The Pirates (76 – 55) look to bounce back after last nights disappointing loss to the Brewers (58 – 73) in game two of this 3-game set. Charlie Morton (5 – 3, 3.42 ERA) will oppose former Pirate, Tom Gorzelanny (3 – 5, 3.60 ERA)
Leading Off
Marlon Byrd will make his first start as a Pirate tonight as he will bat in the cleanup spot and play right field. John Buck will be available off of the bench. To make room for these two on the 25-man roster, Tony Sanchez and Jeff Locke have been sent to AA Altoona and will be re-called on Sept. 3rd.
Hurdle’s Quotes
On Grilli’s sim game — “I went outside and saw Grilli throw. I don’t know how he feels right now, but the outing, in and of itself, went well. He threw all of his pitches, slide-step, delivery, so it looked encouraging from my vantage point. The next step will be to see how he feels tomorrow and if he feels good tomorrow, we’ll give him two days rest and then we anticipate a rehab outing in Altoona on Saturday of 1 inning with a 20-pitch max.”
On starting Byrd in the cleanup spot — “His numbers against left handed pitching this year make the statement of putting him in the four-hole and also the personnel that we have here, I think it complements the position very well. He’s had a incredibly solid offensive season. This is a guy that was just really good in Texas and I think more than anything else, when he got hit in the head, I think it challenged him a couple different ways. This guy’s fought hard and scratched to get back in. The offensive numbers speak for themselves .”
On Travis Snider’s rehab — “He’s clustering at-bats right now. He’s been doing well, I’ve talked to him personally on the off day. He’s feeling better. Game shape — he’s getting there. He’s played nine innings multiple times, so he’s probably closing in on 30 at-bats between the two spots, so he’s making progress all on the defensive side of the ball and at the plate.”
Jason Grilli on sim game
“It went well, threw 25-pitches, my arm strength is there. Just fine tuning and throwing strikes to hitters. I’m not worried about velocity, it’s like having weights in a weight room. You can always add more weight and I can add some more to that. It’s not about throwing hard, it’s about throwing strikes and my arm strength is there, so if people want to see if my arm strength is going to be there, I guarantee it will be there.”
First pitch is set for 7:05
Follow Travis for Pirates news and in-game updates on Twitter @TBerardi_OVA or @Theyinzer
(Photo Credit: Flickr/Keith Allison)
