Zach Thompson wins 1st start, Oneil Cruz crushes another homer as Pirates beat Rays

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — At 6-foot-7, 230 pounds, Zach Thompson is an imposing presence on the mound, one of the few who can see eye to eye with Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop prospect Oneil Cruz.

Even Thompson couldn’t believe his eyes.

Thompson watched from the dugout in awe in the second inning as Cruz crushed a ball that bounced on the roof of the suites behind the bullpen and deck in right field in a 5-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in a Grapefruit League game Monday afternoon at Charlotte Sports Park.

“I definitely felt the vibration of it coming off the bat,” Thompson said. “I was sitting down, and all of a sudden the shock wave hit me. I was like, ‘Oh, something just happened.’ That was huge. That was probably one of the biggest home runs I’ve seen in a while. … He took a sand wedge out there and put it 500 feet in right field, with the wind. That’s a tough at-bat, for sure.”

Oneil Cruz crushed this home run in Port Charlotte pic.twitter.com/8hnOVTEoUn

— Jimmy T (@JimmyTrdinich) March 21, 2022

Oneil Cruz just crushes moonshots. pic.twitter.com/gKbdoeOIdS

— MLB (@MLB) March 21, 2022

Where Cruz continues to amaze with his power, Thompson is attempting to make a positive impression as a starting pitcher. One of three players acquired from the Miami Marlins in the trade of Gold Glove catcher Jacob Stallings, Thompson wants to prove he belongs in the rotation instead of the bullpen.

“He does give us a lot of options,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “What we expect out of him right now, I don’t know. It’s a chance to just watch him pitch in games, watch him move down the slope a little bit. From there, we’ll be able to gauge. He’s a guy we really liked and targeted when we traded Stalls.”

After going 3-7 with a 3.24 ERA in 14 starts last season (with 12 relief appearances), Thompson was excited to make his first start of spring training.

“I think it’s an honor,” Thompson said. “I’m versatile. But being able to start is a huge deal. Being in a rotation on a major-league staff is something you always want to do. I would like to do it as long as I can.”

Thompson allowed three hits and a walk with two strikeouts in two innings to earn the win. Brandon Lowe hit a leadoff double down the right-field line, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on Wander Franco’s single to left to give the Rays a 1-0 lead in the first inning.

Thompson would have retired the side in order in the second if not for a Cruz error behind second base. Instead, Thompson got Rays star Franco to ground out to first for the final out.

“It was nice just to get back out there, honestly,” Thompson said. “You have a whole new set of blood that’s pumping, that adrenaline, especially for a game with fans and everything. It’s really nice to get that out of there. You can kind of take a breath now and move forward.”

The Pirates answered in the second, when Yoshi Tsutsugo doubled, advanced to third on a Rodolfo Castro groundout and scored on a wild pitch by Seth Blair to tie the game. Cruz gave the Pirates a 2-1 lead with his second home run of spring training.

Cruz led off the fourth with a hard line drive over the middle — over the outstretched bare hand of Rays pitcher Calvin Faucher — to set the stage for a big inning. Nick Gonzales drew a walk, and Jamie Ritchie singled to load the bases for Bryan Reynolds, who cleared them with a triple deep to the right-center gap for a 5-1 lead.

Jose Quintana is scheduled to start for the Pirates (3-1) against John Means in a matchup of left-handers when they host the Baltimore Orioles at 1:05 p.m. Tuesday at LECOM Park in Bradenton.