Pirates Dusted 6-0; Series Up For Grabs Today - Lineup & Notes

Recap: Not gonna win many games with two singles, and the Bucs sure didn't last night, dropping a 6-0 decision to the Brew Crew. Vanimal was nicked for all the runs in 6-1/3 IP during an evening when his pitch location was all over the place. Worley walked two, went to five three-ball counts and gave up seven hits; five were doubles and one more a homer. The Pirates struck out 11 more times, and with only five runners on still managed to hit into a pair of DPs. Their K rate of 29.8% and 56 whiffs both are major league highs.

Casey Sadler toes the rubber today (photo: Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

Today's Game: Casey Sadler gets the call, replacing new papa Frankie Liriano. He takes on Kyle Lohse. Lohse was battered in his first outing, but the vet is 11-3 against the Bucs lifetime. The match begins at 2:10 and will on Root Sports and 93.7 The Fan. Following the game today, the Pirates come home for their 1:35 Home Opener vs. Detroit on Monday, launching a 10-game homestand.

The Lineup: Gregory Polanco RF, Jordy Mercer SS, Cutch CF, Neil Walker 2B, Starling Marte LF, Pedro 1B, Jung-Ho Kang 3B, Tony Sanchez C, Sadler P.

Another shook-up lineup, but the good news is Cutch is back. Kang gets another start, giving Josh a blow, and it makes sense to catch Sanchez, who has been behind the plate plenty of times in the past with Casey Sadler on the hill.

• Today is Sadler's first MLB start; his six appearances last year were all in relief. He becomes the sixth starter for the Bucs in six games. The last time that happened to open a season was in 2001 when Todd Ritchie, Terry Mulholland, Jimmy Anderson, Omar Olivares, Bronson Arroyo and Joe Beimel took the ball. It was Beimel's first MLB outing; he started 15 games that season.
• In the first five games of the season, every position player except for Sean Rodriguez has started, and he's appeared in four contests.
• To make it official, the Pirates put Francisco Liriano on the paternity list and recalled Casey Sadler yesterday. Liriano is scheduled to return to the hill Wednesday.
• A couple of the Bucs upper-level guys had good outings last night. Reclamation project Chris Volstad went six scoreless frames, giving up a hit and walk to go with a pair of K for Indy. Tyler Glasnow tossed five goose eggs for Altoona, surrendering two hits and four walks (control is his issue) and whiffing six.