The Pittsburgh Pirates will conclude the first half of its season with a 10-game homestand against the Cleveland Indians.
Both teams come in with road sweeps with the Pirates taking three against the Detroit Tigers and the Indians emerging victorious four consecutive times versus the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Pirates have won seven consecutive Interleague contests.
Charlie Morton will pitch for the Pirates against Trevor Bauer.
Morton is 3-6 with a 4.43 ERA in 11 career Interleague starts. His last start was a victory against the Atlanta Braves in which he allowed four runs on 10 hits in six-plus innings. Bauer is 3-1 with a 1.71 ERA in eight career Interleague starts. In his last start, he allowed four runs on five hits in seven innings taking the loss against the Baltimore Orioles.
Reunited and it feels so good: With Terry Francona’s Indians in town it means that he got to see coach Dave Jauss.
Jauss served as the Red Sox bench coach in 2001 and in 2002 was director of player development, this was while Grady Little was manager. Little also named Jauss bench coach of the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2006-07.
The two were together from 2004-05 after Francona was hired to be manager of the Boston Red Sox and Jauss was a major league scout during this time. Jauss also got to see bench coach Brad Mills. Mills served the same role with the Red Sox.
“I saw Terry working out when I got in here at noon,” Jauss said of his reunion with Francona. “He just gotten off the phone with Joe Torre and so I caught up with him a little bit.”
Jauss looked forward to his reunion with Francona and Mills, who he referred to as “good baseball men.” The Indians have Spring Training in Arizona and since Jauss has been back on the field he has not had a chance to face Francona’s team.
“Terry treated me and my family very well and we lived within a mile and a half of each other in Boston and there was a bunch of change over in ownership and front office and Terry and Grady [Little] treated me very well when I was over there,” said Jauss.
Francona also was looking forward to seeing Jauss and jokingly referred to him as “an idiot” before laughing. The Red Sox players infamously called themselves idiots during their 2004 World Series run.
“It was a treat saying hello to him,” Francona said. “He advance scouted for us in Boston when we went to our first World Series. He is a very knowledgeable guy and I enjoyed the heck out of him.”
Jauss said he did take advice that which he still carries with him to this day.
“Being good people that’s what you learn from people like Clint Hurdle, Grady Little, Brad Mills and Terry Francona,” said Jauss. “Be the person you are and things work very well.”
Tonight’s lineups:
Pirates [45-33]
1. Josh Harrison 3B
2. Neil Walker 2B
3. Andrew McCutchen CF
4. Starling Marte LF
5. Pedro Alvarez 1B
6. Francisco Cervelli C
7. Gregory Polanco RF
8. Jordy Mercer SS
9. Charlie Morton P
Indians [37-41]
1. Jason Kipnis 2B
2. Francisco Lindor SS
3. Michael Brantley LF
4. David Murphy RF
5. Brandon Moss 1B
6. Yan Gomes C
7. Giovanny Urshela 3B
8. Michael Bourn CF
9. Trevor Bauer P
Bottom of the ninth:
The Pirates have traded Clayton Richard to the Cubs for cash considerations. Richard had nine starts this season and posted a 2.09 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in 56 innings.
Sixteen dads that made the road trip to Detroit will throw out the first pitch prior to tonight’s Pirates game… Andrew McCutchen is tied for the National League lead with six sacrifice flies… Mark Melancon leads the NL with 32 games finished… Charlie Morton is 4-0 with a 1.98 ERA in four home starts this season… This is the first time the Pirates and the Indians are meeting since a 2012 series in Cleveland… In their last seven games the Pirates are batting .313. The Pirates also have won their past seven games against AL opponents while the Indians are 6-3 against the NL Central this season.
Photo credit: Leon Halip/Getty Images
