Todd Frazier hits 2nd home run as Pirates lose Grapefruit League home opener to Tigers

Todd Frazier continued his bid to make the Pittsburgh Pirates as a nonroster invitee to spring training, hitting his second home run in three Grapefruit League games.

Frazier’s shot to left field off Erasmo Ramirez in the fourth inning was the Pirates’ only run in a 6-1 five-inning loss to the Detroit Tigers in their home opener Tuesday at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla.

“He’s hit two homers, which is good,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “Homers are good. You know, he can hit. He can hit the fastball. Guy tried to run a fastball back on his hands and he just clipped it and got the barrel out front.”

Just @FlavaFraz21 with his second homer of the spring. pic.twitter.com/9y2Ix5ABes

— Pirates (@Pirates) March 2, 2021

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Frazier has a chance to make the team as a right-handed hitting complement to lefty Colin Moran at first base, and Frazier showed his ability to play both corners when he turned a 3-6-3 double play in the second inning. Frazier fielded a Harold Castro grounder, threw to shortstop Erik Gonzalez at second base and returned to cover first base.

“Nice play on that, able to get back to the bag,” Shelton said. “We’ve been working specifically on that play and him getting back. He did a nice job and Gonzo made a nice turn. So, two games and he’s done some good things. … We know he can play. It’s just a matter of he transitioned over to first, making sure he’s in the right spot and doing the right things. He’s a baseball player. He knows what he’s doing and he did a nice job with it.”

The Tigers took a 1-0 lead when Willi Castro hit a 1-0 slider for a two-out home run to center in the first. It was the only hit allowed by right-hander JT Brubaker, who faced four batters in his first start.

“Backdoor slider, probably caught a little too much of the plate,” Brubaker said. “Guy was diving out over, so a little bit of both. I missed my spot. It could have been a little more outer half, I guess, and then he just dove out and pulled it into the right-center gap, so it was a mixture of both.”

Pirates reliever Sean Poppen, claimed off waivers from the Minnesota Twins last October, gave up three more runs in the third. Akil Baddoo followed back-to-back singles to left by Greg Garcia and Grayson Greiner with an RBI double to left to score Garcia for a 2-0 Tigers lead.

Willi Castro hit a bullet that knocked off Poppen’s glove and ricocheted into right field, scoring Greiner and Baddoo to make it 4-0. Second baseman Kevin Newman made an over-the-shoulder catch in shallow right field to rob JaCoby Jones of a hit and end the inning.

The Pirates had runners in scoring position in the third, after Newman drew a leadoff walk and Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a line-drive double to the right-center gap. But Hayes was headed to third when Bryan Reynolds grounded out to first, and Newman was doubled off at home.

“Key didn’t realize where the first baseman was at and broke,” Shelton said. “We weren’t running contact in a spring training game, and Key just needed to be aware of where the first baseman was at.”

Frazier cut it to 4-1 with his blast to left field in the fourth, but the Tigers added two more runs in the top of the fifth against Max Kranick. Baddoo and Spencer Torkelson drew walks, setting up a two-RBI double off the left-center wall by Jones for a 6-1 lead. The managers agreed to roll over the inning.

Left-hander Steven Brault is scheduled to start against Shane McClanahan when the Pirates play against the Tampa Bay Rays at 1:05 p.m. Wednesday in Port Charlotte.