Civale focused on being ready by the end of spring

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- As Opening Day draws nearer, results will become more important to Aaron Civale. He typically treats his final two Spring Training outings like the real thing, he said, unloading his full arsenal of pitches and competing like he would during the regular season.

For now, Civale is focused on the work he needs to do to get himself ready for that point.

The right-hander, expected to be one of the top three pitchers in Tampa Bay’s rotation, made his Grapefruit League debut in the Rays’ 7-3 loss to the Pirates on Monday at Charlotte Sports Park and allowed five runs on four hits, including three homers, while throwing 54 pitches over 2 2/3 innings.

“There are things to work on and things to tinker with,” Civale said. “When I do only have three innings and 54 pitches to work with, there’s certain things that I’m trying to work on and going to take those as the goals going into the game, and we’ll dissect those after.”

After facing his teammates in two back-field simulated-game settings, Civale went into Monday’s start looking to emphasize his plan of attack against right-handed hitters. In his career, Civale has been more effective against lefties (with a .230/.281/.395 slash line against him) than righties (.257/.309/.433). For a pitcher with such a deep repertoire, that might mean shelving some pitches in favor of others during an abbreviated Spring Training outing.

Naturally, two of the homers he allowed Monday were hit by lefties on pitches over the middle. Jack Suwinski pulled a cutter over the right-field bullpen in the first inning, and Canaan Smith-Njigba hit a fastball to the same part of the ballpark in the second. Pittsburgh’s third homer came from right-handed-hitting Henry Davis, who muscled a cutter over the boardwalk beyond the left-field fence.

“I felt like the stuff was fine and the command was good, minus a few pitches,” Civale said. “That’s all part of the process.”

Pitching coach Kyle Snyder was happy with Civale’s outing overall, especially with his pitch count. Set to start Sunday against the Red Sox in the Dominican Republic, Civale should be able to handle four innings and about 65 pitches, putting him in position for a full workload once the season begins.

“The menu is large, and really dialing all those pitches in can take some time,” Snyder said. “But I'm certainly pleased with where Aaron is.”

Triple-digit rip
When Amed Rosario stepped into the batter’s box in the fourth inning, he knew about the Pirates pitcher on the mound. It was Paul Skenes, the flame-throwing 2023 No. 1 Draft pick and top-ranked prospect.

“Who doesn’t know who he is?” Rosario said through interpreter Manny Navarro. “I was a prospect at one point. It’s a beautiful thing.”

So, too, was the home run Rosario sent into the visitor’s bullpen in left field. Rosario turned on an inside fastball from Skenes that clocked in on the stadium radar gun at 100 mph. The veteran infielder missed on some fastballs while striking out in his first at-bat, but he didn’t miss when Skenes brought the heat.

“That was good to see,” bench coach Rodney Linares said, before joking, “I guess he can’t hit 95, but he can hit 100.”

Around the horn
• Versatile reliever Shawn Armstrong, who posted a 1.38 ERA in 52 innings for the Rays last season, made his spring debut with a clean seventh inning. Lefty Tyler Alexander pitched two innings out of the bullpen, allowing one run on five hits and a walk.

• Non-roster catcher Francisco Mejía, who rejoined the Rays on a Minor League deal last Thursday, caught the final four innings and went 1-for-2 with an RBI single.

• Manager Kevin Cash was away from the team on Monday due to a personal matter. He is expected to be back on Tuesday.

Up next
The Rays and Red Sox will square off Tuesday afternoon at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Fla. Non-roster right-hander Naoyuki Uwasawa will get the start, while starter Ryan Pepiot is scheduled to come out of the bullpen.

Reliever Phil Maton is scheduled to make his debut in a Rays uniform, setup man Jason Adam will pitch for the first time this spring, and lefty Garrett Cleavinger will take the mound for his second appearance. Right-handers Manuel Rodríguez and Enmanuel Mejia are also slated to pitch.

First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. There will be no coverage on Bally Sports Sun or Rays Radio, but fans can watch the NESN broadcast on MLB.TV.