Cumpton v Kershaw In Game #2; Z-Man DFA'ed

Brandon Cumpton (0-0, 0.00) has a rough row to hoe in his MLB debut today, taking on LA's Clayton Kershaw (5-4, 1.88). Cumpton went 4-4 with a 3.31 ERA in 11 games for Indy and injuries have given him a shot to leapfrog Andy Oliver to strut his stuff in the show. Don't let Kershaw's W/L record fool ya; opponents are hitting just .195 against him, but LA can't seem to score when he's on the hill. Last time out against the Bucs in April, he tossed seven scoreless two-hit frames on the coast.

The game starts at 4:05 and will be aired on 93.7 The Fan and Root Sports. If you're going, get there early - beside expectations of a full house and the new security stuff going on, the Three Rivers Art Festival is expecting a huge crowd, and the Pride in the Street parade is slated to start at six on a perfect June day.
Town may attract up to 400,000 visitors throughout the day.

Pirate lineup: Alex Presley LF, Jordy Mercer SS, Andrew McCutchen CF, Gaby Sanchez 1B, Russell Martin C, Neil Walker 2B, Pedro Alvarez 3B, Brandon Inge RF and Brandon Cumpton P.

Still no Starling Marte, Jordy gets his designated LHP start and Inge takes over in right. With JT out, Travis Snider had a golden opportunity to make a case for everyday time and is letting it slip away. Clint has been playing Pedro against lefties; Kershaw will be a tester.

Dodgers lineup: Skip Schumaker LF, Yasiel Puig RF, Adrian Gonzalez 1B, Hanley Ramirez SS, Andre Ethier CF, Mark Ellis 2B, Juan Uribe 3B, AJ Ellis C and Clayton Kershaw P.

• In not much of a surprise, the Pirates DFA'ed Mike Zagurski to clear roster room for Brandon Cumpton. The Z-Man can refuse his assignment to Indy and declare free agency if he's not dealt or claimed in ten days.
• Cumpton is the first 2010 draft pick to make it to Pittsburgh. That year featured the early selections of Jameson Taillon, Stetson Allie and Nick Kingham, all HS guys, and JC player Mel Rojas. Georgia Tech's Cumpton was only the second college pick that year in round nine, behind Oregon State's Tyler Waldren, who was chosen in the fifth go-around.
• For the fifth time this season, Jeff Locke finished an outing with at least six shutout innings and three hits or fewer allowed. Pretty cool stuff for a guy who was behind Kyle McPherson in the battle for the fifth spot going into camp.
• Yesterday's Cutch shuffle was an attention getter.
• The Dodgers have lost five-of-six.
• Tough league: the Pirates are playing almost .600 ball, and are still three games behind the Cards and 2-1/2 behind Cincy in the division. The Bucs are 4-1/2 games up on the Giants for the last wildcard spot.
• Well, it looks like Gregory Polanco was ready for his promotion. In his first game at Altoona, he went 3-for-5 with two RBI and a stolen base as the Curve took an 8-4 victory at Trenton.