Saturday, June 2, 2012

Saturday Notes, Lineup & News

LHP Erik Bedard (3-5, 3.12) goes against the Brewer's RHP Shaun Marcum (3-3, 3.63) tomorrow. It should be a good matchup; both guys are throwing well. Bucco killer Ryan Braun will be out of today's lineup after leaving yesterday's contest with a combo of leg strains. The game starts at 7:10 and is radio only, thanks to Fox Sports exclusivity rights and the MLB blackout rules.

The lineup: Jose Tabata LF, Garrett Jones RF, Andrew McCutchen CF, Pedro Alvarez 3B, Neil Walker 2B, Matt Hague 1B, Clint Barmes SS, Mike McKenry C, Erik Bedard P.

Garrett Jones batting in the two hole instead of swapping out spots with The Kid? Oh well, and Clint Barmes is back in the lineup after spending a couple of days at the Cool Springs...ooops, stadium, batting cages. He hasn't started since Monday's game against the Reds. Rod Barajas and Josh Harrison are sitting tonight, as is Jordy Mercer after his first MLB 0-fer.

  • Charlie Morton told the media that he hurt his elbow a couple of starts ago. The Bucs plan to shut him down for awhile before building his arm strength back up. It seems like the talk is always about who's going to get bumped out of the rotation, but the pitching depth has been a key to the Pirates competitive record. Remember when the injuries crippled the staff during the dog days of 2011? The FO addressed that aspect of the club pretty well this season.
  • Cory Giger of the Altoona Mirror reports that "The pipeline from State College to Altoona might be coming to an end after this season as the Spikes are considering ending their affiliation with the Pirates," which is in the current contract's final year. Seems like the short-season club's ownership wants a winner, and the Pirate philosophy is to evaluate and develop individual skills early on for its prospects. Those are goals that don't often mesh.
  • Steve Pearce was sold by the Yankees to Baltimore. He was tearing it up in AAA Scranton-Wilkes Barre with a slash of .321/11/30. Good to see him having a healthy year and back in the show.

No comments: