Good afternoon from PNC Park where today the Pirates (7-8) look to rebound from a 3-6 road trip tonight against the Brewers (11-4). Edinson Volquez (0-0, 1.29 ERA) will oppose Yovani Gallardo (2-0, 0.96 ERA).
— Jose Tabata left yesterday afternoon’s game against the Reds with concussion-like symptoms when he ran into the outfield wall while making a catch. However, he will be available off the bench after passing the MLB mandatory concussion tests.
“He went through a battery of tests today, starting with the doctor,” said manager Clint Hurdle. “They do the concussion test, computer test and he passed that. He ran on the field, went in the cage, reflexes, all different activities that we could run him through and he’s going to be available off the bench.”
Hurdle’s Quotes
On the state of the Brewers this season — “They’re healthy. They weren’t healthy last year. They added two starting pitchers and the bullpen has come out of the chute throwing blanks. It was a solid Major League bullpen last year. Once Henderson got into play and they added K-Rod, they have a very good team. They defend the ball, they have usable speed and more usable speed when they get on.”
On the team’s execution against the Brewers — “We’ve got to nail out execution opportunities better. We just have got to refresh ourselves with the personnel, basically a couple new faces, but not many. We know the shortstop, second basemen, third basemen, the catcher, the outfielders. We’ve got to stay focused on what we can do better, how we can play more consistently for me, more than revisiting what the Brewers brought or what they showed us.”
Other Notes
— Neil Walker has gone 5-for-12 with three home runs in his last three games and currently leads all Major League second basemen with five home runs. He his a career high 16 homers in 2013 and ranks second on the club’s all-time list for home runs hit as a second basemen (59), trailing only Hall-of-Famer Bill Mazeroski (137).
— The Pirates have homered 15 times in their last eight games after hitting a total of four long balls in their first seven games. Only Atlanta (21) has hit more home runs than Pittsburgh (19) this season among National League teams. They are tied for fourth (Washington also has 19) among Major League teams only trailing the LA Angels (24), Atlanta (21), CHI White Sox (20).
— The Pirates have posted a 6-2 record in their eight one-run games this season and 11 of Pittsburgh’s first 15 games have been decided by two runs or less. The Pirates have gone 3-1 in one-run games at PNC Park this season and are 176-131 (.573) all time on their home turf in one-run decisions.
Tonight’s Bucco Lineup
First pitch is set for 7:05.
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(Photo Credit: Getty Images)
