Game Two - Reds & Bucs, Cool Chad v Homer Bailey & Notes

Today: The game's opening toss is scheduled for 7:10. AT&T SportsNet and 93.7 The Fan will air the contest; it's also the MLB.TV free game.

Lineup: Josh Harrison 2B, Gregory Polanco RF, Fran Cervelli C, J-Bell 1B, Corey Dickerson LF, Colin Moran 3B, Austin Meadows CF,Jordy SS & Chad Kuhl P. The usual gang.

Chad toes the rubber (image Pittsburgh Pirates)

Pitchers: RHP Chad Kuhl (4-2, 4.53) duels RHP Homer Bailey (1-6, 6.11). Chad can breathe a sigh of relief that Nick Kingham was sent down, but prob shouldn't get too comfortable; everytime that he's been on the brink, he comes up with a nice enough game to earn a reprieve but fails to build on success. He possesses plenty good stuff (we, along with half of Pirates Nation, looked for him to breakout this year) but needs to put it together consistently for longer than three-or-four inning strings. Kuhl is 1-1/3.24 in three career starts against the Reds; in his first appearance this year, he left with a 4-2 lead after five innings but ended up with a no-decision. Homer hasn't had a strong campaign since 2014, bedeviled by arm injuries, but has been solid against the Pirates, going 10-7/3.55 in 22 lifetime starts. The Bucs chased him in the fifth in his April outing, winning a 5-2 decision.

Notes:

• Austin Meadows is the fourth Pirate to hit two homers in the first four games of their career. The others are Walter Mueller (1922), RC Stevens (1958) and Dick Stuart (1958).
• Flying under the radar because of his breakout with the lumber, Fran Cervelli ranks second among NL catchers with seven caught stealings this season and a 37% toss-out rate - he only had 11 CS and a 20% throw-out rate last year.
• Joey Bats didn't stay on the unemployment line long; the Mets signed him after Atlanta released him; he went 1-for-3 last night in his NY debut after hitting .200 for the Bravos.
• Brandon Warne of Minnesota's Zone Coverage site had a Q&A with Zach Duke re: his 2016 TJ surgery and recovery.
• Alex Presley has signed a minor league deal with the White Sox after opting out of his Baltimore deal.
• Lastings Milledge has become a salesman for baseball in the black community since he's retired, per Ron Morris of Baseball America.