Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Tuesday: Bucs at Cubs, Chad v Jake, Lineup, Notes

Tonight: The first pitch at Wrigley will be at 8:05 with the match carried on AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan'

Lineup: Starling Marte LF, Josh Harrison 2B, Cutch CF, Josh Bell 1B, David Freese 3B, John Jaso RF, Jordy Mercer SS, Chris Stewart C, Chad Kuhl P. Looks like Clint decided to play the starters tonight.

Chad climbs the bump tonight (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Pitchers: Chad Kuhl (6-9, 4.52) takes the bump opposite Jake Arrieta (13-8, 3.49). Cool Chad's last start was a 5-2 loss to the Dodgers at PNC Park Thursday when he lasted just four frames; he walked five, the third time in six outings that Chad has hit that figure. Despite that, he's been pretty solid since June with a 5-4/3.60 line in his last 15 starts. The Bucs are looking for some more length from Kuhl; he's gotten through the sixth inning just three times in his last nine efforts. The Cubs have treated him like a red-haired step child. He's 0-3/13.20 in five lifetime starts and lost 14-3 early in the year, chased before he could get six outs, then working an abbreviated three-inning game (emergency start on two days rest) that the Bucs won 14-3. We need no introduction to Jake Arrieta, who has a 1.78 ERA in the second half of this season. But Jake is 0-2/4.50  in three starts against Pittsburgh this season and has been human in the past couple of campaigns against the boys (in the last six meetings against Arrieta, the Pirates have won five of six, batting .287 w/nine homers, dealing Jake a 7.29 ERA), so we'll see.

Notes:
  • It was announced that Jung Ho Kang will play winter ball with the Aguilas Cibaenas of the DWL, managed by Manny Acta. One of his teammates will be one-time Pirates prospect C Reese McGuire, now with Toronto.
  • Speaking of winter ball, the Bucs are sending RHP Mitch Keller, SS Cole Tucker, LHP Taylor Hearn, 2B Kevin Kramer, RHP JT Brubaker, LHP Brandon Waddell and OF Logan Hill to the Arizona Fall League.
  • Phil Coyne, the Bucs 99-year-old usher from Oakland (he's been working at Forbes Field, TRS and PNC Park for 81! years) was honored with a "Phil Coyne Day" declaration by City Council, 

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