Byron Buxton

They were Buxton's first two extra-base hits of the season. He and the rest of the top of the Twins order have struggled in week one, but he is up to .190/.227/.381 now.

The Twins couldn't get anything going through the first 5 2/3 innings against Shane Smith in this one, but they chased him as Byron Buxton and Trevor Larnach worked a pair of two-out walks. Ryan Jeffers, Ty France and Edouard Julien then followed with RBI singles to tie the game before Miranda knocked in a pair with a single of his own to give the Twins a 5-3 lead. The 26-year-old is off to a slow start at the dish this season, hitting .167 (3-for-18) with zero homers and two RBI.

There didn't appear to be any injuries here, just the Twins getting two of their best players a half-day off in what turned out to be a 9-0 loss. Both Buxton and Correa were 0-for-1 before exiting.

It's unclear if the Pirates will have Bednar close initially, but it's not like they appear to have any particularly strong alternatives. Bednar, unfortunately, has looked more like a mop-up man all spring. His velocity is down 1-2 mph from last year, when he mostly struggled, and he wound up allowing 10 runs -- nine earned -- over eight innings in Grapefruit League play. Dennis Santana and Colin Holderman are the other candidates to factor into the mix for saves in Pittsburgh.

Buxton crushed a ball 437 feet off Kevin Gowdy. Seemingly completely healthy at the moment, he's hit .306/.422/.528 in 53 plate appearances this spring. It won't last forever, but he's a great pick late in mixed-league drafts.