Locke v Bailey

Jeff Locke  (8-2, 2.15) and Homer Bailey (5-8, 3.82) get it on this afternoon. Locke hasn't pitched since having his eight game winning streak snapped 2-1 by Oakland on July 8th, missing a start and a possible ASG outing with a tight back. He felt good in his last side session, so the question is whether the layoff will make him rusty out of the gate. It seems to have been an issue with vets The Cisco Kid and AJ, as the Reds have scored eight runs in the first two innings of the set so far.

Bailey has been banged around the past couple of starts after his no-no, but he's always had the Bucs number. Lifetime, Homer is 8-2/2.54 against Pittsburgh. 'Nuff said.

The game starts at 1:10 and will be aired on Root Sports and 93.7 The Fan.

Pirate lineup: Starling Marte LF, Travis Snider RF, Andrew McCutchen CF, Pedro alvarez 3B, Garrett Jones 1B, Mike McKenry C, Jordy Mercer 2B, Clint Barmes SS and Jeff Locke P.

Snider starts in the pasture and Russ Martin gets a day off.

Reds lineup: Shin-Soo Choo CF, Chris Heisey LF, Joey Votto 1B, Brandon Phillips 2B, Jay Bruce RF, Todd Frazier 3B, Zack Cozart SS, Corky Miller C and Homer Bailey P.

• It's been a pretty even series overall against Cincinnati so far this season. After 12 games, the slate is 6-6, with the Reds up in runs scored 44-42. Eight of the games have been decided by a margin of one or two runs. After today, the Bucs won't face Cincinnati again until late September, when six of the last nine regular season games will be against them.
• Jordy Mercer has a six game hitting streak.
• Starling Marte and Andrew McCutchen are one of two sets of MLB teammates with at least 10 home runs and 20 stolen bases, along with Milwaukee’s Carlos Gomez and Jean Segura.
• Mark Melancon brings a 15 inning scoreless streak into today’s game, which is the longest active streak in the NL. He hasn't given up a run since June 4th.
• Tim Williams of Pirates Prospects makes a strong argument that the non-waiver  trade deadline should be extended a month because of the third division in each league and the wildcard.
• Neil Walker went 1-for-3 with a walk in his rehab stint at Indy and should be back with the team tomorrow. Brandon Cumpton went five for the Tribe last night, giving up two runs on three hits with a walk and five K. Ryan Reid worked two inning with four whiffs, and Jared Hughes tossed a frame giving up a hit and two walks. Indy lost 2-0.
• Cory Giger of the Altoona Mirror reports that Jameson Taillon will visit a doctor to check out his stiff neck. He's had this issue twice before this year, once in spring training and again in June, when he missed a turn and hopefully it's not a symptom of something worse.