Connor Joe looked like a lock to make the Opening Day roster for the Pittsburgh Pirates before being hit by a pitch in the sixth inning Sunday afternoon against the Atlanta Braves.
Joe, an outfielder/first baseman acquired last fall from Colorado, started in left field but left the game after he was hit in the left hand by A.J. Smith-Shawver. Joe was replaced by pinch runner Maikol Escotto, who played second base as Mark Mathias moved to left.
The Pirates listed Joe as day to day, just four days before Thursday’s season opener at Cincinnati.
With starter Rich Hill scratched due to an illness, the Pirates turned to their bullpen and the Braves took full advantage of the late change with solo home runs by Austin Riley and Eddie Rosario on the way to a 8-1 win over the Pirates on Sunday afternoon in a Grapefruit League game at CoolToday Park in North Port, Fla.
Wil Crowe made the emergency start after pitching one-third of an inning Saturday night against Baltimore, and he surrendered a homer to right-center to Riley in the first inning. Colin Holderman gave up a homer to Rosario in the second as the Braves took a 2-0 lead.
Braves starter Spencer Strider tossed four scoreless innings for the Braves, allowing two hits and one walk with four strikeouts. He got plenty of support, as Atlanta had nine hits, including three for extra bases.
Atlanta scored three runs in the sixth, when Travis MacGregor gave up two walks and a single, then a bases-loaded walk to Michael Harris II for a 3-0 lead. MacGregor was replaced by Noe Toribio, who gave up a two-run single to Ozzie Albies that made it 5-0 before getting Ehire Adrianza to ground into a 3-2-3 double play that forced Harris out at the plate.
The Braves made it 6-0 against Eddy Yean in the seventh, when Drew Lugbauer singled, advanced to third on Jacob Pearson’s single and scored on a passed ball by catcher Omar Alfonzo. The Braves added two more runs against Logan Hofmann in the eighth, as Lugbauer hit a bases-loaded single and Beau Phillip scored on a wild pitch.
The Pirates scored in the ninth, when Chris Owings hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to left to score pinch runner Ewry Espinal.
JT Brubaker is expected to start against Joe Ryan when the Pirates visit the Minnesota Twins at 1:05 p.m. Tuesday in Fort Myers.
