Pirates Notebook: Harrison Injured In Loss To Blue Jays
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The FAN) - HARRISON INJURED: Pirates third baseman Josh Harrison injured his left ankle running the bases in the first inning of the Pirates' 4-1 loss in the Spring Training home opener to the Toronto Blue Jays.
It is the same ankle that Harrison had issues with and missed time with in 2014. The All-Star politely declined to comment on it further. The Pirates issued a statement with the news of the injury. Additional information is expected on Thursday.
LAMBO SETTLING IN: Despite and 0-for-4 afternoon cleaning up for the Bucs as the DH on Wednesday, Hurdle is seeing a more relaxed and more productive Andrew Lambo.
"He really put a lot of heat on himself [in 2014]. We're trying to get him to play the game, not work the game. You don't need to prove, you need to improve," Hurdle said about the first baseman/right fielder.
A SIX-MAN ROTATION? With the Pirates having an abundance of big league caliber starting pitching, it's a natural discussion to have about the possibility of a six-man rotation.
Why it works or doesn't work is debatable. Fewer teams seemingly implement them as opposed to the past. But, if the question is asked to all 30 MLB teams, one would likely get a different answer from each club.
With right-hander Charlie Morton ahead of schedule in his recovery from hip surgery, there is plenty of conversation about who fills out the back end of the Bucs' rotation in the immediate future. Gerrit Cole, Fransico Liriano and A.J. Burnett will headline the rotation, but Morton, Vance Worley and Jeff Locke all are candidates to back-fill the starting five. The Pirates will seemingly will not use all six in a rotation. While manager Clint Hurdle didn't come out and say the Pirates wouldn't do such a thing, Hurdle he wouldn't even entertain generic discussion about the pros and cons of having six starters at one time.
"I don't care to talk about it because I don't have any interest in it," the manager abruptly said.
LINEUP VS. YANKEES: The Pirates will host the New York Yankees at McKechnie Field on Thurdsay afternoon at 1:05 p.m. Greg Brown and John Wehner will call the action on Sportsradio 93.7 The Fan. Liriano is expected to start for Pittsburgh against New York righty Esmil Rogers. Morton, Mark Melancon, Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Richard, Deolis Guerra and Jeremy Bleich are also slated to pitch for the Pirates.
The Pirates will use this tentative lineup:
Jose Tabata DH
Gregory Polanco RF
Andrew McCutchen CF
Starling Marte LF
Andrew Lambo 1B
Jung Ho Kang SS
Chris Stewart C
Sean Rodriguez 2B
Justin Sellers 3B
Click here to listen to Manager Clint Hurdle's post-game gathering with reporters in its entirety: