Archie v German Marquez, Lineup & Notes

Game: The game starts at 7:05 against the Rockies as the Bucs return home after a pretty good road jaunt. It will be aired on AT&T SportsNet and 93.7 The Fan.

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B, Starling Marte CF, Bryan Reynolds LF, Josh Bell 1B, Melky Cabrera RF, Colin Moran 3B, Fran Cervelli C, Cole Tucker SS, Chris Archer P. Cervy is back on the bike after taking the San Diego series off. Gregory was originally pencilled in but flipped for Reynolds; not sure what that’s about.

Pitchers: RHP Chris Archer (1-3/5.58) opens the set against RHP German Marquez (4-2/3.80). Archie got battered in his return from the IL; he needs to throw more strikes and carry the game deeper. Hopefully, he just had the rust shaken off last time out. He beat the Rox last year, going five innings and giving up two runs on five hits. Marquez has been workmanlike for Colorado, with good control and a strikeout per inning. The 24-year-old went 1-1/3.75 against the Pirates last year, pitching a strong game at Coors and having a bumpier ride at PNC Park (although he’s generally an excellent road pitcher).

Notes:

• Josh Bell was named the NL Player of the Week. He hit .407 last week in 25 at-bats, with four homers, ten RBI’s, six runs scored and a league-high 24 total bases. J-Bell is one of five MLB players to hammer 10 homers in the past four weeks.
• This is the first meeting of the year between the two clubs; they split the series 3-3 last season, each winning 2-of-3 at the others park. Colorado is 1-4 on their current road trip, with all five games decided by one or two runs.
• Mitch Keller was scrubbed from his Indy last start as a matter of workload management, per the Bucs. This, naturally, is fueling speculation that he may be called up soon, so that’s a sidebar worth watching even if it proves to be 2+2=5; the FO still believes he’s a work in progress, and his performance so far merits that consideration. Sure won’t be here tomorrow, as he’s tossing for the Tribe tonight.
• 1B Mason Martin of Greensboro in the Sally League had a Sunday to remember – the 19-year-old Pirates prospect hit a pair of three-run, walk off homers on the same day to lead the Grasshoppers to a twin bill sweep of Lakewood.