Friday Nite Fight: Big Joe v Sonny; Lineup & Notes

Game: It's a 7:05 start at PNC with the contest aired by AT&T SportsNet and 93.7 The Fan. It's free tee Friday, with a leaping Steve Blass shirt as the giveaway. Keep an eye on the sky; it's forecast to be warm but wet, although it should be OK *crossed fingers* by game time.

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B, Starling Marte CF, Fran Cervelli C, Josh Bell 1B, Jung Ho Kang 3B, Colin Moran LF, JB Shuck RF, Erik Gonzalez SS, Joe Musgrove P. Why is Melky sitting (old age, we hope, & not another OF injury) and why are Moran and Shuck in the wrong corners? Redbeard is not a real rangy guy, and it will be his first big league game in the pasture after a few days of snagging fungo flies.

Big Joe (photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

Pitchers: RHP Joe Musgrove takes the hill for his first start against the Reds RHP Sonny Gray. Big Joe has a couple of innings of scoreless relief under his belt against the Reds this year. Sonny was chased in the third inning earlier in the year by the Pirates; four walks marred his efforts, so a little patience may go a long way if his control doesn't sharpen.

Notes:

• Adam Berry of MLB.com broke out the calculator and determined that after the first five games, the Pirates’ starting rotation owns a 1.55 ERA. He also has some takes on the Buccos so far.
• Attendance is already an issue.
• John Dreker at Pirates Propects previews the Pirates minor league squads, from AAA to short season. Rumbunter's Nick Caporoso has the results of the Opening Day games for the affiliates; like the big team, it was toss a shutout or go down. Mitch Keller will make his 2019 debut tonight against Columbus.
• We'll see if the PNC concessionaires have learned anything from Bun-Gate; tonight, certain designated stands will offer dollar doggies, hopefully surrounded by a bun.