The Marathon Ends: Pirates Take Finale By 11-8 Count

Quite the Bucco jump out of the gates against Gio Gonzalez. A leadoff single, followed two outs later by a couple of walks, a HBP (on the foot) for a RBI, a bases-clearing double by Mad Max and a Jacob Stallings knock made it 5-0 for Steven Brault before he pushed off the slab. Then again, maybe it's one of those days as the Nats started with a two-bagger and walk, a double steal and an Anthony Rendon homer. Then Brault struck out the side. In the second, the Bucs got a couple of runners on but a J-Bell GIDP ended the frame; the Nats for their part left the bases loaded. The Pirates went quietly in the third, but not so Washington, which had the first four runners reach to cut the lead to one. Then Angel Sanchez was waved in and shut the door in a nice bit of work. The fourth went by without a run.

Mad Max had a good couple of days in DC (photo Joe Guzy/Pirates)

In the fifth, a Cutch double (S-Rod ran for him; apparently Andrew's sore foot ached) followed by J-Bell & Freeser knocks plated a run before another DP, this one served by Joe Blanton v J-Lup, ended the frame. Johnny Barbato took the ball and walked a pair after an out, bringing in Jack Leathersich. A single packed the sacks but a whiff and a bouncer into the shift by Bryce Harper prevented any damage. Tanner Roark took over in the sixth and the bats continued to boom - a walk came around on Stallings double and Jake rumbled home after another single and groundout. Edgar Santana climbed the hill and stranded an infield knock and walk. Austin Adams got the wave for the Nats in the seventh and zinged the Bucs. Dovydas Neverauskas answered the phone and tossed BP again, giving up a homer, single and double as Washington pared the score to 8-6.

In the eighth, Ollie Perez gave up four singles good for two runs, bopped a guy to load 'em and then walked in another tally. Matt Alber came on and gave up a Baltimore chop rap to J-Stalls (no one covered first, oops) before shutting the gate. Daniel Hudson came in for Pittsburgh and loaded the bases with an out, but got a timely DP to keep it 11-6. The Bucs went down 1-2-3 in the ninth and Dan Runzler tried to close it out, but Joey O dropped a fly ball and then J-Bell mishandled a roller and suddenly it was 11-8. George Kontos did put it away, getting a four-pitch whiff for his first save of the year and earning Angel Sanchez his first MLB win.

Jake was swingin' it too (photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

The game took four hours and 22 minutes, the longest nine-inning outing in history for both clubs. The Pirates used 23 players, including nine pitchers. The Bucs stranded 10 runners, the Nats 15; each club issued seven free passes. Pretty it wasn't, but it beats the alternative. Nothin' like a "Raise It" to close the campaign.

Notes:

• Jake Stallings had three hits & a walk while Max Moroff had a knock and two walks; together they drove in seven runs and scored three. Chris Bostick & J-Bell had two hits and a walk, and Starling had two more raps to end the year on a 12-game hitting streak.
• Steven Brault had a pretty miserable closing day: two IP, four runs, six hits, four walks and four Ks after 68 pitches.
• On his last Sunday show of the season, GM Neal Huntington wouldn't commit to Cutch's return, but did say he'd be in center if he's back. He added he hopes to have the same crew of big league coaches in the fold for 2018.

JJ's mulling his future (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

• During the post-game, John Jaso told the beat folk that he was leaning toward retirement; he's looking forward to traveling on his sailboat. JJ is planning on a trip to Puerto Rico to help with reconstruction as he has some building skills in his life toolkit.
• The Bucs will pick 10th in the 2018 draft, finishing the year at 75-87.
• Joe Block's wife Bethany delivered a child last night; that's why the AT&T announcers are Walkie and The Rock.

Sunday: One & Done - Brault v Gio Gonzalez, Lineup, Notes

Today: Another season concludes as the Bucs and Nats roll around for a final time with the first toss at 3:05. The game will be on AT&T SportsNet and 93.7 The Fan.

Lineup: Chris Bostick 2B, Starling Marte LF, Cutch CF, Josh Bell 1B, Dvid Freese 3B, Jordan Luplow RF, Max Moroff SS, Jake Stallings, Steven Brault P. Good to see Cutch is OK w/Bo & Jacob getting some work. We're still not sold on the Pirates catching situation going into next year and Stallings conceivably could play a role.

Brault on the bump (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Pitchers: Steven Brault (1-0, 3.86) closes out the campaign against Gio Gonzalez (15-7, 2.68). Steven deserves the last look. He trumped Trevo (7-9, 4.07 overall; 6-8, 3.96 in 25 starts) for the ball, who has already done a pretty good job of showing his stuff to the brass. Steven will be making his fourth start (11th appearance) and he's coming off three IP of relief Tuesday to earn his first MLB save in Pittsburgh’s 10-1 win over the Orioles. He's getting comfortable at this level and is sharper in his usual rotation role with a 1-0/2.81 slash in his three starts. Brault has never faced the Nationals. Gio is an old workhorse who's put together a pretty good year. He has trouble hitting 90 and relies a lot on his curve and change now, but the 32-year-old lefty has been around the block and has been hitting his spots much more often than not. A lefty junker against the Bucs? Yikes! He may be wearing down a bit - his last five starts have seen him go 2-3/4.82 and only get past the sixth once. Gonzalez is 4-0/3.09 lifetime against the Bucs but hasn't seen them yet this year.

Notes:

• Starling has an 11-game hitting streak and Andrew has a six-game string.
• So who had this in the March poll? Fraze has been Pittsburgh’s most-used leadoff batter this season, hitting #1 in 63 games. He batted .260/.334 OBP, sub-par for him (.301/.356 overall), with seven of his nine swipes from that spot while the club went 33-30 in those starts.

Fraze has mixed results at the top of the lineup (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

• The Pirates have made 97 errors heading into this afternoon. Only twice before in their 131-year history have the Bucs ended a full season with fewer than 100 errors - they made a league-low 73 errors in 2009 and 83 in 2007.
• If u were wondering whatever happened to: Tony Watson is doing quite nicely (2-1, 2.70, 24 GA) in LA as a multi-role (but not closer) bullpen arm. Juan Nicasio is 2-0-4, 1.64 for the Cards in nine games. Jhan Martinez has  a 2.35 ERA at Texas in four trips to the hill while Tyler Webb has a 5.62 ERA in nine games between the NY Yankees and Milwaukee. Antonio Bastardo was never claimed by another team and is a FA. Alen Hanson has played several spots (OF, DH, 2B, 3B) for the White Sox, hitting .236 in 172 PAs.
• Tonight was Teke's final appearance as a regularly scheduled talking head for the Pirates.
• The Pirates are collecting goods for Puerto Rican relief Monday and Tuesday from 6-to-6 by the Mazeroski Way cul-de-sac outside PNC Park. Bob Nutting, players, coaches & staff will fly to the island to deliver the supplies.

Bucs Take It To Last Strike In 4-1, Never-Say-Die Win

First; the lineup is not as we posted. Cutch was bugged by a sore foot caused by a foul ball last night and was a late scratch. Jordan Luplow was added, penciled in at cleanup and J-Bell slid into the three-hole. Max Scherzer was doing Max Scherzer things to the Pirates; Jamo had one burp when a single, wild pitch (likelier a passed ball), single sequence cost him a cheap run. In the fourth, Scherzer stopping in mid-motion. It was a cold night, and he appeared to have a tight hammy. With the playoffs around the bend, he wisely pulled himself and AJ Cole took the ball. The pitching remained rock solid; it was still 1-0 after seven. The Pirates had one hit by Mad Max, though they did strand leadoff walks at third in the sixth and seventh frames, while the Nats managed four raps.

Jamo finishes on a high note (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Enny Romero took over for Cole in the eighth and George Kontos did the same for Jamo each continuing the string of zeroes. Brandon Kintzler got the ninth inning wave and gave up an infield knock to Starling that required review (he beat the rap) to pass muster. An out later, J-Lup singled him up a station. With two gone and two strikes, S-Rod's rap to left tied the game. The Bucs put runners on second and third after the throw home, and a walk to Eli packed the sacks. Mad Max, the only Bucco on speaking terms with the basepaths tonight, unpacked them them with a triple. Dusty brought in Sammy Solis a batter late (thank you, Mr. Baker) to get the final out. Nine pitches later, Felipe Rivero had his 21st save and the Bucs had a rare road kill. The pitching has been pretty good for the Pirates this month and the players still grind to the end, so you can't ask for much more with one breath left to the season.

Felipe nailed down save #21 in 23 opps (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Notes:

• Max had two hits and two walks; the only other Pirate to reach base twice was J-Bell, who earned a pair of free passes.
• Jamo didn't waste his last two outings. After a good show last time out, he went seven innings tonight, giving up a run on four hits with a walk, wild pitch and five K after serving 92 pitches.
• Congrats - Josh and Brittney Harrison had their second child late last night when Kinsli Rose Harrison entered the world.

Saturday: Two To Go - Jamo v Max Scherzer, Lineup, Notes

Tonight: The countdown reaches two with the first pitch at 7:05. The game will be aired on AT&T SportsNet and 93.7 The Fan.

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B, Starling Marte LF, Cutch CF, Josh Bell 1B, Gregory Polanco RF, Sean Rodriguez 3B, Elias Diaz C, Max Moroff SS & Jamo P. Looks like Jordy is getting the series off; maybe Stew too.

Been a long year for JT (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Pitchers: Jameson Taillon (8-7, 4.62) finishes his campaign against Max Scherzer (16-6, 2.55). Jamo will be making his 25th start tonight, and had a good outing last time he toed the slab with a 4-1 win over the Cardinals, though we're still not sure what purpose is being served by trotting him out. He faced the Nats once last year and has no record against them. Scherzer is again on the short list of Cy Young candidates (six hits per nine with 12 K) and is going up against a team that has been swinging their bats like they're made of lead. It will be his first outing of the year v the Pirates, with a 4-2/2.89 lifetime slash in nine starts.

Notes:

• Starling Marte ran his hitting streak to 10 games with a 2-for-4 performance last night. He's hitting .472 (17-for-36) during the streak with seven multi-hit games. Cutch has a six-gamer going on.
• The Bucs have gone 29-50 on the road this season, having lost seven in a row and 13 of their last 14.
• Big day in Bucco history: Roberto got hit #3,000 on this date in 1972 and Ralph Kiner hit his franchise-record 54th homer in 1949.
• Max Scherzer, btw, has whiffed 250+ batters for four consecutive seasons (2014-17). He's the fourth hurler in MLB history to do that, joining Hall-of-Famers Randy Johnson (1997-2002), Ferguson Jenkins (1968-71) and Pedro Martinez (1997-2000).

Bucs Go Quietly Into the Night 6-1

Stephen Strasburg had a calm first; Gerrit Cole was lucky to get out with a run after three singles and a double. He was saved by a liner-back-the-box DP and a Marte-Rodriguez-Diaz cutdown at home. Strasburg was strong; he struck out five-of-six in the second & third and didn't give up a hit until the fifth when Gregory singled off 1B Ryan Zimmerman's mitt. The wheels fell off in the sixth. The Nats strung together three singles in four at-bats off Cole Train to plate a run and bring in AJ Schugel. He was tagged for a homer, walk and knock before Johnny Barbato was waved in to pull the plug. Strasburg and Angel Sanchez traded zeroes in the seventh. Stephen walked a couple of Bucs in the eighth to run his pitch count up to 98, so Ollie Perez (yes, the one and same) strolled in to put out the fire. Dan Runzler took his turn and Zimmerman took him long. Then Jason Werth did the same. Wade LeBlanc was reintroduced to the mound (it's his first appearance since September 13th) and punched out Matt Wieters for the third out. Matt Grace gave up a Starling single and Cutch double to lose the shutout but not the game.

Starling may be the only Buc sad to see the season end... (photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

Another very meh performance by Cole Train (his final 2017 line is 12-12, 4.26), backed not at all by the bats, though, of course, Mr. Strasburg does make hitters besides the Pirates look silly. Ah well, two games to go and then...well, that's the question, right?

Notes:

• Starling again had two hits, as many as the rest of the team together.
• Some Bucs visited Walter Reed before the game to mingle with the patients, with the group consisting of several coaches and players Stew, S-Rod, Trevo and Steven Brault.
• Derek Jeter fired several more Marlin honchos, including pitch doctor Jim Benedict who was pirated from Pittsburgh in 2015; the Fish sent Trevo here as compensation. We wouldn't worry too much about Benedict, though; he'll land on his feet and quickly. The new bosses also canned Marc DelPiano, who left Pittsburgh about the same time to become the Miami overlord of player development. Mike Berger, a Central Catholic HS grad and Oakmont resident who was the assistant GM was also deep-sixed.

Friday: Pirates at Nats, Cole v Strasburg, Lineup, Notes

Tonight: Pittsburgh at Washington, round two, to begin at 7:05. AT&T SportsNet and 93.7 The Fan will air the game.

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B, Starling Marte LF, Cutch CF, Josh Bell 1B, David Freese 3B, Gregory Polanco RF, Elias Diaz C, Sean Rodriguez SS, Cole P. Jordy's knee must have been pretty banged up; his absence shows the bench hole at middle infield, especially with J-Hay out. Hopefully, after an offseason of rest, we'll get the 2016 S-Rod back to fill it.

Cole Train closing it out for the season (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Pitchers: Gerrit Cole (12-11, 4.23) and Stephen Strasburg (14-4, 2.68) are the gunslingers. It may be a meaningless game for the standings, but it's tough not be juiced up over a Cole v Strasberg head-to-head. Gerrit is making his career-high 33rd start of the season and should break the 200 IP mark for the second time. It's been a roller coaster season for Cole Train. He's dropped his last two road games and has given up 31 home runs (amazingly, he had never given up more than 11 in a season until this year), which is one shy of the club record of 32 allowed by Murry Dickson in 1951. Cole is finishing up on a winning note, going 9-5 over his last 19 starts. He's 3-1/2.56 in five career starts against the Nats and won a 6-1 decision in May in his only 2017 outing. The Nats are giving Stephen an extra day or two between starts to preserve his arm for the money games. Strasburg is still one of the elites with 10.5 K/nine, a 1.038 WHIP, and the rest of his peripherals equally shiny. He has a win over the Bucs this year, though it wasn't one of his better outings (six IP, three ER), when he took an 8-4 count over Chad Kuhl.

Notes:

• Starling Marte extended his hitting streak to nine games with a 2-for-4 performance last night.

Finishing strong... (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

• Bryce Harper should be available for the rest of the series after missing yesterday's game w/hyperextended knee.
• Love that dirty water: The Bucs have gone 29-49 on the road this season, having lost six in a row and 12 of their last 13. The club hasn't won back-to-back games away from PNC Park since late August. Pittsburgh posted a 40-41 record on the road last season.
• Pete Mackanin will not return as Phils manager next year; he's being kicked upstairs to serve as a special assistant to the GM. Mac managed the Pirate farm clubs Hickory Crawdads and Lynchburg Hillcats in 2001 and 2002, then became Lloyd McClendon's bench coach for the for the 2003 season. After Lloyd was fired, Mackanin served as the Pirates' interim manager for the last month of 2005 and spent the next season managing at Bradenton before moving on in 2007.

J-Bell Ties It Late But Nats Rally To Walk It Off A 5-4 Win

The Bucs got a single and GIDP off Edwin Jackson in the first while the Nats got a double, walk, single and wild pitch but only a run off Ivan Nova.  The second went quietly with the Nats leaving a couple more runners on. Mad Max walked with an out in the third and Ivan got clunked in the hand trying to bunt. Steven Brault finished the at bat and then Chris Bostick and Starling went to work. Bo doubled in Max and Marte chased Bo home. Then Tyler Glasnow took the hill. He gave up a couple walks, one after being up 0-2, and a rap to tie the game. The Bucs spun their wheels. Glasnow tossed a quiet fourth, gave up a couple of hits but no runs in the fifth and was pulled after three walks in the sixth to set up a Victor Robles v Edgar Santana two-out, bases-filled duel. Santana won, getting a swinging K.

Edgar Santana came in to get a big whiff (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Brandon Kintzler took the hill for Jackson and tossed a clean seventh. Dovydas Neverauskas didn't for Pittsburgh - a walk and triple put the Nats up and Jack Leathersich came in to give up a sac fly to make it 4-2. Ryan Madson tossed a clean eighth as did Johnny Barbato. Sean Doolittle took the ball but couldn't nail the coffin shut after Cutch singled to greet him and J-Bell launched a tying blast. Daniel Hudson got the call and three consecutive singles made Bell's bomb moot.

Santana and Barbato scored some points tonight; Glasnow and Dovy didn't. Unfortunately, none of the young hitters look ready; Osuna, Diaz, Moroff, Luplow and Stalling are all hitting < .235; only Bostick, with 25 at-bats, has a decent (.285) BA. September means something to them - and to the FO, who has some work to do on the roster between now and April.

Tyler still needs a GPS to find the dish (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Notes:

• Starling stayed on fire with two raps; no other Bucco reached base more than once as the club managed just six hits.
• Josh Bell's homer was his 26th of the campaign, tying him with Jason Bay (2004) for the most dingers hit in during a Pirates rookie season.
• With Steven Brault named to make the last start, Tyler Glasnow was relegated to the bullpen for this series and Clint wasted little time getting him in action for probably the last time this year (he went 3-2/3 IP and fired 76 pitches). Nova, btw, injured his index finger and x-rays on it were negative.
• Final attendance figures for PNC Park: 1,916,851/23,961 this year compared to 2,249,201/27,768 in 2016, a loss of 3,807 fans per game. It's a continuing trend. The Bucs drew an average of 2,470,580/30,514 in 2014-15 and this season broke a streak of five straight 2M fans attendance. 

Thursday: Pirates at Nats, Nova v Edwin Jackson, Lineup, Notes

Tonight: The Bucs are at Washington with a 7:05 first pitch. AT&T SportsNet and 93.7 The Fan will carry the match.

Lineup: Chris Bostick 2B, Starling Marte LF, Cutch CF, Josh Bell 1B, Jordan Luplow RF, Sean Rodriguez 3B, Elias Diaz C, Max Moroff SS, Ivan Nova P. Smart play in a couple of ways by not pushing Jordy, who is banged up, and Gregory, who is always a step away from the DL, in the last series.

Ivan takes his last bite out of 2017's apple (photo via mlb.com)

Pitchers: Ivan Nova (11-14, 4.14) faces Edwin Jackson (5-6, 5.40). Ivan has pitched decently in his past pair of outings and is looking to sail into the off-season on smooth seas. He was a workhorse this year even if the post all-star outings were ragged, setting career highs in innings pitched (185) and starts (31, counting tohight). Showing up on the road would help as he's gone 3-12/5.03 (compared to 8-2/2.80 at PNC Park) in 18 out-of-town starts this season. Nova hasn't notched a W since the Little League Classic five weeks ago. He's 1-1/4.63 in two starts against the Nats, but hasn't met them this year. He gave up six runs in four IP last year and won a 4-1 decision over Jackson while pitching for the Yankees way back in 2012. Jackson has struggled in September, posting a 0-3/12.38 line in his four outings, so he's shooting himself in the foot for a 2018 job after putting himself in a good spot by going 5-3/3.33 in his first 11 starts as a Nat. He's faced the Pirates once this year in relief for Baltimore, giving up two runs on four hits in 2-2/3 IP.  But spoiler alert: he's been a Bucco pain in the butt over his 15-year career, going 10-3/3.71 in 21 appearances against Pittsburgh.

Notes:

• Starling is on an eight-game hitting streak and has gone 12-for-24 with a double, triple, homer, six RBI and four stolen bases in his last seven games. Andrew has hit safely in four straight games (7-for-14) and in 12 of his last 15 (19-for-58, .328). J-Bell is hot, too, going 5-for-11 with a homer and four RBI in his last three games.

Starling is finishing up strong (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

• The Pirates have won four in a row and 5-of-6. The Bucs took 2-of-3 from the Nats in May at PNC Park.
• The Nationals are locked into the second spot in the NL playoffs with 95 wins, way behind the Dodgers 102 and safely ahead of the Cubs 89 victories. So it's an interesting set for them; they get to use the series to rest the regulars and to get the rotation/bench in order for the playoffs.
• So the balls not juiced? The Pittsburgh pitching staff has served up 177 home runs this season, the third-fewest among MLB teams. The Bucs gave up 180 homers in 2016 and the club record for most home runs surrendered in one season is 183 (in 1996). So the team could set a franchise record for dingers in a year when they are among the stingiest, in relation to the rest of baseball, at surrendering long balls.

Bucs Finish Up Homestand on Winning Note 5-3

Cutch was still feelin' it after yesterday's game; he threw out an Oriole that had the audacity to tag on him in the first and then a bit later singled Fraze to third (after a nice ovation from the fans), where he scored on J-Bell's knock. Chad Kuhl wasn't feeling it; a pair of singles and another set of doubles put Baltimore ahead 3-1 in the second. Gregory homered off Gabriel Ynoa to cut the lead to one and in the third, a two-out Cutch walk followed by a Bell bomb put Pittsburgh ahead by a run. Man, Baltimore must have called up a lot of pitchers this month - Mike Wright took the hill in the fourth; they only got four innings out of Kevin Gausman last night.

Felipe brought the smoke tonight (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

It heated up a little more; the Bucs left a pair aboard in the fifth, then the Birds got their first two men aboard in the sixth, chasing Kuhl and bringing on Jack Leathersich. He got his out, then Clint waved in Edgar Santana (September bullpens!) who got the next two. Dovydas Neverauskas tossed a clean seventh and the Bucs added an insurance marker off Mychal Givens when Starling's two-out infield knock brought home S-Rod who had doubled. George Kontos worked the eighth quietly as did Richard Bleier for Charm City. Felipe Rivero gave up a double in the ninth to keep it interesting but quickly laid it to rest, which isn't all that hard when you're lighting the radar gun at 103.

Chad had a rough outing - five IP, three runs, eight hits - but five K & just one walk helped to keep the damage contained. Cutch and J-Bell pumped up the middle of the order; one or two more run producers should be on the FO's 2018 to-do list.

J-Bell brought the lumber (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Notes:

• Josh Bell had three hits and three RBI, Starling had a couple of knocks and Cutch had a rap and was walked twice, reaching base seven times in a row before finally making an out.
• Pedro Alvarez started tonight's game; this is El Toro's first visit back to PNC Park since he and the Bucs parted ways. He was given a video tribute and got a warm welcome from the fans. Petey even started a 3-6-3 DP in the first inning, something he was seemingly incapable of here.
• Teke also drew a rousing roar when he was recognized tonight while doing his last Pirates game, not only by the fans but by the entire Pirates dugout.
• He didn't do the National Anthem, but Pittsburgh's Wiz Khalifa did toss the final ceremonial first pitch of the 2017 campaign.
• 24,779 visited the park tonight. 
• The hot & cold Bucs have now won four in a row as they travel to DC to close the season with a four-game stand with the Nationals.
• The Cubs clinched the NL Central tonight with a 5-1 win over the Cards.

Wednesday: Cool Chad v Gabriel Ynoa, Lineup, Notes

Tonight: The home season ends with the Baltimore Orioles match at 7:05, aired on AT&T SportsNet and 93.7 The Fan.

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B, Starling Marte LF, Cutch CF, Josh Bell 1B, David Freese 3B, Gregory Polanco RF, Elias Diaz C, Sean Rodriguez SS, Chad Kuhl P. Jordy getting some down time; he has been an iron man despite having to play through a gimpy knee. And boy, sometimes we let our minds ponder a lineup with Jung Ho Kang batting between Andrew and J-Bell. The middle is something the FO has to address next season with or without JHK.

Pitchers: Chad Kuhl (7-11, 4.31) closes the home campaign against Gabriel Ynoa (2-2, 3.41). Chad will be making his 31st start of the season and hoping to keep the ball in the park tonight. He lasted 4-2/3 IP in losing a 4-2 decision  in Cincinnati when he gave up a career-high four home runs. Adding some off-speed stuff to his fastball/slider toolkit has produced some strong results with Chad slashing 5-5/3.25 ERA in his last 15 outings. The Bucs are now looking for a little more efficiency out of Kuhl, who has worked through seven IP just three times this year and hasn't made it to the sixth in 21 trips to the hill. Chad has faced Baltimore once in June and gave up one run in five innings of work, but got no decision in an extra-inning loss at Camden Yards. Ynoa is getting his fourth start for the Orioles as he's trying to open some eyes for 2018. He started in AAA (6-9, 5.25) but served as a long man when he first came up. Ynoa uses a fastball/slider combo and his last outing was his best, going eight IP against Tampa, giving up one run on five hits and stretching himself out to 94 pitches.

Chad's final trip to the PNC mound this year (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Notes:

• Edgar Santana and Dan Runzler have each tossed six scoreless outings since being called up on September 10th. Dovydas Neverauskas also has six straight appearances without giving up a run; Johnny Barbato has gone five games w/o being dented. The pitchers are finishing strong - they've put up the lowest ERA (3.39) in the NL so far in September.
• The Pirates have gone 43-37 at home this season, with one win earned at Williamsport.
• The local baseball writers voted for their annual local honors winners and they are: Andrew McCutchen (Roberto Clemente Award for MVP); Felipe Rivero (Steve Blass Award for Top Pitcher) and Jordy Mercer (Chuck Tanner Award for Most Cooperative w/Press)
• Following the game tonight, the Pirates head for Washington, where the season will come to a close with a four-game series against the Nats.
• Matt Cain, 33 this weekend, will pitch one more game and retire. He was San Francisco's first-round pick in the 2002 draft, broke into the big leagues in 2005 and spent his entire 13-year career with the Giants, going 104-118 with a 3.69 ERA. He has a perfect game on his resume, and he & Tim Lincecum formed one of the great one-two punches in baseball.

Cutch Rocks, Bucs Roll 10-1

Trevo got off on the right foot. After tossing a scoreless frame, he watched a Starling single and back-to-back-doubles by Cutch & J-Bell gave him a quick two-run pad. It would grow. In the second, the Bucs had two outs and Mad Max aboard when a Fraze double and Starling walk packed the sacks for Cutch. It is a well-known bit of Pirates lore that in nine seasons, Andrew has never drilled a grand slam. That can now be crossed off his to-do list; let the record show he got #1 off Kevin Gausman to make it 6-0. Cutch said "finally" as he hopped on the plate and the fans knew the history, too, demanding a curtain call. It stayed that way into the bottom of the fifth when Jimmy Yacabonis took the ball from Gausman. The Bucs used three singles to add one more chip to the pot (actually a bummer as they has the bases jammed w/no outs, but today, not a big deal).

Pretty good night for this dude (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

The Birds got on the board when Chris Davis banged a two-out homer in the sixth. The Bucs had an answer - Fraze and Starling singled and Andrew, who is a triple shy of the cycle, banged another homer to make it 10-1. Cutch was pulled for J-Lup after taking the field in the seventh so that he could draw some final crowd love (pro move by Clint). Steven Brault toed the rubber and took it home from there, earning his first save in the process by tossing three frames.

Cutch happened, the pitching of Trevor Williams & Steven Brault speaks well for the future, and the Bucs are one game away from closing out the 2017 home card.

But an even better one for this guy... (photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

Notes:

• Cutch had four hits; Fraze and Starling had two each and scored five times (it's good to bat ahead of Andrew); J-Bell also had two knocks.
• Per @theaceofspaeder: Cutch is the first Pirate with at least four runs and eight RBI in a game since Ralph Kiner on June 25, 1950.
• Andrew chased home a career-high eight runners tonight, a feat that hasn't been done since Jason Bay did it in 2004 (Johnny Rizzo set the team record in 1939 with nine; Bay drove in eight twice while Ralph Kiner & Dave Robertson each did it once). Cutch passed Al "Scoops" Oliver and Max Carey for 11th in all-time Bucco RBIs w/724 (Dave "The Cobra" Parker is 10th w/758).
• Trevor was sharp again - six IP, one run, three hits, one walk and six K while serving 93 pitches.
• There were 19,318 at the ol' ballyard tonight.

Tuesday: O's Open Last Home Set, Trevo v Kevin Glausman, Lineup, Notes

Tonight: The Baltimore Orioles open the final home series of the year tonight at 7:05. It will be aired by AT&T SportsNet  and 93.7 The Fan. It's Pup in the Park Night for all you hounds who would like to take a final howl at the moon.

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B, Starling Marte LF, Cutch CF, Josh Bell 1B, David Freese 3B, Gregory Polanco RF, Elias Diaz C, Max Moroff SS, Trevor Williams P. Good time to get Fraze infield time; we know that's passable as an outfielder. We still don't understand why J-Bell can't get a blow.

Trevo toes the slab (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Pitchers: Trevor Williams (6-9, 4.18) serves 'em up against Kevin Gausman (11-10, 4.61) Trevo will be making his 24th start, coming off a tough 1-0 loss to the Brewers Tuesday night (5.0ip/3h/1r/1er/2bb/6so)...Has allowed just one run in his last 20 innings of work over his last three home starts...Is 1-5 in his last seven outings despite giving up more than three earned runs just twice in that span. Williams has never faced the Orioles. Gausman has slashed 6-3/2.26 since July 19th. Like Trevo, his last outing was a 1-0 loss, although he was in the shower before it was decided after working eight scoreless frames. He went 6-2/3 IP in a no-decision against the Pirates in June, giving up four runs on eight hits in a game Baltimore won 6-5.

Notes:

• Baltimore is 12-6 against Pittsburgh in interleague play, with the Pirates owning a 5-3 mark at PNC Park. The Birds took a pair in extra innings at Camden Yards in June.
• Pedro Alvarez was called up by Charm City in September; he's hitting .286 (six-for-21) with a homer.
• The Pirates visit Washington for four games after this quick set; neither the Bucs nor Nats have determined who is pitching yet.
• The PNC 50-50 raffle pots for the last two games will be used for Puerto Rican hurricane relief, w/Pirates Charities matching the amount raised.
• The Dodgers have acquired OF/1B Connor Joe from the Braves for international bonus pool space. Joe was a 2014 first-round pick of the Pirates who was sent to Atlanta for S-Rod last month.
• The D-backs have sewn up the home Wildcard game, opponent TBD.

Bucs Beat Birds 4-1, Take Series

Jamo and John Gant exchanged walks in the first. In the second, the Bucs left J-Lup stranded after a one-out triple. Matt Carpenter homered in the third to give the Redbirds the lead, and then the Bucs, well, they Bucco'ed again. A bopped batter and two singles loaded the bases with nobody out. Joey O hit a sac fly to tie the game (actually, a pop that the Cards botched in relay) and leave runners on the corners before Cutch got himself picked off, deflating the Buc balloon. Matt Bowman took over for the Cards in the fourth and kept it quiet. A couple of fifth inning raps put Jamo in a one-out jammo but he whiffed his way out of trouble. Seung Hwan Oh took the ball and gave up a knock to Chris Bostick and a bomb to Starling to give the Bucs a 3-1 edge. Edgar Santana spun in the sixth (JT was at 95 pitches) and put up a zippo. Cecil Brett took his turn and J-Lup greeted him with a dinger.

Chris Bostick reached three times today and scored twice (photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

Huddy got two quick outs in the seventh, then gave up two quick walks, bringing out Dan Runzler. He walked Randal Grichuk and Clint waved in George Kontos, who got a grounder to keep the Cards at bay, shutting down what would prove their last big chance to make it a game. John Brebbia served another zip from the St Louis side. Kontos kept his mojo working in the eighth and Tyler Lyons added another goose egg. That set the stage for Felipe, who rebounded from Friday's sloppy outing with a clean ninth, including two whiffs. Raise the Jolly One again! There are six games to go and no more worries about playing the A-List against contenders. It's time to rest the weary and put some calluses on the youngsters.

Jordan banged his third homer of the campaign (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Notes:

• Pittsburgh had eight hits; Starling, Chris Bostick & J-Lup each had a pair of raps. They scored all four runs and drove in three on Marte & Luplow homers.
• Jamo went five IP and gave up a run on four hits with a walk and six K on 95 pitches. Five Pirates relievers tossed four innings w/o giving up a hit though they did walk four. 
• Seung Hwan Oh is 0-3 against the Pirates, giving up 10 runs in eight innings of work this year. He did earn three saves, though.
• There were 28,550 fans in the stands for today's match. The team is off tomorrow and then face the Orioles on Tuesday & Wednesday nights.
• The Pirates finished the year 8-11 against the Redbirds.
• In one small step forward, Jung Ho Kang got into the Dominican without a lawyer doing somersaults and is practicing with Aguilas Cibaenas.
• Jon Morosi tweets that a couple of old Buccos, Lloyd McClendon and Dave Clark, are potential candidates for the Tigers skipper job. Both played for the Pirates; Lloyd was Pittsburgh's hitting coach and later manager while Dave got his start coaching & managing in the Pirates system; he was also McClendon's batting doctor with the Pirates in 2001-02.  

Sunday: Cards-Bucs Rubber Match, Jamo v John Gant, Lineup, Notes

Today: The Kids Day matinee starts at 1:35 and will be on AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan. Thw swag will be kids warm-up jerseys foir the 14-and-under fans. The last weekend home match is also Fan Appreciation Day with prizes like gift cards, 2018 Pirates tickets and game-worn jerseys given away.

Lineup: Chris Bostick 2B, Starling Marte LF, Cutch CF, Jose Osuna 1B, Sean Rodriguez 3B, Jordan Luplow RF, Max Moroff SS, Jacob Stallings C, Jameson Taillon P. About time Bo and J-Stalls got in. We like seeing the kids play, though we are a little surprised that the regulars didn't start on Fan Day.

Jamo gets the ball today (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Pitchers: Jameson Taillon (7-7, 4.73) closes out the set against John Gant (0-0, 3.86). Jamo's last start was a 3-0 loss to the Brewers at PNC Park Monday. He's set MLB career highs in starts (23; he had 28 last year between Pittsburgh & Indy) and innings pitched (121-2/3; he worked 165-2/3 IP last year at all levels; he has 135-2/3 this year). We're still not sure what more he has to show this season, but they keep running him out there even though he's 0-2/5.46 in his last half-dozen appearances. He's 0-1/5.14 in four career starts against the Cards. In three outings this year, he's lost once by a 4-0 count and gotten two no-decisions. Gant joined the Redbirds last year as part of the Jaime Garcia deal and was called up from Memphis in September. The sinkerballer is making his first MLB start, bumping another young gun, Jack Flaherty, to the pen because of both performance & workload issues. Gant worked an inning of relief against the Bucs a couple of weeks ago, giving up a hit and picking up a K.

Notes:

• Starling has been heating up. He's gone 6-for-14 (.429) with a double, a triple, three RBI and three stolen bases in his last four games. Jordy has a five-game hitting steak after his 3-for-3 night.
• Jordy was taken out of last night's game a homer short of a cycle, but it wasn't a matter of emptying the bench. He's been playing through tendinitis in his knee and it acted up, so Clint gave him a blow with the game in hand.
• There are two home games left on Tuesday and Wednesday nights (the Pirates are off tomorrow) against the Orioles. The Bucs are 41-37 as the home club (counting the Williamsport victory) guaranteeing a winning home campaign.
• The Cards could have a last hurrah left in them: after today, the finish out at Busch against the Cubs and Brewers.

Bats Come Alive As Bucs Roll to 11-6 Win

Well, so much for the anticipated well-tossed game. Matt Carpenter singled and Tommy Pham homered in the first off Gerrit Cole to make 2-0 Cardinals in a hurry. But Lance Lynn would have an Elm Street nightmare during his turn. A double, four singles, two walks, and a bases-loaded triple by Jordy (Dexter Fowler tried to shoestring the sinker and missed) got him yanked; a wild pitch and two-run three-bagger by Starling off Josh Lucas made it 8-2. The second went quietly, with Adam Wainwright on the slab for the Redbirds, as both sides turned DPs. Gerrit was still wobbly in the third when the Cards went single-single-double to open, but he escaped with just a run crossing by following with a pair of K and a pop. The Bucs used a couple of knocks of their own around a bunt to answer with Starling's sac fly.

No pressure tonight (photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

It stayed 9-3 until Sam Tuivailala took the ball into the fifth. Eli singled and came home on Jordy's two-bagger. He's a homer away from the cycle, but he won't get a chance to join that club as Max Moroff replaced him. With Redbirds at first and second with two down in the sixth, Clint yanked Cole Train (103 pitches) for AJ Schugel. Schugs gave up a walk, a single that was booted by Cutch and an infield knock; three runs scored, making it 10-6. Huddy came in to close it down. The Bucs left two guys on against Sandy Alcantara. Hudson had a calm seventh; Brett Cecil did likewise. Dan Runzler got an out and Dovydas Neverauskas got two more in the eighth (don't ask; too many temptations for managers in September). The Pirates added on when Freeser doubled home J-Bell, both reaching with two outs against Seung Hwan Oh. Johnny Barbato came to turn out the lights but didn't get the chance; after an out, the Cards used a pinch hitter and Clint countered with Jack Leathersich, who did flip the switch.

We're pretty sure both starters would like a mulligan for this one, but hey, it's nice to have at least one night when every mistake doesn't become a coffin nail.

Lordy, Lordy... (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Notes:

• Jordy and Gregory had three hits; Fraze, Freeser and Eli each had a pair.
• The Pirates scored nine runs from September 12-19th during their seven-game losing streak. They scored eight in the first inning tonight.
• The St. Louis Cardinals tied a major league record for the most pinch hitters used in an inning with six in the sixth. The Cards (24) and Bucs (17) used 41 players tonight.
• The Bucs drew 29,672 for tonight's game. 
• Last week it was the Giants and Ryan Vogelsong; today it was the Reds and Bronson Arroyo. Cincy held a pre-game ceremony for the 40-year-old Arroyo, who is retiring after 16 years in the show. He began his journey in 2000 as a Bucco and spent nine of his last 10 campaigns as a Redleg.

Saturday: Redbirds at PNC; Cole v Lance Lynn, Lineup, Notes

Tonight: Here comes St. Louis again, still with a playoff pulse and ready to roll at 7:05. The game will be on AT&T SportsNet and 93.7 The Fan. Free black tees are the swag for the first 20,000 fans.

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B, Starling Marte LF, Cutch CF, J-Bell 1B, David Freese 3B, Gregory Polanco RF, Elias Diaz C, Jordy Mercer SS, Gerrit Cole P. We're kinda surprised that J-Bell isn't getting a break; he's in the middle of a 5-for-42 slump over the past dozen games and has only gotten a blow twice this year. We also thought Stew might get behind the dish tonight with Cole Train on the hill and a day game tomorrow.

Cole Train goes today (photo AT&T SportsNet)

Pitchers: Gerrit Cole (11-11, 4.13) takes the hill against Lance Lynn (11-7, 3.09). Gerrit has been erratic this year. His last start was a 5-2 loss in Cincinnati on Sunday, but he has been pretty solid with a slash of 8-5/3.66 over his last 18 starts. On the down side, he's gotten just five runs of support in his last five starts (welcome to that club) and hasn't won a game at PNC Park since mid-June. Against the Redbirds this year, Gerrit is 1-1 in three starts with a no-decision (six IP/two runs) in a walkoff win on 7/14 at PNC Park, a 7-3 decision over today's opponent Lance Lynn in June at Busch Stadium (six IP/one run), and was the loser by a 2-1 count (six IP/two runs) to Michael Wacha in April at Busch, so he's been pretty tough on the Cards all season long. Lynn is pitching for more than the post-season; it's also his walk year and he and the Cards haven't been simpatico, so he wants to keep that stat line tidy. He's had a mixed bag against the Bucs this year with 2-1 and 4-0 wins and a 7-3 loss. Looks like another low-scoring game in the cards with the Cards tonight although both guys have had their weak moments.

Notes:

• Gerrit Cole has allowed 30 home runs this season, two away from tying the club record of 32 set by Murry Dickson in 1951.
• LHP Steven Brault and OF Jordan Luplow were named the Pirates' minor league pitcher and player of the year.
• Olympic swimming medalist Leah Smith of Mt. Lebanon & Oakland Catholic HS will throw out the first pitch tonight.
• The Pirates have two of the MLB's Top Ten all-time assist leaders in right field - as you might have guessed, The Great One is #1 with 260 toss outs (Henry Aaron is second at 186); Dave Parker came in seventh with 137. (s/o to @cocktailsfor2) El Coffee, btw, has 16, so he has a ways to go yet.

Cards Can't Give Bucs the Game; Pirates Fall 4-3

Well, that didn't take long. Ivan Nova was greeted by a double, bunt, & single to make it 1-0 Cards in the first. The Bucs stranded Starling, with a single and steal, at second against Michael Wacha. In the second, an infield single not played very well by Fraze was followed by a second-chance hit by Kolten Wong, who was given a free swing on a blown third strike call. Then Ivan threw away a bunt, and another Redbird crossed the dish. It was quiet until the fourth when the Buccos took some and left some. Starling walked, J-Bell singled and Freeser doubled him home. A Gregory grounder was thrown home but Josh beat the rap with an awkward but tag-evading dive to the dish. A walk loaded the bases but an Eli 6-4-3 DP ended the party with the score 3-2 Pittsburgh. The fifth was calm.

Ivan now has a couple of solid outings (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Edgar Santana came in for the sixth and left a couple of Cards on the sacks after a walk and infield rap. John Brebbia tucked the Bucs away in what's now a bullpen battle. The Bucs tagged Ryan Sherriff for another tally on an Eli double, Jordy single and booted inning-ending DP ball, but again left ducks on the pond at second & third with an out. A one run lead with six outs to go...can the pen deliver? Well, no. Dovydas Neverauskas did his part in the eighth, but the rusty Felipe Rivero was banged around in the ninth and not given a lot of help in the field. A double opened the frame and scored when a routine ball found a hole through a drawn-in infield; another single set up the lead run that crossed the dish after Jordy bumbled trying to field a grounder. To add insult to injury, Juan Nicasio tossed the eighth and ninth innings cleanly to earn the win. It was some irony on the hill today with Felipe blowing a save and his former sidekick Juan getting the W.

St Louis outhit the Pirates 11-5 & drew six walks, going 2-for-15 w/RISP. They threw in a boot to add a run to the Pittsburgh count. But teams can't even give games away to the Pirates; tonight was a microcosm of a season killed by a thousand paper cuts.

Notes:

• Starling Marte had a knock and a walk. He was the only Buc to reach base twice; the team had just five hits. 
• Juan Nicasio has two wins and two saves for the Cards in six appearances; tonight's victory and the pair of saves were against the Pirates. He's faced 13 of his ex-mateys and given up one hit.
• 23,942 warm buns were in the seats tonight; even fireworks night and the Cards can't lure them in.
• OMG the outfield experiment!!! Big news in March, but September reality is that the Three Amigos (Cutch, Starling and Gregory) played together for just the 10th time tonight; forget the moving them around part - Cutch has played RF seven times, Starling has been in CF 11 times and Gregory in left 26 times all year.

Friday: Redbirds In Town, Nova v Michael Wacha, Lineup, Notes

Tonight: After a day of rest, the Bucs face St Louis for three games at PNC Park with the set beginning at 7:05. The contest will be carried by AT&T SportsNet and 93.7 The Fan. Tonight will feature Zambelli Fireworks (and hopefully some Pirates pyrotechnics, too; God knows they're due). The Cards are pretty much out of the Central race at five games back and but a player for the second wildcard, 1-1/2 games off that pace. As for the Pirates, don't ask.

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B, Starling Marte LF, Cutch CF, Josh Bell 1B, David Freese 3B, Gregory Polanco RF, Elias Diaz C, Jordy Mercer SS, Ivan Nova P. Hey - a Three Amigos sighting!

Ivan looks to finish up strong after a dismal second half (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Pitchers: Ivan Nova (11-14, 4.20) gets his bonus start tonight against Michael Wacha (12-8, 4.02)  as his calf has recovered. He showed some bounceback with a quite solid outing in his last start, a 2-1 loss to  in Cincinnati Saturday afternoon. He's set career highs in innings pitched w/180.0 and starts (29) this season. Despite his post-ASG beatdown, Ivan has tossed well at home, going 8-2/2.87 in 11 home starts, winning each of his last five decisions and seven of his last eight. His slash against the Cards is 1-2/4.82 ERA (18.2ip/10er) in three career starts this year, but two of the outings have been pretty good efforts; in fact, his victory at Williamsport in the Little League Classic over the Cards was the last game he's won. Unfortunately, the clunker was his latest on September 10th, a 7-0 loss to today's mound foe Michael Wacha, at Busch Stadium. It was one of two decent outings Wacha has had in his last eight starts, so whether that says more about the Cards' righty or the Pirates hitters is tough to determine. He is 2-1/2.89 v Pittsburgh this year, with a pair of strong outings and one appearance he'd like a mulligan on.

Notes:

• The Redbirds were left in the dust after being swept by the Cubs, but they came back to broom the Reds to stay alive in the wildcard. They're 13-6 in September; the Bucs are 6-13. The Redbirds have already claimed the 2017 series as they're up 10-to-6 in wins.
• Good thing he's young: J-Bell has appeared in 151 of the Pirates first 153 games. In the NL, only Philadelphia’s Freddy Galvis (153) and Cincinnati’s Joey Votto (153) have played in more games this season.
• Dovydas Neverauskas is finding his groove. He's made four straight scoreless appearances and has been scored upon once in his last seven games (7-1/3 IP.
• The Bucco defense has gone seven straight games and a season-high 63 innings without making an error. The Pirates lead all MLB teams in fielding percentage this month at .994; however, their season-wide .984 success rate is just 20th in baseball.

Fraze Ends Pirates Plunge, Leads Bucs to 6-4 Walkoff Win

Well, same ol' Bucs at the start. After a fairly quiet first served up by Steven Brault, Starling Marte doubled off Aaron Wilkerson. Marte tried to steal third with two outs; of course he didn't make it. Jesus Aguilar opened the second with a 440' blast into the bullpen, then Domingo Santana drilled another with two outs in the third. *sigh* The Bucs came back with an Eli two-bagger and Jordy walk. Steven's bunt cut down the lead man, but Fraze picked him up with a triple that that rocketed off of the Clemente Wall. Starling singled him home, and holy crooked number, a Pirates lead! Wilkerson got the hook in favor of Jacob Barnes and he ended the partay as Marte was picked off and nailed in the ensuing rundown before Cutch lined out. The fourth went by without any damage; the Bucs, well, they Bucco'ed in the fifth - the bases were loaded thanks to a single, walk and error with one out. Starling's grounder became a force at home and Cutch went down 4-3 *sigh* again.

Steven did a decent job tonight (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Anyway, Steven's five frames were up and in came Tyler Glasnow, who gave up a walk, whiff and GIDP. Jared Hughes and Wei Chung Wang cruised through their half. And the the Bucs Bucco'ed again. Tyler's sequence went walk, caught stealing, walk, walk, and hook. AJ Schugel went double, intentional walk, bases-loaded walk before getting the last two outs and it was 4-3 in favor of the Pale Ales. Josh Hader served a zippo in the seventh while Dan Runzler gave up a double and got an out, then Clint called on Huddy who whiffed the next pair. Anthony Swarzak left in the eighth with Cutch on second and two outs as Corey Knebel came out sniffin' for a four-out save. He got Freeser to roll a swinging bunt, but misfired on the throw to first (even the Brewers can Bucco, it seems) to tie the game.

Felipe Rivero (remember him?) got the ball. He was a little rusty - it was his third appearance in 16 days - but got away with a walk and a knock. Knebel walked Eli, got a couple of outs and then Fraze drilled one over the Clemente Wall and praise the Lord & pass the ammunition, the Pirates had a W. We'd still like to see if it's possible to sneak a game or two at third for Joey O and get Edgar Santana a little more work; maybe Chris Bostick too. As for Tyler, well, that's a trough one; it might help his focus to send him to the Himalayas for a while and have him "ooommm" with the lamas.

Fraze was the Buc stopper tonight (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Notes:

• Starling and Fraze had a pair of hits (Adam had four RBI & two runs scored) while Eli and Jordy each had a knock and a walk. Frazier's homer was his first walkoff long ball and second WO hit of the campaign.
• Fraze's triple broke a 21+ IP scoreless streak for the Pirates. Starling's ensuing single broke a streak of 65+ consecutive innings of playing w/o the lead.
• Steven Brault's line: five innings, two runs, three hits, one walk, three K on 65 pitches. A nice outing if he can make those hits a little shorter.
• 15,754 was the announced attendance tonight.
• Jose Osuna and Elias Diaz want to play winter ball in Venezuela if the political situation is right. Both are looking for more at-bats and Joey O wants to get some game action at the hot corner, per @BiertempfelTrib.

Wednesday: Same Ol' Story - Brew Crew Looks For Sweep; Brault v Aaron Wilkerson, Lineup, Notes

Tonight: Wednesday Milwaukee at Pittsburgh 7:05 AT&T SportsNet and 93.7 The Fan.

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B, Starling Marte, Cutch CF, Josh Bell 1B, David Freese 3B, Jordan Luplow RF, Elias Diaz C, Jordy Mercer SS & Steven Brault P.

Steven looking to impress (image Pittsburgh Pirates)

Pitchers: Steven Brault (1-0, 4.38) closes the set against Aaron Wilkerson (0-0, 0.00). Brault replaces Chad Kuhl in the rotation tonight; Gerrit Cole is the only guy whose can hasn't been kicked yet. Since the Bucs are running out of starts, Tyler Glasnow will work after Brault (we'd expect a five-or-six inning limit) in a sort of piggy-back arrangement for tonight's sidebar. Clint said that Tyler will get to start with a clean frame; no messy mid-inning mop-ups as they want to evaluate him as a starter, not a reliever. The 25-year-old Brault will be making his third start/ninth appearance of the season, and he's coming off a great outing. He gave up one hit in six scoreless innings Monday night in Milwaukee to pick up his first MLB win. Steven is otherwise 0-2/4.20 in three career starts against the Brew Crew, all in 2016. Don't ask about Tyler; he's seen them twice and given up eight earned runs (nine overall) in nine innings on 10 hits with eight walks. Wilkerson was recently called up after having a very good year at AA Biloxi (11-4, 3.16, nine K/game, 1.075 WHIP), though at 28 he was a bit gray to be at that level. Still, he's a great baseball story - he was an NAIA ace at Cumberland College but had TJ surgery while in college. Wilkerson was in his second season on indie league ball after his recovery before Boston signed him in 2014. Now he's 12 pitches deep into his big league career; he worked a 1-2-3 frame with two K against Miami on the 15th.

Notes:

• This game decides the season series; Milwaukee and Pittsburgh are 9-9 against one another this year.
• The only other time that the Pirates scored 22 or fewer runs in 13-game span, their current production, was between 7/15-29/1959 when they mustered 20 runs (s/o @joe_block).
• Wilkerson will be the 13th starter for the Brewers this year; the Pirates have used just seven. Interestingly, the Brew Crew bypassed Matt Garza and Junior Guerra, who have been bumped to the Milwaukee pen, to give Wilkerson the ball.
• 1B Edwin Espinosa of Indy/Altoona and 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes of Bradenton were named to the Rawlings Minor League Gold Glove Team.