Four hours to first pitch …
Game: Pirates (45-33) vs. Cleveland Indians (37-41), 7:05 p.m., PNC Park
Pitchers: RHP Charlie Morton (6-1, 4.28) vs. RHP Trevor Bauer (6-5, 3.96)
TV, radio: Root Sports, 93.7 The Fan
Online: Gameday / Multimedia / Media notes
Pregame notes 4:25 p.m.: This is a tired group. I’m not suggesting the Pirates will lose tonight or that they’ll have an excuse if they do. But there’s no doubt in my mind after a handful of conversations here that the recent grind, which has included five extra-inning games out of the past 19, is getting to them. Just saying. … Looking ahead to St. Louis next week? Not from the sound of things. Starling Marte bristled when I even mentioned the Cardinals parenthetically. “I’m not thinking about them. Only Cleveland.” Good for him. … Had a really good talk with Gregory Polanco about hitting left-handers, which is still such a struggle at 5 for 40 with 16 Ks. “It’s up here,” he said, smartly tapping his forefinger against his temple. “I know I can do it. I always hit lefties in the minors. But there are many different lefties.” He meant their arm angles. “There’s so much to learn.” … You probably have to go back to Brian Giles sliding into home in the ninth inning on the Fourth of July a few years back for the last time this series felt special, but Clint Hurdle playfully acknowledged having “a couple of stadium workers telling me on the way in that it was nice, what happened in Detroit, but that these games matter more.” … The lineup is the standard fare for Ground Chuck. Jordy Mercer at short. … Mercer, on the bodacious, 69-baserunner, three-game sweep of the Tigers: “It’s no secret our pitching has carried us. It was nice to see the bats come alive like that.” … Based on the pitching set through the midweek series with the Padres, the starters for the critical four games next weekend with the Cardinals will be Jeff Locke, Gerrit Cole, A.J. Burnett and Francisco Liriano. Just don’t tell Marte. … Cole and Trevor Bauer were teammates at UCLA, but Hurdle said Bauer has changed so much since then that the Pirates would lean on Cole only for peripheral advice such as how well he could field a bunt to a certain side, that sort of thing. … Some chance of rain tonight, especially right around first pitch. Radar showing 53 percent. We’ll see.
5:39: Jameson Taillon will miss two months after having surgery late next week to repair an inguinal hernia. It will be performed by Dr. George Eid of Allegheny Health Network.
6:01: The Pirates have traded minor-league pitcher Clayton Richard to the Cubs for cash. Richard had what’s called an upward mobility clause in his contract that mandated a three-day period in which the Pirates had to offer him to other clubs willing to put him on a 25-man roster or add him to their own. If no one would want Richard, he’d have stayed with Indianapolis.
6:31: It’s drizzling here, but the only tarp out is on the mound. The grounds crew is putting down the baseline chalk as I type this. Could start on time.
7:07: First pitch, Morton to Jason Kipnis, 75 degrees, cloudy.
7:22: Indians, 2-0. Old friend Brandon Moss lifts a two-run shot into the bleachers, just over Marte’s leaping stab out there. And man, good number of Clevelanders down here, judging by the reaction.
8:06: Indians, 3-0. Michael Bourn rips a double to right to score Moss off the flattest sinker you’ll ever see. This isn’t Charlie’s night. Certainly not yet.
8:16: Indians, 3-2.: Andrew McCutchen’s 10th home run to the right-center seats, this following yet another Neil Walker hit. Place comes alive. Bauer would want that pitch back 100 times out of 100, not to diminish the long ball.
8:42: What in the world is Steve Lombardozzi doing here? Anyone?
8:45: Wow, why challenge that? To have a runner at first with two outs?
9:07: Really raining hard now. Surprised we’re still going.
9:10: And here comes the tarp finally.
9:53: Still steadily coming down, though not hard. Looks like they’ll wait till it all passes. But they will wait, obviously, with the Indians not coming back.
10:29: Still raining, but the tarp is coming off.
10:57: Game will resume at 11:15 p.m., they’re telling us.
11:18: Game on. Again. Delay was two hours, eight minutes. Almost nobody left here to watch, by the way. I stayed, if that counts.
11:44: Getting a little hot for the Snowman. Arquimedes Caminero has bases loaded with one out in the eighth, and Cleveland looks to pad its lead.
11:46: Yep. Indians, 5-2. Bourn comes through again with a two-run single into center.
Cage match? Not quite, but Pittsburgh and Cleveland have had memorable duels in baseball, too. — DEJAN KOVACEVIC
July 3, 2015
Final: Indians 5, Pirates 2
237by Dejan Kovacevic • Game previews
Four hours to first pitch …
Game: Pirates (45-33) vs. Cleveland Indians (37-41), 7:05 p.m., PNC Park
Pitchers: RHP Charlie Morton (6-1, 4.28) vs. RHP Trevor Bauer (6-5, 3.96)
TV, radio: Root Sports, 93.7 The Fan
Online: Gameday / Multimedia / Media notes
Pregame notes 4:25 p.m.: This is a tired group. I’m not suggesting the Pirates will lose tonight or that they’ll have an excuse if they do. But there’s no doubt in my mind after a handful of conversations here that the recent grind, which has included five extra-inning games out of the past 19, is getting to them. Just saying. … Looking ahead to St. Louis next week? Not from the sound of things. Starling Marte bristled when I even mentioned the Cardinals parenthetically. “I’m not thinking about them. Only Cleveland.” Good for him. … Had a really good talk with Gregory Polanco about hitting left-handers, which is still such a struggle at 5 for 40 with 16 Ks. “It’s up here,” he said, smartly tapping his forefinger against his temple. “I know I can do it. I always hit lefties in the minors. But there are many different lefties.” He meant their arm angles. “There’s so much to learn.” … You probably have to go back to Brian Giles sliding into home in the ninth inning on the Fourth of July a few years back for the last time this series felt special, but Clint Hurdle playfully acknowledged having “a couple of stadium workers telling me on the way in that it was nice, what happened in Detroit, but that these games matter more.” … The lineup is the standard fare for Ground Chuck. Jordy Mercer at short. … Mercer, on the bodacious, 69-baserunner, three-game sweep of the Tigers: “It’s no secret our pitching has carried us. It was nice to see the bats come alive like that.” … Based on the pitching set through the midweek series with the Padres, the starters for the critical four games next weekend with the Cardinals will be Jeff Locke, Gerrit Cole, A.J. Burnett and Francisco Liriano. Just don’t tell Marte. … Cole and Trevor Bauer were teammates at UCLA, but Hurdle said Bauer has changed so much since then that the Pirates would lean on Cole only for peripheral advice such as how well he could field a bunt to a certain side, that sort of thing. … Some chance of rain tonight, especially right around first pitch. Radar showing 53 percent. We’ll see.
5:39: Jameson Taillon will miss two months after having surgery late next week to repair an inguinal hernia. It will be performed by Dr. George Eid of Allegheny Health Network.
6:01: The Pirates have traded minor-league pitcher Clayton Richard to the Cubs for cash. Richard had what’s called an upward mobility clause in his contract that mandated a three-day period in which the Pirates had to offer him to other clubs willing to put him on a 25-man roster or add him to their own. If no one would want Richard, he’d have stayed with Indianapolis.
6:31: It’s drizzling here, but the only tarp out is on the mound. The grounds crew is putting down the baseline chalk as I type this. Could start on time.
7:07: First pitch, Morton to Jason Kipnis, 75 degrees, cloudy.
7:22: Indians, 2-0. Old friend Brandon Moss lifts a two-run shot into the bleachers, just over Marte’s leaping stab out there. And man, good number of Clevelanders down here, judging by the reaction.
8:06: Indians, 3-0. Michael Bourn rips a double to right to score Moss off the flattest sinker you’ll ever see. This isn’t Charlie’s night. Certainly not yet.
8:16: Indians, 3-2.: Andrew McCutchen’s 10th home run to the right-center seats, this following yet another Neil Walker hit. Place comes alive. Bauer would want that pitch back 100 times out of 100, not to diminish the long ball.
8:42: What in the world is Steve Lombardozzi doing here? Anyone?
8:45: Wow, why challenge that? To have a runner at first with two outs?
9:07: Really raining hard now. Surprised we’re still going.
9:10: And here comes the tarp finally.
9:53: Still steadily coming down, though not hard. Looks like they’ll wait till it all passes. But they will wait, obviously, with the Indians not coming back.
10:29: Still raining, but the tarp is coming off.
10:57: Game will resume at 11:15 p.m., they’re telling us.
11:18: Game on. Again. Delay was two hours, eight minutes. Almost nobody left here to watch, by the way. I stayed, if that counts.
11:44: Getting a little hot for the Snowman. Arquimedes Caminero has bases loaded with one out in the eighth, and Cleveland looks to pad its lead.
11:46: Yep. Indians, 5-2. Bourn comes through again with a two-run single into center.
Cage match? Not quite, but Pittsburgh and Cleveland have had memorable duels in baseball, too. — DEJAN KOVACEVIC