Notes

RHP Javier Vazquez (9-11, 4.29) matches up against RHP James McDonald (9-7, 3.98). The game is scheduled for 1:35 PM and will be shown on Root Sports.

Lineup: Alex Presley LF, Neil Walker 2B, Andrew McCutchen CF, Derrek Lee 1B, Ryan Doumit C, Ryan Ludwick RF, Josh Harrison 3B, Ronnie Cedeno SS, James McDonald P.

We'll see how much Clint Hurdle alternates Cedeno with Pedro Ciriaco and Chase d'Arnaud. And we know the skipper doesn't have a lot of options, but we hate seeing Walker bat second; we much prefer fifth.

And hey, try to catch and appreciate the pre-game ceremony. God protect our military and public safety men and women who selflessly head toward the gunfire. Freedom is never free, and the folk being honored are often the ones who pay the dearest cost.

• The Pirates look like they'll go with a six-man rotation the rest of the season, consisting of Ross Ohlendorf, Jeff Locke, James McDonald, Brad Lincoln, Jeff Karstens and Charlie Morton.
• Chase d'Arnaud will play winter ball after the season; his destination is yet to be determined.
• Richard Peterson recalls the "Angels In the Outfield" flick (and could the team use some heavenly intervention now!) in the Post Gazette and then moves on to an older era of the 1925 World Series champ Pirates and the Bucs greatest third baseman, Pie Traynor. He asks when his statue is going up; after all, Traynor became the first third baseman elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. In 1969, the year of baseball's centennial, he was selected as the greatest third baseman in baseball history.