Whatever else happened last night, the Pirates beat the Tigers and now have a chance to get a series win over a good baseball team. AJ Burnett is making his last start before All-Star rosters are announced, so this is his last chance to make his case for his first career All-Star appearance.
Alfredo Simon starts for the Tigers. He’s been not throwing strikes and keeping the Pirates off the scoreboard for almost two years running now, dating back to his time with the Reds. I think I say this every time the Pirates face Simon: they need to work the count, actually draw walks, and run his pitch count up early. They should, in theory, be able to do this. It hasn’t worked well against Simon much in the past.
The Pirates did not make a roster move after last night’s marathon game, which was a little surprising. Pedro Alvarez is DHing tonight, Sean Rodriguez is at first. First pitch is at 7:08.
Image: Leon Halip, Getty Images
