Thursday: Tigers Bop Bucs, Blue Jays Come to Bradenton, Notes

 Toronto visits McKechnie Field today, with the game beginning at 1:05 and aired by 93.7 The Fan. It's also the free MLB.com streamed game of the day.

The pitchers: Jon Niese opens; also scheduled to pitch are Ryan Vogelsong, Mark Melancon (he worked yesterday), Tony Watson, Guido Knudson and Kelvin Marte. UPDATE: the back-end hurlers will now be John Holdzkom and Jim Fuller. Gavin Floyd will start for the Blue Jays.

The lineup: Josh Harrison 2B, Matt Joyce RF, Jason Rogers 3B, Michael Morse DH, Jake Goebbert 1B, Jordy Mercer SS, Elias Diaz C, Willie Garcia CF, Danny Ortiz LF. The second unit, coming in after five: Max Moroff 2B, Harold Ramirez RF, Dan Gamache 3B, Morse, Josh Bell 1B, Pedro Florimon SS, Reese McGuire C, Adam Frazier CF, Cole Figueroa LF.

Jake Goebbert gets a shot at first (photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

In yesterday's game, Jeff Locke was beat up, giving up four runs in the first. John Jaso made a throwing error (and a big one; Locke picked off a runner and JJ launched a throw into the OF, allowing a run to score) and missed a low throw on a DP relay, so 1B is still a work in progress. Eric O'Flaherty got beat up too, and like Locke it was a combo of bullets and fielding. At any rate, it resulted in a 10-3 loss.

Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh was busy. he brought the team down to watch the game, chatted it up w/Clint Hurdle and coached first base for Detroit in the first, waving those Tigers around the sacks.

• Doc Emrick will work the Pirates radio booth for a bit this afternoon against Toronto.
• Gerritt Cole's rib issue appears to be settled; he's pitching w/o any restrictions now, as is Cory Luebke, whose hammy was tweaked. Not tossing yet is Robert Zarate, who suffered from "elbow discomfort." JHK is hitting and fielding, but not running the bases yet.
• The Pirates announced a multi-year contract (exact time span and financials not released) that will keep Bucco radio broadcasts on KDKA's 93.7 the Fan.
• Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com went over the MiLB systems. He selected the Pirates' farm eighth overall, with the Top Thirty players and a general breakdown.