Big Joe v Kyle Hendricks, Lineup & Notes

Game: First pitch is at 7:05 with the game aired by AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan. It's tonight's MLB.TV free game for out-of-market fans.  And as always, it's a Tuesday Pup Night. For the TV crowd, it's also the annual Pirates Charities Night, when the team auctions/sells stuff to help fund its charitable arm; you can also join in if you're at the yard.

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B, Bryan Reynolds CF, Starling Marte CF, Josh Bell 1B, Corey Dickerson 3B, Colin Moran 3B, Kevin Newman SS, Jake Stallings C, Joe Musgrove P. Right or wrong, Clint just loves to try to fix things that aren't broken, like the lineup. Of course, Fraze is coming off a pretty good day at the top, so...

Back in the lineup tonight - 2018 Bowman Mojo Prospect

Pitchers: RHP Joe Musgrove (6-7/4.27) takes on RHP Kyle Hendricks (7-5/3.36) Big Joe was strong in his last two visits to the bump and his velocity has been improving. He met the Cubs in April and tossed a solid outing, losing 2-0 on a pair of unearned runs. Hendricks has been on the IL since June 15th with a shoulder impingement (a cortisone shot and rest took care of it) and will be making his return tonight after two bullpens (no rehab starts). He'll be on a short leash re: pitch count, with 75 at the upper limit, and had been tossing the ball pretty well in May and June after a slow start. Kyle hasn't met Pittsburgh yet this year. He was 0-3 v the Bucs last year, but with an ERA of 2.81, so he's been stingy. It'll be interesting to see how the bats react, shifting from wide-eyed rook to steely-eyed vet.

Notes:

• Josh Bell has 57 extra-base hits through 83 games, the most extra-base hits by a NL'er in that span since Hank Aaron had 57 with the Milwaukee Braves in 1959. Pretty fair company to be in at the halfway mark. J-Bell also leads MLB in RBI, 2Bs, and total bases. He's third in slugging % and fourth in homers.
• We know the feeling - Hendricks returns to the Cubs as LHP Cole Hamels goes on the 10-day IL w/an oblique strain over the weekend.
• The Pirates have reportedly signed three or four of their top international targets; more on that later when the signings become confirmed.