsburgh gold spikes that stood out when the left-hander took the mound Wednesday night for the Pirates at PNC Park.

Holland looked like someone who was auditioning to start the home opener, catering to a crowd that wasn’t there and a television audience that couldn’t see the game because it was moved up two hours because of a national weather warning.

We're actually not that far from the shadows now... pic.twitter.com/5MMOieV3rV

— Pirates (@Pirates) July 22, 2020

It was an exhibition game against the Cleveland Indians, the final one of a spring training that started in February and ended in late July, so Holland focused on the feel more than the scoreboard. He concentrated on contact, using the away side, and said he “thought we did a great job of mixing away, getting weak contact.”

For a 33-year-old who started last season in the starting rotation of the San Francisco Giants and finished it in the Chicago Cubs bullpen, Holland had a lot to prove as a non-roster invitee. He arrived wanting to make the team, whether as a starter or a reliever.

“It’s always been my motto and my mindset, I would say, is you’ve got to compete for a job,” Holland said. “It doesn’t matter, even when you have a contract, you’re not guaranteed a spot, so I’ve always had that competitive edge to make sure I’m competing for a spot no matter what, even if you’ve got a job.”

That mentality worked for Holland, as manager Derek Shelton confirmed he has made the team and will pitch one of the first two games of the first homestand against the Milwaukee Brewers.

So, Holland accomplished his first goal.

"We’ve been waiting for this moment, I know the fans have been waiting for it too. We want to get out there and represent the city."- @Dutch_Oven45 is ready for the season to start. pic.twitter.com/Zne7zlHxjo

— Pirates (@Pirates) July 22, 2020

1. Feels so good: Holland was hoping that being reunited with pitching coach Oscar Marin could help resuscitate his career. They worked together when Marin was the Texas Rangers pitching coordinator while Holland was in rehabilitation in 2016.

With Jameson Taillon out, Holland had a shot at locking down the fifth spot in the starting rotation like Jordan Lyles did last year. When Chris Archer was lost to season-ending surgery, Holland moved up to the No. 4 role.

So you can’t blame Holland for wanting to start the home opener, the Pirates’ fourth game of the season.

“It’s something you dream of, obviously,” Holland said. “Any time you get a chance to be a home opener, it’s something you’d love to do. You’re here to start things off, you want to get the momentum going on the right side at home.”

Of course, the stadium will be empty.

? pic.twitter.com/LyBoHIZ4LU

— Pirates (@Pirates) July 23, 2020

“It’s going to be very different not having fans,” Holland said. “Like I said, you’ve got to find the mentality to push yourself through it and not overthink or talk to yourself out there, because now you’re going to hear everything. You’re going to hear your own thoughts. You’re going to hear the other team talking smack, however you want to put it. It’s all about being focused on what you’re trying to do and not overdo it.”

2. Positive outcome: The mystery surrounding Keone Kela’s absence was solved when Shelton confirmed the closer gave permission to confirm he tested positive for covid-19.

Shelton said Kela is in “good spirits” and credited him for being “a good teammate.”

“I know he’s reaching out to his teammates and talking to them,” Shelton said. “We’ll be excited to have him back when the protocol works out. I can’t say enough about how he’s been, in terms of his conversations with me, his communications with Oscar and his conversations with our players.”

Into the #BELLieve section.

you love to see it. pic.twitter.com/5tQaLiDH2C

— Pirates (@Pirates) July 22, 2020

3. Bell ringer: If there’s a bright side to a spring training where the Pirates (3-18) finished last in Grapefruit League play and with an MLB-worst minus-48 run differential, it’s the way Josh Bell is swinging the bat.

Bell served as designated hitter Wednesday against Cleveland, smacking a two-run homer into the last row of the right-field seats in the first and a double off the Clemente Wall in the sixth.

Shelton was “real excited” about Bell’s bat.

“Left-handed, he hit the one home run on a pitch that was about 3 feet over his head,” Shelton said. “Then he hit the double. Very, very encouraging.”

In the exhibition opener, Bell crushed one off the left-field wall at PNC Park. At Progressive Field, he belted a home run.

“We saw the other night in Cleveland right-handed, that ball was kind of miss-hit — and when I say miss-hit, he’s just so damn strong that he hit a ball to the opposite field, because path was in the right place and he’s strong,” Shelton said. “It’s good to see him take good swings from both sides and play.”

Now, it’s just a matter of who will protect Bell in the order.

After settling in at second base, Adam Frazier hopes his bat will keep him in Pirates' lineup

(Via TribLive) https://t.co/EvUJkcFN4m

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) July 8, 2020

4. Big holes: The trade of Starling Marte and the covid-19 positive test of Gregory Polanco have left the Pirates with holes in the middle of their batting order.

Deciding who will hit third and fifth are among Shelton’s early challenges.

Bryan Reynolds settled in to batting second last season, slashing .305/.371/.476 in 94 games last season, so Shelton had him stay put. Reynolds only batted third in two games, going 3 for 6. But he hit pretty much everywhere in the order. In fact, the only spot he hit worse than .300 was at No. 9 (.250).

Adam Frazier’s stat line in spring training isn’t inspiring. He slashed .179/.238/.308 in 14 games, mostly batting third. The Pirates, however, are basing it more on how Frazier fared last season, when he batted .278 with 33 doubles, seven triples, 10 homers and 50 RBIs.

“I would say there’s a very good chance he’s going to hit the three hole,” Shelton said. “I feel happy about that (because) that’s one of the things we’ve tried to line up. We’ve talked to different people about going to different spots, but I’m happy with how it’s lined up.”

Colin Moran is the leading candidate to bat fifth, whether he’s starting at third base or serving as DH. And the reason why Shelton likes this lineup is telling.

On the Indians' lineup taking shape with the switch-hitters 1-2-3-4 (Hernandez, Ramirez, Lindor, Santana) and how the pieces fit after that -- https://t.co/trglVIjKZ5

— Ryan Lewis (@ByRyanLewis) July 21, 2020

5. Flip the switch: What Shelton likes is the flexibility his first five batters gives him, going from right-handed Kevin Newman in the leadoff spot to the switch-hitting Reynolds to the lefty Frazier to the switch-hitting Bell and back to the left-handed Moran.

“It gives us a little bit of a different mix,” Shelton said. “I think with Newman being one and Frazier being three, it gives us a complement of a different skill set in the middle of those (two). That’s what stands out the most.”

Cleveland uses four switch hitters atop its lineup, with Cesar Hernandez, Jose Ramirez, Francisco Lindor and Carlos Santana, followed by five right-handed batters.

But Shelton mentioned the new MLB rule that requires pitchers to face a minimum of three batters an inning. The Pirates could catch a right-handed pitcher with four consecutive lefty bats.

“I think you’re going to see people try to go back and forth maybe a little bit more than they have in the past,” Shelton said. “I think you’ll probably see if they do go with right-handers or left-handers together, there could be more pinch-hitting opportunities, especially with a 30-man roster. So it’s something we’re definitely taking into account.”

Speaking of the 30-man roster, the Pirates have to finalize theirs by noon today.

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