Lineup, Game Notes

The game is on...we think (It's supposed to have cleared out by gametime):

• Gerrit Cole will face the Cards for the first time during the regular season. But he was 1-1 in the playoffs against St. Louis with a 2.45 ERA, surrendering fives hits in 11 IP (.132 BA). Shelby Miller lost all four of his starts against Pittsburgh last season with 5.32 ERA and a .319 Bucco BA. He had a 6.10 ERA in two outings at PNC Park.
• The lineup: Starling Marte RF, Travis Snider RF, Cutch CF, Pedro 3B, Russ Martin C, Travis Ishikawa 1B, Jordy Mercer SS and Cole P. Clint's platoons sure look "cookie-cutter" to us.
• The Redbirds and Buccos are 2-1, in first place by a game in the Central over the rest of the pack.
• 1B Stetson Allie has joined the Altoona Curve after an oblique injury kept him in Pirate City to do some warm-weather rehab.
• FiveThirtyEight's Neil Paine thinks the correlation between strong minor league systems and success may be overrated, which bodes poorly for Pittsburgh.  
• The University of Pittsburgh baseball team's (15-13, 7-5 ACC) series opener against No. 1 Virginia (25-4, 10-2 ACC), initially scheduled for 3 p.m., has been changed to a 7:30 p.m. start time due to expected inclement weather in the early afternoon. First pitch for Saturday's contest is still set for 3 p.m. The Panthers and Cavaliers will round out their three-game set at 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon.