Good afternoon from PNC Park where the Pirates (64-62) look to salvage a game from the Braves (66-60). Gerrit Cole (7-4, 3.78 ERA) will be making his first start since early July as he faces Alex Wood (9-9, 3.07 ERA).
The Pirates begin the day 7 games behind the Brewers (71-55) for first in the NL Central, 4 1/2 games behind the Cardinals (68-57) for the first NL Wild Card spot and 2 games behind the Giants (65-59) and Braves (66-60) for the second NL Wild Card spot.
Injury Update
Charlie Morton told reporters that he has a sports hernia. He was diagnosed on Monday in Nashville, Tenn. by Dr. Thomas Byrd. He first felt discomfort on June 2nd in San Diego in the fourth inning of his start. Morton mentions that the discomfort felt didn’t really effect his pitching as he went 4-5 in 14 starts. The team was 6-8 in those starts. He hopes his current stint on the 15-Day DL (retro to 8/16) will help lessen the inflammation and discomfort so he will be able to pitch again this season. Off-season surgery is a possibility.
“We’re going to find out,” said manager Clint Hurdle. “We’re trying to calm the joint down. We’re going to try and calm the hip down first and foremost. You calm the hip down, from the conversations we’ve had with the doctor, then there is a possibility of a return to pitch program that could be put into play.”
Neil Walker and Russell Martin will both sit out of tonight’s lineup with a scheduled day off. It will give them two full days of rest with tomorrow’s off day.
Hurdle’s Quotes
On Travis Snider’s success as of late: “Snider has found his rhythm and his rhyme at the plate a few months ago and he found it through pinch hitting. He’s stubborn with his game plan and is just taking the fastball to the big part of the field. Getting short to the ball, long through it, extension to the swing. The changeup and the slider he’s pulling. Everything else he’s looking to shoot to the big part of the field in left field. You saw it again last night. The first ball is hit to right-center. The base hits are hit in the middle to left-center. He’s hit some home runs off some breaking pitches, driving some balls out of the ballpark opposite field, center field. That’s basically been it. It’s been the best swing for the longest period of time that we’ve seen from him. It’s been fun to watch.”
On the team’s current slump while still staying in the Wild Card race: “The main theme here is for us to play better collectively, each guy. It doesn’t need to get any deeper than that. I know this, you win your division, you’re in and that’s where I’m going to stay until that’s not in play anymore. Then we’ll move on to plan B and plan B is complicated (Wild Card process).”
Other Notes
— Gerrit Cole makes his first start tonight since being placed on the disabled list on 7/9 with “right lat soreness”. He made his last rehab start on Friday with AAA Indianapolis and tossed seven scoreless innings while throwing 92 pitches. Cole has gone 3-1 with a 3.56 ERA in seven starts at PNC Park this season.
— Following tomorrow’s off day, the Pirates will travel to play the Brewers in a pivotal three-game series at Miller Park. They are 1-5 this season in Milwaukee (5-4 in 2013).
— The Pirates now have a Major League leading seven players (Josh Harrison – 2, Neil Walker – 2, Andrew McCutchen – 2, Russell Martin , Starling Marte, Gregory Polanco and Travis Snider) who have recorded hit streaks of 10 games or more this season.
Tonight’s Lineup
First pitch is set for 7:05.
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(Photo Credit: Len Redkoles/Getty Images)
