Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Tuesday: Rays Visit PNC, Williams v Alex Cobb, Lineup (Cutch Switches Spots w/Gregory), Notes

Tonight: The Rays visit the Pirates with first pitch at 7:05 PM in PNC Park. Root Sports and 93.7 The Fan will carry the game.

Lineup: Adam Frazier LF, Josh Harrison 2B, Cutch CF, Josh Bell 1B, David Freese 3B, Gregory Polanco RF, Jordy Mercer SS, Stew C & Trevor Williams P. Doesn't take Sherlock to figure out the big news tonight; Cutch and Gregory have switched spots as Andrew has been en fuego while El Coffee is 0-fer in his last three games.

Gregory will get to workout his woes from the six-hole (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Pitchers: Trevor Williams (3-3, 5.09) starts the set against Alex Cobb (6-5, 4.05). Williams is making his 10th start of the season. having stepped in the breach when Jamo went down and then outlasting Tyler Glasnow. Trevor pitched pretty well in his last outing, a no-decision against Milwaukee that the bullpen couldn't ice for him. Williams has never faced the Rays or any American League team for that matter. Cobb has been tossing pretty well; he's given up two or fewer earned runs in four of his last five outings, tho the outlier was an ERA-busting beat-down by the Mariners. He pitches much better at Tropicana Filed (3.15 ERA v 4.73 on the road) so PNC Park should be an edge for Pittsburgh. Cobb has taken on the Bucs once back in 2014 and gave up six runs on six hits in five innings.

Notes:
  • Antonio Bastardo was removed from the DL after his 30-day rehab at Indy where he was 2-0/3.38 with a 1.549 WHIP in 11 rehab appearances. The 31-year-old is 0-1/16.20 in six outings (opponents scored against him in every appearance he made) with a very small sample size of 6-2/3 IP for Pittsburgh this year. Jacob Stallings was returned to the Indians to open a spot for AB.
  • The Pirates and Rays are meeting for the first time since 2014 at Tampa. The Bucs won two of the three games in that set and are 7-5 all-time against the Rays. This is the first time since 2008 that the Rays have played in Pittsburgh, where the clubs have split the six previous meetings.


No comments: