For at least the next turn or two, the Pirates' rotation is going to look something like this: Jeff Locke, Brandon Cumpton, Gerrit Cole, Francisco Liriano, Charlie Morton. This is pretty far from what anyone thought the rotaiton would look like in mid-June. That includes Charlie Morton and Brandon Cumpton, I think. And yet, here we are. Despite this avalanche of injuries, the Pirates are 12 games above .500 and they're still the odds-on favorite for the NL's second wild card.
That means that for now, the Pirates need to find a way to tread water until Wandy Rodriguez and AJ Burnett make their way back to the rotation. I think it's doable; certainly this makeshift rotation is a lot more talented than the makeshift rotations of the past. This weekend the Pirates get a middling and expensive Dodger team that just got slammed with a bunch of suspensions. Two wins in this series should be doable. Win two, and move on from there.
Jeff Locke has been a little shaky lately. The Pirates need him to be better tonight. Stephen Fife goes for the Dodgers. He's only made a few starts for them this year, but they've been a pleasant surprise for the Dodgers. Maybe the Pirate offense can bring him back to earth some. First pitch tonight is at 7:05.
