Padres-Pirates Round Two, Nova v Ross & Notes - New Lineup Twists

Today: The game begins at 7:05 and will be carried by AT&T SportsNet and 93.7 The Fan. It's a Zambelli fireworks night, ka-boom! The rain is supposed to arrive sometime towards the end of the game; hope it holds off until the sky is lit.

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B, Gregory Polanco RF, Corey Dickerson LF, J-Bell 1B, Colin Moran 3B, Elias Diaz C, Austin Meadows CF, Jordy SS & Ivan Nova P. Dickerson & Moran around J-Bell makes sense against RHP in Starling' absence. Eli's in as Amore has been plunked and then jammed a finger (it became swollen overnight and is the reason he's off) in consecutive contests; knock on wood he won't get bopped by a foul ball in the dugout. Meadows makes his debut in the seven hole. So it's a different look today but appears solid, especially if Jordy can snap out of his recent funk.

Ivan on the bump (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Pitchers: RHP Tyson Ross (2-3, 3.40) takes on RHP Ivan Nova (2-3, 5.01). Ivan tossed noticeably better last outing although the counting numbers were ragged, thx to a three-run homer given up by a reliever. That said, he's still looking for some consistency. He's faced SD four times, twice as a Bucco, and hasn't shown a lot. Both Pirates games were last year. Ivan lost 4-2 and had a no decision in a 10-6 Bucco win, surrendering eight runs (five earned) in 11 innings. Ross' peripherals support his ERA, but he's up and down - in four starts, he's surrendered just one run; in three others, he's been rattled for four or five tallies. It pays to be patient against him; he can run up his pitch count in a hurry, and look for long balls - in two of his three losses, he's given up a pair. In five outings against the Bucs, he's been solid at 1-2/3.29, but hasn't tossed against Pittsburgh since 2015.

Notes:

• Weird news of the day: El Coffee was the victim of a Twitter hoax linking him with PED use.
• The Pirates have won 9-of-11. The Bucs have a 9-3 record in one-run games this season, with a 6-0 mark at PNC Park.
• The Meadows call-up and Marte trip to the DL were made official today by the Pirates; Starling's injury was retroactive to Wednesday. Meadows was assigned #17, last worn by Phil "The Goose" Gosselin.
• Nick Kingham is in town; he's slated to work tomorrow's game.
• Joe Musgrove takes the hill for Indy in what should be his last rehab start.
• J-Hay is DH'ing today at Altoona. He went 1-for-5 with two whiffs and booted a ball at second for the Curve last night against Portland.
• OF Alex Presley, who spent 2010-13 as a Bucco, was granted a release from his Baltimore O's minor-league deal and is a FA.