Wednesday: Jeff Locke v Noah Syndergaard, Lineup, Notes, Will Craig & Draft Signings

Tonight: The middle game starts at 7:10 and will be carried by Root Sports and 93.7 The Fan.

Pitchers: Jeff Locke (5-4, 5.38) faces ace Noah Syndergaard (6-2, 2.00). Jeff had nothing against the Rox in his last outing and watched his ERA balloon as he ate a couple of extra innings for a bullpen that was running on fumes. The good news: the prior three times he’s been touched for four runs or more, he’s come back with strong outings, giving up just two runs total in the three starts following a beat down. He hasn’t faced the Mets this season. The Bucs handled Thor pretty well last outing, scoring three times in six frames while pounding out seven hits (five doubles) but lost 6-5 in extra innings, a victim of RISP and the pen. This will be the third time Pittsburgh has faced him. Syndergaard is 0-1, 2.25 lifetime against the Buccos, giving up three earned runs (four total) in 12 IP on 13 hits with 10 K and two walks.

Lineup: JJ 1B, Gregory Polanco RF, Cutch CF, Jung Ho Hang 3B, Starling Marte LF, Josh harrison 2B, Jordy SS, Stew C, Locke P. Cutch is back in the three spot after a week of denials that he would do that by Clint. Don’t really see that much of a diff, and if it makes Andrew more comfortable, what the heck.

• The FO took a calculated risk when they sent Jameson Taillon back to Indy after his first start, but it couldn’t have worked out better. He didn’t miss an outing, and his service time will be just 112 days in 2016, well under the anticipated Super Two cutoff.
• Mike Wysocki of The City Paper rates the managers from best to worst during the TRS – PNC Park era.
• The Pirates promoted Altoona RHP Dovydas Neverauskas, 23, to Indy. The Lithuanian reliever was 1-0-1, 2.57 for the Curve.
• Icharo tied Pete Rose’s total hit # with rap #of course, big asterisk involved – 1,278 knocks were from his time in Japan. Add his MLB and Japan totals and you get those 4,256 career hits.

Draft Signings Reported (all confirmed):

• The Pirates signed first round pick 3B Will Craig of Wake Forest; financial terms not disclosed yet.
• Per Jon Mayo, the Pirates signed fifth rounder Blake Cederlind for $285K (slot value was $318,800). He’s a RHP from Merced CC w/mid-90s fastball.He also tweeted that seventh-round pick, C Brent Gibbs, inked a deal worth $150K (slot value of $185,700). He’s a JUCO catcher who had a good year w/bat and has strong defensive tools. 
• The Lansing Journal wrote that Michigan State sixth round pick LHP Cam Vieaux (#195) signed a contract. Hi slot value is $238,600; no contract figure was announced. Jim Callis reported that  eight round pick of Cal Sate Fullerton, RHP Dylan Prohoroff, inked a deal worth $160K (slot value was $173,500) and ninth round pick OF Clark Eagan signed for $160 K (slot value was $162 K).
• The Pirates announced some day three signings: the 15th round pick out of Utah Valley, RHP Danny Beddes; 16th-round pick from Central Florida, OF/C Matt Diorio; 18th rounder from George Washington, IF Kevin Mahala; and 22nd round pick from Bryant, RHP Brandon Bingel. (Any bonus money in excess of $100 K given to an individual player selected in rounds 11-40 counts against the club’s bonus pool.)