Steven Brault v Joey Lucchesi, Lineup & Notes

Game: The finale is at 1:35 and will be on AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan. It’s Kid’s Day (street party before the game, run the bases afterward) and tykes 14-and-under will get a J-Bell jersey. It’s another lovely day, and the Bucs are looking for a sweep.

Lineup: Kevin Newman 2B, Bryan Reynolds LF, Starling Marte CF, Josh Bell 1B, Melky Cabrera RF, Jung Ho Kang SS, Jose Osuna 3B, Elias Diaz C, Steven Brault P. Hey – a Friday lineup on Sunday. Go figure.

Pitchers: LHP Steven Brault (3-1/4.40) closes out the set against LHP Joey Lucchesi (6-4/3.74). In his last six outings (four starts), Steven has gone 3-0/2.05, mainly by being more aggressive in the strike zone. He faced San Diego once this year, giving up two runs in 3-1/3 frames and getting the win in relief; this will be his first start against his hometown club. Lucchesi has been rock solid since May, with a line of 3-2/2.98 in eight starts. He took a 5-3 loss to the Pirates earlier this campaign in a game the bullpen blew, giving up two runs in seven innings on five hits.

Notes:

• K-Man has a 13-game hitting streak going on.
• Archie had some help yesterday – he and Jake Stallings worked out a pre-game pitching attack against the Padres sans the two-seamer, and Big Joe left him a critique of the SD lineup after he had faced them on Friday. Takes a village…
• Busy day – Jordan Lyles is getting a rehab start with Indy and JT Brubaker with West Virginia.
• If you ever wonder what goes into the decision of where to site a developmental league team, Jeff Mills of Greensboro.com looks at what the Grasshoppers and Pirates saw in one another.
• The Bucs get a day off after today, then visit Houston and Milwaukee. They return from that trip to take on the Cubs and Brewers one more time at PNC Park before the AS break. Tough row to hoe after today.