The Pirates’ first game back from the All-Star break obviously did not go the way they wanted it to last night; James McDonald was wild and the bullpen was not good and they wasted seven runs and three homers and a lead in an ugly 10-7 loss. The way that good teams respond to something like that is they come out the next night and play a better game.
Of course, the Pirates have decided to put their fourth or fifth best starter in the second spot after the All-Star break, which means that if they’re going to bounce back with a win tonight they’ll probably need to score some runs to support Kevin Correia. Marco Estrada starts for the Brewers; he’s made eight starts this year in addition to some bullpen appearances and while he’s been generally good, the hits he gives up tend to be hit hard (he’s allowed more home runs than walks this year, which is crazy). That could be a good thing for a Pirate offense that last night showed no signs of being slowed down by the All-Star break.
The first pitch tonight is at 7:10.
