D-Backs In Town, Williams v Randall Delgado, Lineup, Notes

Today: Arizona celebrates Memorial Day with the Bucs with a 4:05 game at PNC Park. The contest will be on Root Sports and 93.7 The Fan.

Lineup: Josh Harrison 3B, Jordy Mercer SS, Josh Bell 1B, Gregory Polanco RF, John Jaso LF, Cutch CF, Alen Hanson 2B, Stew C and Trevor Williams P. We didn't get the Sunday lineup yesterday, but here it is today with Freeser, Fraze and Fran getting blows. We understand wanting to get the suddenly hot stick of JJ in the lineup, but geez, lotta grass to cover in left. He's played three innings there this year and last started at the spot in 2015 with Oakland. Well, at least Andrew won't have to worry about being called off any balls today.

Alen Hanson dives into a starting role today (photo via MLB Pipeline)

Pitchers: Trevor Williams (2-3, 5.93) opens the series against Randall Delgado (1-0, 3.82). Williams will be making his fifth start (#4 as Jamo's replacement); his last outing was OK but marred by the pen letting a couple of inherited runners score. He's been getting to the five inning mark OK, but the third time through the lineup has been a challenge so far. Trevor has already face the Snakes this season and did pretty well, giving up a solo homer early and then retiring 12 in-a-row in his best start to date. This is Delgado's second start of the year and only his sixth since 2013 when he was converted from the rotation to a pen arm. It's a little tough to translate relief work into start chops, but he's been more than solid in the last month. Still, he's going to need stretched out. He went four innings last time out in his first start of the year and the 61 pitches he tossed was only the second time he's topped 50 pitches this season. He's on a 70-75 toss pitch count today. The Bucs showed little patience or discipline against Matt Harvey last night; they could use some this afternoon.

Notes:

• The Bucs' Energizer Bunny J-Hay has gone 17-for-44 (.386) during his current 10-game hitting streak and had multi-hit games in five of his last six contests.
• Gregory extended his hitting streak to seven games, going 10-for-27 in that time. He also has a side string of 12 consecutive games with a hit against Arizona.

Jordy is shaking his traditional slow start (photo Joe Guzy/Pirates)

• Jordy Mercer has five multi-hit efforts in his last seven games and hit safely in 10 of his last 13 outings to raise his BA over that period from .203 to .242.
• Amore has gone 11-for-26 in his last eight games to lift his BA from .217 to .255 over that span.
• The Pirates have won five straight and seven of their last nine games played against Arizona at PNC Park. The Snakes are 4-12 in their last 16 cracks at Pittsburgh. But that weekday mojo is in play; the Bucs are on a 3-13 streak for Monday games.