After what will probably be one of this year’s most memorable Pirate games, how do the Bucs and Nats respond? The Pirates will send Erik Bedard to the mound tonight and by now there’s a pretty solid pattern of what to expect from him. It’ll probably be a short start where he’ll strike out a ton of batters and maybe have a bad inning or two. He’ll keep the Pirates in the game, though, and give them a chance to win.
The question, as always, is if that will be enough. Ross Detwiler goes to the mound for the Nats, and he’s off to a good start this year thanks to a slew of ground balls and general Paul Maholm-like behavior. I tend to think that the Pirates’ offense can make good things happen when they’re patient and they put the ball in play, which is far from a given against any pitcher. Also, Joel Hanrahan will be away from the team for the next few days as he attends his grandmother’s funeral. He’s on the bereavement list so the team should get to name a replacement, but I’m not sure if they have yet.
First pitch tonight is at 7:05.
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