By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Final: Phillies 6, Pirates 3 ❖
CLEARWATER, Fl. — Talk about a start for the Phillies.
A five-run first inning got the Phillies started quickly and despite the Pirates chipping away in the early innings, it was the bullpen that took care of business the rest of the way, securing a 6-3 win for the Phillies over the Pirates on Sunday afternoon at Spectrum Field.
WP: Pat Venditte (1-0, 2.84 ERA) ❖ LP: Josh Lindblom (3-1, 4.22 ERA) ❖ SV: Hector Neris (1)
Hub: Game Summary ❖ Starting Pitchers ❖ At the Plate ❖ Bullpen ❖ What's Next
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| PIT | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 0 |
| PHI | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | 6 | 15 | 0 |
The Phillies opened the scoring with a five-run first inning. A one-out double by Howie Kendrick got things start. Kendrick scored on an RBI single by Odubel Herrera. Maikel Franco followed with a two-run home run to left-center to make it 3-0. Michael Saunders tripled after Franco's blast. Two batters later, Andrew Knapp joined the hit parade with a two-run home run of his own, capping the five-run frame.
The Pirates chipped away at the lead in the second and third.
A two-out RBI groundout by Jordy Mercer got the Pirates on the board. In the third, Jose Osuna plated two runs with an RBI double.
Roman Quinn capped the scoring for the game in the eighth with an RBI single.
Clay Buchholz walked four and allowed three runs on five hits in 3 1/3 innings of work. The Phillies bullpen was excellent, allowing four hits and one walk over the remaining 5 2/3 innings.
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Lindblom | 1.2 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4.22 |
| Clay Buchholz | 3.1 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 5.94 |
Pirates
- Jose Osuna: 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, SO, .417 AVG
- John Jaso: 1-3, R, BB, .306 AVG
- Austin Meadows: 2-4, R, 2B, SO, .326 AVG
Phillies
- Odubel Herrera: 3-4, R, 2B, RBI, .394 AVG
- Maikel Franco: 1-4, R, HR, 2 RBI, .219 AVG
- Andrew Knapp: 2-4, R, HR, 2 RBI, SO, .184 AVG
Pirates
- Wade LeBlanc (2nd-5th): 3.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR, 3.86 ERA
- Jared Hughes (6th): 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR, 11.57 ERA
- A.J. Schugel (7th): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR, 4.66 ERA
- Tate Scioneaux (8th): 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR, 6.75 ERA
Phillies
- Pat Venditte (4th-5th): 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR, 2.84 ERA
- Luis Garcia (6th-7th): 2.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR, 5.19 ERA
- Joaquin Benoit (8th): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR, 10.38 ERA
- Hector Neris (9th): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR, 0.00 ERA
- Monday, March 27, 2017: at Toronto Blue Jays, 6:07 p.m.
- Dunedin, Fl. - Florida Auto Exchange Stadium
- RHP Vince Velasquez (1-1, 3.07 ERA) vs. RHP Aaron Sanchez (1-0, 7.36 ERA)
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
