The Pirates have tried to break out of their slump a few times in the last week, but they've had trouble stringing wins together since their 9-2 homestand. Part of the reason for that is that AJ Burnett has struggled a bit in his last two starts. He went into a slump in August and September last year, too, and that's one of the reasons that his calf injury didn't bother me so much. The Pirates really could use a performance from Burnett tonight to match the one that Liriano gave them last night.
Starling Marte is a late scratch out of the lineup with the same hand/finger problem that kept him out of last night's game. Jose Tabata is leading off in his place, which makes much more sense than Josh Harrison's placement there last night. . Tyson Ross starts for the Padres tonight, and he's been a pleasant surprise for the Padres this year. His minor league numbers have always been middling, but he did strong work as a reliever this year and has been excellent since moving to the rotation after the All-Star break, with a 1.32 ERA, 36 strikeouts, and just 10 walks in 34 innings spread out over five starts since then.
First pitch tonight is at 10:10.
