Cardinal Finale, J-Grove v Gant, Lineup & Notes - Newman Starts at 2B, AFL Squad Announced

Today: The getaway contest begins at 7:15 and will be aired by AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan. It's also available to out-of-market MLB Network viewers.

Pitchers: RHP Joe Musgrove (5-7, 3.56) goes for the rubber match win against RHP John Gant (5-5, 3.76). J-Grove has been tossing the ball pretty well, though he hit a bump in his last outing. He's close to matching last year's inning count, even with the late start, so it'll be interesting to see how the Bucs handle him in September. Big Joe's only outing against the Cards was an 8-1 decision over Gant in his Pirates debut on May 25th at PNC Park. He scattered five hits while striking out seven batters in seven scoreless frames. Gant has been strong lately, giving up five runs on 15 hits in his last four starts covering 22-2/3 IP. He hasn't had much luck against the Pirates, going 0-1/8.68 in two starts, giving up nine runs in 9-1/2 IP on 15 hits with 12 whiffs.

Big Joe looking to win tonight's rubber match (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Lineup: Starling Marte CF, Adam Frazier LF, Gregory Polanco RF, Fran Cervelli C, Josh Bell 1B, Colin Moran 3B, Jordy SS, Kevin Newman 2B & Musgrove P. Corey D broke out of a short five-game slump last night with two hits and sits down, shifting Fraze to the pasture and getting Newman  a start at second base.

Notes:

• Last night, Trevor Williams made his eighth start of the season of at least five innings without allowing a run, which is the most in the MLB.
• Felipe Vazquez notched his 28th save of the season out of 32 save opportunities.
• Cervy had his eight game hitting streak end last night, but kept his 12-game on-base string alive.  
• These guys are heading to the Arizona Fall League: pitchers Dario Agrazal, Matt Eckelman, Geoff Hartlieb & Blake Weiman, catcher Arden Pabst, infielders Will Craig (1B) & Cole Tucker (SS) and outfielder Bryan Reynolds. They're all on Altoona's roster and Tucker, Craig, Reynolds and Agrazal are Top 30 Pirates prospects per MLB.com. Bryan Hickerson, the Curve pitching coach, will be on the staff of the Pirates AFL club, the Surprise Saguaros. The team is made up of players from the Bucs, Cards, Rangers, Royals & Blue Jays. WTM of Bucs Dugout has a rundown on the players.