Cole v McCarthy

Gerrit Cole (5-5, 3.95) takes on Brandon McCarthy (2-6, 4.73) tonight. Cole has been solid but not spectacular for the Bucs in his 11 starts as he puts together his primer on MLB pitching. He should be strong; he had an eight day break as the Pirates monitor his innings. McCarthy is making his third outing since coming off a two-month stay on the DL. He went seven against the Mets in his last start, giving up two runs.

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

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

JT in for Andrew Lambo; guess that's what a three-hit day will do for you.

D-Back lineup: Gerardo Parra RF, Adam Eaton LF, Paul Goldschmidt 1B, Aaron Hill 2B, Martin Prado 3B, Wil Nieves C, A.J. Pollock CF, Cliff Pennington SS and Brandon McCarthy P.

• The series features the top two HR hitters in the NL, Pedro and Paul Goldschmidt. Both have hit 29 homers.
• The Diamondbacks have won 6-of-8 and are coming off a sweep of Baltimore.
• There's no place like home: after playing pretty well on the road earlier in the year, the Bucs are now 30-29 away from PNC, having dropped eight of their last ten away matches. It's a different tale here. The Pirates have won five straight home games and have gone 12-3 in their last 15 games at PNC Park. Pittsburgh’s 41-25 home record is the second-best in MLB, trailing only Atlanta.
• The owners will vote on instant replay in November, and seemed pleased with the proposal floated at the latest owners' get-together. The proposed replay rules need approved by not just the owners, but by the MLBPA and the umps, too.