What: Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Where: Miller Park
When 8:10 EST
The Pirates close out their penultimate road trip of the season looking to sweep the Brewers in Milwaukee for the second time this month. Tonight, a sweep is not just a luxury, it is a necessity. With the hole the Pirates have dug for themselves, every game is a must-win. The Bucs are 3.5 back with 11 games to go, including three against the team they're chasing, the Cardinals. Buckle up and hope for a miracle.
The Bucs will start Ryan Vogelsong on the hill tonight, which is an interesting move. I find it interesting because I'd be interested to know why Clint Hurdle entrusts this guy with a game at this point in the season, when a single loss could all but eliminate us. Yeah, Vogey was a great story coming back from his injury, and he pitched very effectively for a while there. But that stage has long passed. He is simply not pitching well at all right now, and sending him out there doesn't seem like it is putting us in the best position to win a game. The guy has a 7.01 ERA in his last seven starts, and he hasn't made it past the fourth inning in any of his past three. It's hard to be optimistic about tonight, but, hey, the Brewers are bad, and our offense and bullpen have been doing well lately.
The Pirates lineup:
Adam Frazier 2B
Starling Marte LF
Andrew McCutchen CF
Gregory Polanco RF
Jung Ho Kang 3B
Sean Rodriguez SS
David Freese 1B
Francisco Cervelli C
Ryan Vogelsong P
Frazier is atop the lineup once again. Starling Marte was originally slated to hit leadoff tonight, but Jordy Mercer was scratched from the lineup due to right forearm discomfort, which led to Adam Frazier being inserted into the lineup, and Hurdle likes Frazier better at leadoff than Marte (understandably so).
Speaking of Marte, he's back. He's been dealing with back issues lately, and was recently cleared form any structural damage.
The Brew Crew are starting righty Chase Anderson. Anderson has had a lackluster season, but in his last 15 games he's had a very respectable 3.74 ERA, including a cool 2.73 in his last 7. He started at PNC Park on 9/4, and pitched five scoreless en route to a win.
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