Jeff Locke v Kevin Correia; Lineup & Notes

Today's Game - Jeff Locke (3-3, 5.37) takews on ol' Bucco Kevin Correia, who is smaking his 2015 debut after opting out of his Giants' minor-league deal and signing with Philly. Jeff has lost three of his last four decisions, but the Phils may be his good luck charm. Lifetime, he's 4-0 with a 1.35 ERA in four career starts against Philadelphia, earning a pair of W's from last season. He also does much better at home, with a 3.52 ERA at PNC Park compared to 8.37 on the road.

KC had a rough 2014, finishing with a 7-17/5.44 ERA and a .301/.345/.473 opponents’ batting line. Correia had 0-1 record and 3.58 ERA with 6.0 K/9  & 2.6 BB/9 at AAA Sacramento, not exactly a ball of fire but strong enough to catch Ruben Amaro's attention. But he's been solid against the Buccos, going 3-1/3.69 over his career, with five starts in eight appearances. The game begins at 7:05 and will be on Root Sports and 93.7 The Fan.

Clint's back to his regular programming as the Bucs try to make hay against the NL's sad sacks.

The Phils have lost six of their last seven, 13-of-16, and are 7-23 on the road, losing their last seven games away from Citizens. Kevin Correia and Sean O'Sullivan are pitching back-to-back. On the other side of the coin, Jeff Locke has been kinda yukky and Sunday's Philly starter, Cole Hamels, is pretty good, so tonight's game could well be the key to the series.

• Four runs remain the magic number. Even with Wednesday's win, the Pirates are just 4-21 in games where they score four or fewer runs. 
• Dave Schoenfield of The Sweet Spot thinks the Bucs are still strong contenders for the NL East crown.
• Hunter Morris is the Indy first baseman, and is hitting .137. The Pirates swung a deal for *back to the future* 31 year old 1B John Bowker with the Giants. He was batting .263 at AAA Sacramento.
• Erik Bedard has retired.He was pitching for the LA Dodgers' High Class A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in the California League.