Monday: At Minute Maid v the 'Stros, Lineup & Pitchers; Yesterday's Game & Notes

Game: The Bucs and Astros open a two-game set to get ready for the campaign. Tonight’s contest will start at 8:10 EDT and be on 93.7 The Fan.

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B, Starling Marte CF, Corey Dickerson LF, Josh Bell 1B, Fran Cervelli C, Jung Ho Kang 3B, Lonnie Chisenhall RF, Melky Cabrera DH, Erik Gonzalez SS, (Richard Rodriguez P).

Pitchers: The Bucs do some bullpenning, with Richard Rodríguez, Felipe Vázquez, Keone Kela, Kyle Crick and Nick Burdi slated to work. The Pirates get to see Houston’s touted prospect, righty Forrest Whitley, so the match should be a pitcher’s delight.

Yesterday’s Game:  Willy tossed three innings of three-hit, scoreless ball while Nick Kingham had another nice outing of three innings, with one hit, three K, and a minimum nine batters (he got a DP ball). Jung Ho Kang gave them a 1-0 lead with his seventh HR of the spring, but that was pretty much it. The Orioles got an eighth inning run off Steven Brault on a leadoff double, bounce out and sac fly, and it finished a 1-1 sister smooch. The Birds had just six hits; the Bucs had nine but went 0-for-8 with RISP. Eric Gonzalez was the only Pirates to reach base twice with a knock and a walk. Goodbye Sunshine State and hello Lone Star State.

Notes:

• The Bucs broke out a four-man OF against Chris Davis yesterday, with Fraze moving to the pasture.
• Big Joe and Archie stayed in Florida; Musgrove will toss a sim game today to stay on schedule and Archer will do the same tomorrow. Both are slated to go six frames.
• Dayn Perry of CBS Sports looks at the 2019 Buccos, and is part of the the chorus singing the blues over ownership’s lack of activity. That’s offset by Nubyjas Wilborn of the Post Gazette, who likes what he saw in Florida. In another projection, the MLB.com Power Ratings, the Pirates rank 19th, between the Reds and the Padres.
• The Pirates were rated as having the #3 bullpen in baseball, and the best in the NL by MLB.com.
• RHP Daniel Hudson signed a major league contract with the Blue Jays after being released by the Angels.