The Pittsburgh Pirates will go for another sweep this afternoon as it concludes a three game series with the Atlanta Braves. Friday the Pirates won 3-2 in 10 innings and Saturday it was an 8-4 victory. It would be the ninth sweep of the season for the Pirates.
Jeff Locke will pitch for the Pirates against Alex Wood.
Locke is 1-1 with a 6.07 ERA in five career starts against the Braves and received a no-decision in his start against them this season. Locke had a no-decision in his last start which was Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds. Locke allowed four runs [two earned] on nine hits in four innings.
Wood has an 0-2 career record against the Pirates with a 3.48 ERA in four appearances [three starts]. He lost his start earlier this season versus the Pirates allowing three runs on seven hits in five innings. Wood lost his last start allowing three runs on 10 hits in seven innings against the Washington Nationals.
Moves a plenty:
On June 21, Jose Tabata singled in the top of the seventh inning against Gio Gonzalez. It may be the last hit of his major league career.
Today the Pirates designated both Tabata and Chris Volstad for assignment. Both were seen cleaning out their lockers as reporters entered the clubhouse.
Tabata was 6-for-19 in five starts this season and Volstad pitched two scoreless innings in relief Wednesday. Tabata ignored interview requests and Volstad quietly left the clubhouse.
Called up to take their places are Gorkys Hernandez and Steve Lombardozzi.
Hernandez last played in the major leagues with both the Pirates and the Miami Marlins in 2012. He was part of the trade that sent Jeff Locke and Charlie Morton to the Pirates. Hernandez batted .083 in 26 plate appearances with the Pirates in 2012. He batted .275 with five home runs and an OPS of .775.
Lombardozzi was previously called up by the Pirates this season. He made five plate appearances in six games this season and did not have any hits. Many fans remember him being thrown out at home plate in the top of the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies. Lombardozzi represented the tying run. He hit .316 with the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians.
Seventh inning stretch:
Antonio Bastardo has excelled in the month of June. He has allowed one run in 9.2 innings, good for a 0.93 ERA. This came after ERAs of 5.40 in May and 4.50 in April.
“This is a guy pitching like we saw in the past,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “All of its working really well. We bet on him to come in and it was just what we needed.”
It took a while for the Pirates to release their lineup due to the several moves that were made. Hurdle however did state that Andrew McCutchen will start.
McCutchen was hit by a pitch in the elbow and texted his manager that he was ready to play.
“I did not doubt that once he felt he was ready to play he would play and I believe he’s ready to play,” said Hurdle. “I trust guys I don’t need to watch them jump through hoops.”
Pedro Alvarez has started to pick it up offensively and has started to come through with runners in scoring position. He has a five-game hitting streak and with 12 doubles is one away from last year’s mark.
“Pedro hits in a position in the lineup where there’s opportunities out there,” Hurdle said. “We need him to be a run producer so it’s been good to see. Earlier in the season he was moving the ball around but that stopped for a while and the average started dropping again. I’d like to see him stay stubborn with his approach, hit the ball hard and I do believe home runs will be thrown to him.”
Bottom of the ninth:
Francisco Cervelli is hitting .389 against left-handed pitching this season, which leads all Pirates… Jordy Mercer has a .360 batting average in his past six games… The Pirates last three game sweep against the Braves came at Three Rivers Stadium in 1994. The series was played Apr. 29-May 1… The Pirates will head to Detroit and starting Tuesday will play three games against the Tigers. Following this, the Pirates will play all of their remaining 10 games prior to the All-Star Break at PNC Park… The Pirates are 7-1 in the past eight meetings against left-handed pitching. They had won seven in a row before being defeated by Gio Gonzalez a week ago… Former Pirate Pedro Ciriaco is in the lineup for the Braves and he is hitting .324 in nine starts this season.
Photo courtesy: Keith Srakocic/AP
