Pre Game Lineup, Notes, Edinson, Pedro, Polanco

Kyle Lohse (2-1, 3.05 ERA) will climb the bump to take on Charlie Morton (0-1, 3.32 ERA) tonight. Lohse is just coming off a dominating performance against the Bucs while Morton has been solid for the Pirates so far this season. His last start was a 4-1 loss to Lohse at Miller Park last Sunday afternoon.

The lineup: Starling Marte LF, Russ Martin C, Cutch CF, Pedro 3B, Neil Walker 2B, Gaby Sanchez 1B, Jose Tabata RF, Jordy Mercer SS and Morton P. 

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

• Jim Benedict, Ray Searage and Clint Hurdle all saw something in Edinson Volquez that we certainly missed. But as a cautionary note, remember the hot starts of Jeff Locke, J-Mac and Eric Bedard in recent seasons past. The dog days will tell the tale.
• Marcus at Hidden Vigorish posted that the early burst by Pedro is supported by some strong sabermetric measurements that point to a remade El Toro.
• The Bucs had their third four or more HR game of the season; no other club has done it more than once so far.
• Pittsburgh starters have gone six or more IP 13 times in 16 games. 
• Jim Callis of MLB.com wrote "...no Minor Leaguer is more deserving of a promotion right now than (Gregory) Polanco. And the Pirates would be best served by making that happen pronto." 
• Baseball America's Hot Sheet features Polanco and ex-Bucco prospect Dilson Herrera; on the not-so-hot ledger is SS Alen Hanson, who's having a rough start at Altoona.
• The Pirates just hired Drew Cloud, former NBA team marketing and business opportunities VP, as their executive VP/chief sales and marketing officer. He's a local guy who is an Allderdice grad.
• Ex-Bucs: Hanny threw yesterday in front of 16-18 team reps. The general consensus is that he should be ready for a June return.