Recap: Yankees 6, Pirates 2

Michael Pineda pitched 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball and Chris Young drove in two with a clutch single in the sixth Thursday as the Yankees beat the Pirates, 6-2, in a split-squad game at Steinbrenner Field.

Pineda Cruises Again: Pineda surrendered just one earned run and six hits during his stint on the mound -- striking out six while impressively walking none. He retired nine consecutive at one point, and threw 58 of his 84 pitches for strikes.

Young's Big Hit: After an Austin Romine single and a Garrett Jones double led-off the bottom of the sixth, Young flared a soft line drive to center off Pittsburgh's Jared Hughes -- easily scoring a pair to give the Yankees their first advantage of the day. Young's knock was followed two batters later by another RBI single by Rob Refsnyder -- a sharp grounder to left that plated Young's pinch runner.

A-Rod Busy at First Base: Alex Rodriguez recorded a total of seven putouts when manning first base in this one, picking a couple of balls out of the dirt while making a play unassisted. In the third, Rodriguez nearly dropped a pop-up off the bat of Starling Marte, but was able to keep it in his glove with some help from his other hand.

Betances Puts Up a Zero: Dellin Betances walked two and struck out one in the top of the seventh -- escaping a men-on-the-corners jam when Corey Hart rolled over to short. It was Betances' first scoreless inning since March 11, and lowered his ERA on the preseason to a still-high 6.14.

Other Bullpen Numbers: Andrew Miller got the win after inducing an inning-ending double-play in the sixth, and David Carpenter allowed a run on a hit in the eighth. Jose Ramirez then sat down each of the three hitters he faced in the ninth -- striking out two to officially clinch the victory.

Next Up: The Yankees will wrap up their time in Tampa Friday when they host the Nationals at 1:05 p.m. ET -- airing live on YES and on tape delay on MLB Network. CC Sabathia is slated to start for the Yankees when they go head-to-head with Washington's Stephen Strasburg -- Sabathia's third and final outing of the spring.