Roansy Contreras shows increased velocity but gives up 4 hits as Blue Jays beat Pirates

DUNEDIN, Fla. — Roansy Contreras pumped a 94.8 mph four-seam fastball to Bo Bichette on his first pitch and topped out at 96.2 on a first-pitch four-seamer to Toronto’s No. 3, hitter Danny Jansen.

After a season that began in the starting rotation but was spent mostly in the minors after struggling with his velocity, the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander sat at 95.2 mph on 17 fastballs against the Blue Jays.

“That’s one of the most important things I took this offseason,” Contreras said, “to stay in contact with the team, and velocity was No. 1.”

While Contreras’ velocity is up a tick, he allowed two runs on four hits and one walk in two innings in an 8-4 loss to the Blue Jays on Monday at TD Ballpark in his first Grapefruit League start of spring training.

The velo is still down from his average of 96.3 mph in his major-league debut Sept. 29, 2021, when he recorded four strikeouts in three scoreless innings against the Chicago Cubs. By comparison, Pirates righty Braxton Ashcraft touched 98.2 mph on his four-seamer and sat at 97.3 on eight fastballs in the third inning.

Contreras doesn’t just look like a different pitcher on the radar gun. The 24-year-old’s build is noticeably leaner and more muscular, thanks to an offseason strength program designed to tone his 6-foot-1 frame.

“He looks bigger, he looks fuller in a really good way,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “And some of that’s just maturity. So, yeah, I do think he looks different.”

Shelton also sees a delivery that’s cleaner than last season, when Contreras’ mechanics were a mess. There was a concentration to put himself in a position to come down the mound more consistently.

Contreras came into last season with great expectations after going 5-5 with a 3.79 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 95 innings over 21 appearances, including 18 starts, as a rookie in 2022. And he got off to a great start, pitching for his native Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic and then going 3-1 with a 3.58 ERA in his first five starts.

But the bottom dropped out in May, when Contreras went 0-3 with a 5.18 ERA in five outings. He was bumped to the bullpen, then demoted to Triple-A Indianapolis before being sent to the Florida Complex League in Bradenton in mid-July. Contreras spent a month refining his mechanics before pitching two innings for High-A Bradenton and then returning to Indianapolis in August.

“I worked my butt off this season to get stronger and, mentally, I learned from last year,” Contreras said. “I’m trying to be more relaxed and just go about my day. … It’s hard. I felt like everybody had my back, but when you’re not having the results that you want, it’s mentally draining, it’s hard. But I’m back, mentally stronger and physically stronger.”

That didn’t stop the Blue Jays from hitting him. In the first, Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit back-to-back singles to the left-center gap, with Bichette going to third on a hit-and-run and scoring when Justin Turner grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.

With two outs in the second inning, Contreras got into trouble when he gave up a four-pitch walk to Santiago Espinal and back-to-back singles to Nathan Lukes and Cam Eden, who drove in Espinal for a 2-0 Blue Jays lead. Contreras also threw a wild pitch to Bichette that put runners on second and third but got him to ground out to third.

Shelton has been impressed by Contreras’ bullpen sessions this spring and wanted to see him command the strike zone. He threw 21 of his 35 pitches for strikes but threw six consecutive balls in one stretch with two outs in the second inning.

“The stuff’s come out good. It’s just going after and attacking the zone is probably the biggest thing we’re looking for,” Shelton said before the game. “I think the confidence will come with execution. That’s going to be the biggest thing.”

Notes: The Pirates got good plate production from their second basemen. Jared Triolo, who started, went 2 for 2 with a double. Termarr Johnson, who replaced Triolo, hit a pair of home runs. The 2022 No. 4 overall pick blasted an 0-2 fastball 392 feet to right-center in the seventh and a a first-pitch cutter 402 feet to center in the ninth. … In a matchup of left-handers, Marco Gonzales is expected to start against Chris Sale when the Pirates play host to the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday at LECOM Park in Bradenton.