PNC Park — Has everyone recovered from last night’s unforgettable finish?……Good, because we have another game set for you tonight. A.J. Burnett (3 – 4, 2.73 ERA) will take on former Pirate, Erik Bedard (0 – 2, 6.67 ERA) in what should be a packed house at PNC.
— Jordy Mercer said that he has seen nothing like the finish that occurred last night and was at a loss for words. Jason Grilli, on the other hand, credited the loudness of the fans for the dropped fly ball. He loved the atmosphere that the fans provided last night and said that the players really drive off of the electricity that fans give.
— Grilli also said that he witnessed a visiting reliever blow a game late because the loudness of the fans in the Metrodome in Minneapolis, it makes a difference.
Hurdle’s Notes
On last night’s finish – “A walk-off error is uncommon. I was actually a part of a walk-off error in Texas that far surpassed that one in 2010. I’m not sure that is a game we won in the last two seasons. The players are bought into it now and we’re just going out and playing baseball. We’re playing to win the game (I think I’ve heard that somewhere before).”
On the fan turnout, especially when the Pens are playing a playoff game less than a mile away – “You can’t think anything but this is a sports town. We’ve played a few games when there are Penguin games going on and we’ve still had nice crowds. We’re thankful for that and I do believe that we are earning our own way and we’ll continue to earn our own way. We’re going to give them something to be proud of.”
On Jared Hughes working things out in AAA – “(He) showed some improvement. Some of the things you work on here are hard to work on because of the weight of the result. Dean (Treanor) and is staff did a tremendous job of setting him down, speaking truth to him and most of these guys, they have had before so they can go back to the basics.”
Other Notes
— In his last 16 Interleague games, Andrew McCutchen has batted .460 (29-for-63) with 6 doubles, a triple, 4 homers, and 15 RBI. Since the start of last season, Cutch leads the NL in hits during Interleague with 31.
— Jeff Karstens is scheduled to make his second rehab start tonight in AA Altoona (4 innings or 60 pitches). He allowed a run in his first rehab start in Bradenton on Monday (4 IN, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 K’s in 3 innings, 42 Pitches). Chase D’Arnaud will also start his rehab there tonight.
— A.J. Burnett leads the NL with 72 strikeouts and that number should rise as he faces an Astros team that has already struck out 417 times. Tonight is also his “Camo Jersey Bobblehead Night”.
— The bullpen has been dominant as of late as they have gone 15 2/3 scoreless innings. They are also one of four bullpens in the majors to have 10 wins from their relievers (Cin, San Fran, and Arizona are the other 3).
First pitch is scheduled for 7:05
(Photo Credit: Vincent Pugliese/Getty Images )
