Tuesday: Cole Train v Jorge De La Rosa, Lineup, Notes

Tonight: The game's first pitch is at 8:40 and will be on Root Sports and 93.7 The Fan.

Pitchers: Gerrit Cole (1-2, 2.70) vs. Jorge De La Rosa (1-2, 9.87). Cole Train has been getting sharper after an abbreviated camp and looks to be on top of his game; pitch count is his only concern. De La Rosa is  coming off a loss last Tuesday at Cincinnati in which he allowed four runs on six hits over two innings. The Reds stole five bases with him on the mound - and he's a lefty. That could come into play. 

Gerrit toes the rubber tonite (photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

Oddly, given the usual Mile High stats, he's marginally better at home, going 1-1/8.44  in two starts at Coors Field this season. And he 's got stuff, still averaging 12 K/nine innings, but five walks per game (sound familiar?) and a sky-high .420 BABIP have hurt him, as have four homers in 17 IP, which is double his career average. He's due to regress toward the norm; hopefully that will come later rather than sooner. He's 4-1 at Coors lifetime against Pittsburgh with a 2.77 ERA, so there's that, too. Trap game?

Lineup: Jordy SS, Cutch CF, David Freese 3B, Starling Marte LF, Fran C, Jason Rogers 1B, Josh 2B, Gregory Polanco RF, Cole P. Jordy remains the lefty lineup lead off guy, and Rogers has shown a decent eye and stick since his call up. Still, it must have been a real poser for Clint to choose between Jason and S-Rod.

• AJ Schugel is a Denver native and had some 30 friends and family at the game to see him notch his first MLB save. In fact, Schugel's dad, Jeff, was once a Rockies scout.
• Jung Ho Kang's hitting is beginning to pick up; he's had hits in consecutive games, including a long ball today. Tyler Glasnow went six innings for the Indians, giving up two hits and a walk while whiffing 11; he leads the International League with 30 K in 21 IP. Indy scored seven runs in the ninth, battering old Bucco prospect Kyle McPherson, to turn a squeaker into a 9-0 romp.
• C Kevan Smith, from Pitt via Seneca Valley HS, was set to make his MLB debut today for the White Sox; instead, he had back spasms and was put on the DL.