The Pirates are back in action this afternoon (12:35 first pitch) in the final game of their 2-game interleague opener with the Seattle Mariners. They defeated the Mariners 4 – 1 last night.
A.J. Burnett (3 – 2) takes his 2.57 ERA and 57 strikeouts (3rd in MLB behind Darvish {72} and Harvey {58}) into today’s contest against “King” Felix Hernandez (4 – 2) and his 1.60 ERA.
Side Notes
— A.J. Burnett went 4 – 0 with a 2.08 ERA in 4 interleague starts last year. He was one of three pitchers to go 4 – 0 in 2012. (Justin Verlander and Stephen Strasburg)
— Andrew McCutchen has returned to form as he has gone 13-for-28 (.464) with 5 RBI in his last seven games. In that span, he has recorded two 4-hit games and 12 for his career. He also leads the majors in 4-hit games since the start of last season with eight.
— The Pirate bullpen lead the NL in strikeouts with 110. They are third in the majors; trailing only Detroit (112) and Boston (111).
Quotes
Hurdle
On McKenry catching Burnett for only the second time – “The time it happened last year, it played out very well. He pitched a very good game in Philly. They seemed to be on the same page, so think it’s a dynamic we want to keep in play whenever we can, and when we can’t, we can’t.“
On the organizational emotion of having a signed prospect make it to the majors – “It’s been cool for me, but it’s been way cooler for other people. This is a feel-good, great day for the scout that signed the player. This is special, in many sequences, it’s like having a child, from a scouting prospective. The baby’s arrived, the kid he signed at 16 or 17 has now shown up in the major leagues. It’s a cool deal. It’s cool for his mom and dad, it’s cool for his brother’s, his family, our player development people that have watched him grow and work with them. I love it when we call up one of our own. It’s another testament of what we’re doing and how we’re doing it.”
Duke Welker
On making it to the majors after 6 years in the minors – “I don’t know when it will hit me or whatnot. I just know that I’m here and I’m in a good opportunity with a great team and a good group of guys. I’m just excited to be here.”
On his job in the Pirate bullpen – “I know that however they need me is what I’m ready for.”
Photo Credit: Getty Images
