Sunday, May 18, 2014

Twin Bill: Morton v Kuroda, Cole v Nuno, First Game Lineup, Cumpton Up, More...

Charlie Morton (0-5, 3.22 ERA) takes on Hiroki Kuroda (2-3, 4.62 ERA) in the opener while Gerrit Cole (3-3, 3.76 ERA) faces lefty Vidal Nuno (1-1, 6.43 ERA) in the nightcap (although the Yankees may flip their pitchers). Neither Morton nor Cole has ever faced the New York nine.

Morton could probably stand the Pirates catching a few more routine grounders behind him; every big inning against him seems to revolve around an error. Kuroda, who spent the first four seasons with the Dodgers, has made seven starts against Pittsburgh and is 5-1 with a 1.84 ERA lifetime against them, though he's been run-of-the-mill this season. Both guys are usually good for at least six innings of work.

The lineup: Travis Snider RF, Neil Walker 2B, Cutch CF, Pedro 3B, Starling Marte LF, Ike Davis 1B, Gaby Sanchez DH, Tony Sanchez C and Clint Barmes SS. Jordy gets the first game off.

Cole has had a bumpy ride as of late; he's still searching for the right mix of off speed stuff to go with his heater in his sophomore campaign. Nuno took Ivan Nova's place in the rotation, and hasn't had much success in his five starts, though he has kept them in the running during his outings.

Lineup: TBD

The 1:05 opener will be aired by Root Sports and 93.7 The Fan. Both will carry the second game, too, slated to begin 1/2 hour after the first game ends.
  • The Pirates are bringing up Brandon Cumpton as the 26th player for today's doubleheader. Also, C Nevin Ashley will be available in case Tony Sanchez's elbow issue proves more than minor, per Dan Zangrilli of 93.7 The Fan. (EDIT - Sanchez is in the lineup, so Ashley is out).
  • Neil Walker and Pedro have played all 41 games; Cutch has 40 under his belt.
  • Russ Martin is shooting for a Wednesday return to action.

No comments: