Vance Worley Shuts Out O's for Four Innings in Pirate Win; Chris Denorfia, Travis Wood Lead Cubs to 4th Straight Victory

Players of the Day for Sunday, March 15, 2015

Grapefruit League

Worley: 4 scoreless

Pittsburgh had one of the best pitching staffs in either league last season, and it appears that management is intent on building on that reputation.

On Sunday, starter Vance Worley blanked the Orioles over four innings, allowing two hits and a walk, striking out two.

Worley went 8-4 with the Pirates last season, his first winning campaign since 2011. He started 17 games and put down a marker with a 2.85 ERA. He bolsters a solid rotation.

The Orioles broke through in the sixth inning on Steve Pearce's two-run homer, but that was all the offense they could muster. After scoring single runs in the first and fourth, the Pirates put up a pair of runs in the eighth inning for the 4-2 win.

Cactus League

Travis Wood

After starting out a dismal 1-8, the Cubs have started winning, and the rest of the NL Central may want to start paying a little closer attention as the Cubs have won four straight.

Denorfia: HR 2RBI

One such team with a front row seat to the remaking of the cuddly Cubs is Cincinnati, which yesterday out-hit their rivals, 7-1, but still lost the game, 2-1. That's because the one hit allowed by Reds' starter Johnny Cueto, was a third inning home run by Chris Denorfia, after putting Dexter Fowler on base via a walk.

It could have been worse. Cueto worked four innings, and, despite just allowing the one hit, he did walk three.

The other part of the Cubs' winning equation was the five scoreless innings thrown by starting pitcher, Travis Wood, who scattered three hits, issue just one walk and fanned four.

Cincinnati (5-7) finally broke through for a run in the ninth inning, but the Cubs held on for the win.

Denorfia was picked up by the Cubs in the off-season, after he split 2014 between San Diego and Seattle. Wood has been a mainstay for the Cubs the past three seasons, after starting his MLB career with the Reds. In 89 starts for the Cubs, Wood has compiled a record of 23-38.