Greg Brown Joins Starkey And Mueller
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The FAN) - 93-7 The FAN's Greg Brown will be calling each of the Pirates three games in Busch Stadium's broadcast booth, and he knows that, in those games, the Pirates have three opportunities win games that guarantee a St. Louis loss.
The Cardinals cling to a five game lead in the NL Central ahead of the Pirates, who soon return starting infielders Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer.
Brown, who joined Starkey And Mueller Tuesday, weighed in on managerial options Pirates skipper Clint Hurdle could pursue when the two return from their respective rehab stints in Triple-A Indianapolis in the near future.
"It's all going to depend on who's hitting," said Brown. "Whoever is hitting is going to play. That's been Clint Hurdle's MO since day one."
Hurdle told Brown Tuesday that, in his rehab games, Harrison will play third base one night, second base the next night, right field after that, and left field to conclude the cycle.
Another hot topic around the Pirates clubhouse is that of Hurdle's decision to pair Francisco Cervelli together with Gerrit Cole in Cole's upcoming outings.
"It won't be just a one-time thing," Brown said. "Without coming out and saying it, it looks as though they want to be ready for a one-game playoff. They're going to get that done early and they don't want to wait until the last couple weeks of the season."
Prior to this week, Pirates backup Chris Stewart generally caught Cole.
"I think [Hurdle] wants that offense in there as much as possible," Brown said. "I do believe the reason they went to this Cole-Stewart matchup, it was about a month into the season when they started to do that, they wanted to make sure that every five days, with certainty, they sat Cervelli."
Tuesday's game features Jeff Locke against All-Star Carlos Martinez. Gerrit Cole will face Michael Wacha Wednesday, and Francisco Liriano squares off against Lance Lynn Thursday.
