Good afternoon from PNC Park where the Pirates (9-12) look to secure at least a series split with the Reds (9-11). Charlie Morton (0-2, 4.32 ERA) takes the hill against Alfredo Simon (2-1, 0.86 ERA).
Tomorrow’s Starter Undecided
Manager Clint Hurdle said that the team has not declared a spot-starter for tomorrow afternoon’s series finale against the Reds. However, it can be speculated that Brandon Cumpton will be that guy as he has been scratched from his start tonight for AAA Indianapolis.
Hurdle’s Quotes
On Neil Walker’s Hot Start — “I think he’s gotten off to a good start. He worked extremely hard over the winter. It was a winter where he worked on getting stronger. The winter before was all about rehab, so it was an entire different program that he was putting together over the winter. That gave him, I think, some momentum going into spring training and initially I don’t think the offensive part of it came out the way he wanted, but he just kept working. Other than that, I think he’s in a good place.”
On the pinch hitting success so far this season — “It’s a different prep routine we’re going through in the cage where we’re racking up velocity. We’re just cooking things different. We’ve just tried some different things. We got another machine in there that racks up the velocity, so they really have to get after it to get more game ready. Most teams have a machine, we’ve just taken this machine and kind of slapped it to make it mad ad angry. Just tried to add more adrenaline, more confrontation to the practice session.”
Other Notes
— Andrew McCutchen has homered in back-to-back games and has reached base safely eight times in his last nine plate appearances. He is hitting .364 (16-for-44) with three home runs and nine RBI in his last 11 games. In addition, McCutchen has reached base safely in 19 of his 21 games overall and leads the National League with 18 walks.
— In honor of National Grilled Cheese Month, Pirates closer Jason Grilli served grilled cheese sandwiches at the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank today from 11 a.m. to noon. In addition to serving grilled cheese sandwiches to those at risk of hunger in the Pittsburgh area, he also assisted in sorting 40,000 pounds of Land O’Lakes cheese.
— The Pirates enter tonight’s action ranked third among National League teams with a .986 fielding percentage. The Bucs have made just one error in their last six games.
Tonight’s Lineups
First pitch is set for 7:05.
(Photo Credit: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
