Bucs Visit Motown: Big Joe v Matthew Boyd, Lineup & Notes - Crick Back

Game: The lidlifter starts at 6:40 and will be on the MLB Network (in Pittsburgh) and 93.7 The Fan.

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B, Starling Marte CF, Fran Cervelli C, Josh Bell 1B, Melky Cabrera DH, Jung Ho Kang 3B, JB Shuck RF, Pablo Reyes LF, Erik Gonzalez SS (Joe Musgrove P). Lefty lineup w/Melky DH'ing and Pablo/JB corners; Shuck is a lefty but there are no other RH position players, save Jake, on the roster.

JHK is back from a brief three-day vacay 2017 Topps Heritage

Pitchers: RHP Joe Musgrove (1-0/0.00) kicks it off against LHP Matthew Boyd (1-1/2.60). Big Joe is off to a sizzling start, giving up just two unearned runs in two starts and averaging a strikeout per inning. Musgrove has tossed one frame v El Tigres back in 2017, giving up a run. Boyd has done a nice job with a much improved slider and has 29 K in 17-1/3 IP to prove it. The Bucs have owned him in the past, scoring 10 runs (nine earned) in his two starts covering 7-2/3 innings; the longball has hurt him in those outings, though he hasn't surrendered a homer yet this year.

Notes:

• Felipe Vazquez will not be available tonight after his two-inning, 43 pitch outing Sunday, per Clint. For some reason, Clint is also keeping Nick Burdi on ice - he worked the 11th, 12th and 14th, with the 13th and 15th off, tossing 48 times. Guess they're being protective of his arm after missing most of 2018.
• Kevin Kramer is back at Indy; he was sent down after being glued to the bench to clear a space for Kyle Crick, fresh off the IL after suffering from tricep tightness. The Pirates opted for an extra arm than bat for their first series with a DH. Dovy Neverauskas also came off the IL and was assigned to Indy.
• No family reunion for Jordy, who's on the IL. J-Hay's seeing time at second, though his .135 BA isn't the start he was looking for.
• Chris Archer, Kyle Crick, and Jameson Taillon spill the beans to Fangraphs David Laurila on how they came up with their sliders. In a related post, Alex Stumpf of The Point of Pittsburgh notes the success of Big Joe by paring his cutter usage and replacing it with sliders. Looks a lot like the Pirates slider revolution is in full bloom after years of sinker love.
• JT Brubaker left his Indy game yesterday after 5-1/3 IP with an elbow issue of unknown severity; whether that was a precautionary move or bad omen has yet TBD.
• Wade LeBlanc will miss 4-6 weeks with an oblique strain for the Mariners. The southpaw worked out of the Bucco bullpen from late 2016 through 2017.