Big Joe v Eric Lauer; Lineup & Notes

Game: The series starts at 7:05 and will be on AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan. And yay, it's a Zambelli Fireworks night afterward. Also, it's a "Stranger Things" night w/a special ticket package that includes a tee and pre-game waffles, w/single game ducats available. Oh, it's supposed to be a beautiful night, too.

Lineup: Kevin Newman 2B, Bryan Reynolds LF, Starling Marte CF, Josh Bell 1B, Melky Cabrera RF, Jung Ho Kang SS, Jose Osuna 3B, Elias Diaz C, Joe Musgrove P. Clint sold out for a RH infield tonight; we'll see how Big Joe's 44% grounder rate plays out.

Joey O gets the start at third - photo Pittsburgh Pirates

Pitchers: RHP Joe Musgrove (4-8/4.87) opens the set against LHP Eric Lauer (5-6/4.60). In his past six starts, Big Joe has slashed 2-3/6.90 and been susceptible to the big inning, a reminder of why the 'Stros had him stashed in the pen. Musgrove worked 6-1/3 frames against the Friars in May, giving up four runs (three earned) on the way to a 6-4 win. Lauer has big home and away splits, tossing to a 2.70 ERA in SD and 7.81 mark on the road. Despite the Pirates loading up w/righties, he has a reverse split, although RH's have much better power numbers. He's faced the Bucs once this year, giving up two runs (one earned) in 5-2/3 IP on seven hits in a no-decision; the game was won by the Padres 4-3.

Notes:

• The Pirates took 3-of-4 from San Diego in mid-May, the last time they've won three games in a row. The Padres are coming off a sweep of Milwaukee that gave them a four-game winning streak and 5-of-6, pushing them back over .500; they've been swinging it pretty good, with 58 runs scored in the past seven games, padded by a three-game, 38! run outburst against the Rox.
• The Pirates attack is moving toward mid-pack. Their .318 OBP is 20th, their .417 slugging percentage is 19th, and their 327 runs scored are 21st in the league. The pitching, not so much. Opponents have a .263 BA against the Pirates, which is 24th in the league. Their 5.12 ERA is 27th, and their 27 quality starts are 19th in the league, per Winners and Whiners.
• A spate of recent articles are out that basically say to expect Jamo back later as opposed to sooner.
• The MLB gave Tampa Bay permission to study spending half the year in Tampa and half in Montreal. It is, so far as we can see, a thinly veiled OK by the league for TB to begin the spadework for the Rays to relocate to Montreal after their lease expires in 2027. As expressed, logistics and fan support would be problematic, and the problems it would cause for the players would surely raise a beef by the MLBPA.