Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Detroit Tigers – Game 70

Things you need to read.

First off you need to read Mellie’s interview with Clint Hurdle.  Then you should read her recap from yesterday’s game.

If you’re a Steelers fan I would also suggest reading this fantastic piece by Greg Cosell.

The Pirates have the second best home record in baseball. They are also just one game back from the Reds. This game is huge with Justin Verlander tomorrow.

First Pitch:  4:05 PM EST

Where To Watch:  Root Sports, MLB.TV, FS-D

Max Scherzer, RHP (27)

Having not looked at the stats before today I am quite surprised at how bad a season Mad Max is having. He is having a very hard time getting guys out and keeping the ball in the park. In fact the only thing he is doing very well is striking guys out, which could be a huge asset for him against the Pirates lineup.

In fact he had no trouble against the Pirates in the first series, picking up the win while striking out 15 batters.

He also allowed four hits, two of which were homers. The Pirates do have decent power, so if they cut down on the K and get some guys on base they can really bust this game open.

Another thing I see as a bit of an advantage is the fact that he threw 116 and 122 pitches in consecutive games.

He has just been inconsistent, and after two decent quality starts in a row, with enormous pitch counts, he might be hittable.

I would expect a pretty lefty filled lineup today. He has some pretty hefty splits and the Pirates power outside of Andrew McCutchen comes from the left side.

His career numbers against the Pirates are good.

As you can see, he has zero problems sitting down Pirate batters.

I think it’s safe to say Pedro Alvarez and Garrett Jones will play a key role in this one. And this might be just the time for them to face Scherzer, as Pedro is really hot.

Alvarez is hitting .533/.632/1.267 over his last five games.

Garrett Jones is hitting .286/.375/.500 over his last five. If these two mash, and someone gets on base, the Pirates will win this game, and with it the series.

Brad Lincoln, RHP (27)

Okay so maybe they aren’t the only keys to the game. Brad Lincoln will be getting yet another undeserved start. If you haven’t already you can check out my thoughts on what that is right here.

As I’ve said, I like Lincoln in the pen, he is not a starter though. His ERA has gone from 1.04 as a reliever to 3.82 in three games as a starter. During this stretch he has not even gone five innings. The Pirates have lost 2 of 3 when he has started and even if he would have left all of those games with the lead he wouldn’t be eligible for the win.

As you can see he did pitch against the Tigers earlier in the season, but only pitched a total of 1.2 innings over the course of two appearances, so that isn’t extremely relevant. In fact maybe it hurts him because a few guys have at least seen him.

Still I don’t think Lincoln will get absolutely bombed today. The Pirates need him to go five innings without giving up more than three runs. That’s it. The bullpen can handle the rest. That’s why Pedro and Jones have to have big games.

Those were his only two appearances against the Tigers.

Here is a surprising nugget. Brad Lincoln has been lights out at home. In fact no one has scored an earned run off him at PNC Park yet this year. Obviously that means he hasn’t started at PNC this year, but we try to be positive in these parts.

Here’s the thing. Lincoln is a good pitcher. This isn’t his role, but that doesn’t mean he is an automatic loss. All he really has to do is keep it close and the Pirates bats should be able to do the rest.

Hell the guy is due for a decent start, and he has done it before.