Cole v Straily

Gerrit Cole (4-1, 3.94) takes on Dan Straily (5-2, 4.52) tonight. Cole has been pretty steady since his call up and has been carrying the Bucs into the sixth or seventh inning. Don't let Straily's line fool you. He's won his past four starts, pitching to a 3.02 ERA over his last eight outings, so he's coming into his own. The righty was sent to AAA in late June and recalled July 4th, when he tossed a one-hitter over seven frames against the Cubs. He's a fastball/curveball guy with good control who runs into problems with the longball.

The game starts at 7:05 and will be on Root Sports and 93.7 The Fan.

Pirate lineup: Starling Marte LF, Jose Tabata RF, Andrew McCutchen CF, Pedro Alvarez 3B, Russell Martin C, Garrett Jones 1B, Jordy Mercer 2B, Clint Barmes SS and Gerrit Cole P.

Hey! Clint and Jordy are starting, as it should be.

Athletic lineup: Coco Crisp CF, Josh Reddick RF, Josh Donaldson 3B, Jed Lowrie SS, Yoenis Cespedes LF, John Jaso C, Brandon Moss 1B,Eric Sogard 2B and Dan Straily P.

Homecoming for Brandon Moss.

• Oakland is 12-3 in their last 15 games against the AL Central and 9-3 in their last 12 games overall. The Pirates have lost five of their last seven after winning nine in a row.
• The Pirates enter tonight’s action with the best ERA (3.14) in the Major Leagues. The starting staff ranks second among all teams with a 3.31 ERA, trailing only St. Louis (3.24), while the relief pitchers rank second with a 2.89 ERA, trailing only Atlanta (2.63)