Gameday 55: Pirates begin western road trip in Arizona
Andrew Heaney vs Ryne Nelson
After a 4-3 homestand, the Pirates head out west for six games on the road. First up is a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
With an opportunity to take three of four against the Brewers over the weekend, the bullpen blew a late lead, ending up with a series split instead. Wins in games two and three at least guaranteed a winning homestand.
The Diamondbacks were swept by the St. Louis Cardinals over the weekend and have lost five in a row. The losing streak has dropped their record below .500.
Andrew Heaney will start for the Pirates. He picked up his third win of the season last time out, allowing one run over five innings against the Cincinnati Reds.
Ryne Nelson will make his third start of the season, 12th appearance overall. He held the Dodgers to one run over five innings in his last time out.
First pitch is scheduled for 8:10 pm ET.
Pirates Lineup
CF - Oneil Cruz
DH - Andrew McCutchen
RF - Bryan Reynolds
1B - Spencer Horwitz
C - Joey Bart
LF - Alexander Canario
2B - Adam Frazier
3B - Ke’Bryan Hayes
SS - Isiah Kiner-Falefa
Diamondbacks Lineup
2B - Ketel Marte
RF - Corbin Carroll
LF - Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
3B - Eugenio Suarez
1B - Josh Naylor
DH - Randal Grichuk
C - Gabriel Moreno
CF - Tim Tawa
SS - Geraldo Perdomo
Pitching Matchup
PIT - Andrew Heaney (3-3, 2.91 ERA, 55.2 IP, 42 K)
ARI - Ryne Nelson (1-1, 4.60 ERA, 31.1 IP, 30 K)
Today’s Feature
10 Observations: Pitterson Rosa outlier fastball, Henry Davis contact, Braxton Ashcraft
Murphy 5/20: This is my annual rant about 100% of minor league teams not having available streams to watch, since the Greensboro Grasshoppers are in Asheville.
Yesterday’s Feature
Bucs on Deck: Pitchers who have improved their stock this season
The Pirates remain one of the deepest systems when it comes to pitchers. Most of their Triple-A rotation is made up of current or former Top 100 prospects, and you can find an intriguing arm at every level beyond that.
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Looks like it's going to be Mattson for Ashcraft
Canario in May: .294/.342./456
Canario last 15 games: .319/.360/.468