Steven Brault v Adrian Sampson, Lineup & Notes

Game: The game is at 7:05 and will be on AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan. The Bucs had their lumber working in the recent two-game sweep of Texas at Globe Life Park, winning 6-4 and 7-5 last week, with the first game taking 11 frames to decide.

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B, Starling Marte CF, Gregory Polanco RF, Josh Bell 1B, Bryan Reynolds LF, Colin Moran 3B, Fran Cervelli C, Kevin Newman SS, Steven Brault P. Well, didn't take K-Man long to land a start; Tuck could prob use a break as his bat hasn't caught up to his glove yet.

Been awhile since Steven's got a start... (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Pitchers: LHP Steven Brault (0-1/8.31) opens the Rangers set against RHP Adrian Sampson (0-1/3.58). Steven and Nick Kingham each have a start or two to audition to fill the hole left when Jamo went on the IL, tho Brault hasn't started since April 27th, 2018. It'd be nice to see Steven more aggressive today instead of playing around outside the zone all night. His last outing was two scoreless, one-hit frames with three K against the Rangers at Arlington. Sampson shut out the Bucs a week ago, tossing 5-2/3IP, allowing five hits and fanning five w/o a walk. This will be his fourth start and eighth outing; in his previous seven appearances this year, he's given up one or no runs five times.

Notes:

• This is the first time Texas has visited PNC Park since 2007, when they lost 2-of-3 to the Pirates.
• The numbers game - the Pirates are 16-15, three games behind the Cards in the Central. They're 8-8 at home; 8-7 on the road. In the division, the club is 5-1 v Cincy, 1-4 v St. Louis & Chicago, and have yet to face the Brewers. Pittsburgh is 15-4 against teams at .500 or worse and 1-11 against clubs with a winning record. The Bucs are 6-1 in interleague play and 6-2 in extra innings.
• This is the start of a busy stretch for the Bucs - they play 13 straight contests, get a day off, play 14 more in a row (in 13 days w/a DH in Cincy), get another day off and then play 13 more consecutively before they catch their breath with a couple of off days in late June. Gotta hope this run of games sees guys returning from the IL instead of going on it.
• Indy RHP Dario Agrazal was named the International League Player of the Week. He made two starts for the Indians, going 1-0/1.32 in 13-2/3 IP with 13 strikeouts.