The Pittsburgh Pirates (2-10) take on the Minnesota Twins (10-2) at PNC Park on Thursday afternoon. This game is on MLB Network in some areas. The Pirates lost yesterday 5-2, giving them a seven-game losing streak. JT Brubaker will be on the mound for his first career start. He has thrown five shutout innings this year over two relief appearances. The Twins are countering with veteran righty Kenta Maeda, who has allowed two runs over 11 innings in his first two starts. He has 12 strikeouts and an 0.64 WHIP.
Here are the lineups:
Pirates
JT Brubaker will make his first Major League start this afternoon.#LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/7nigBalrkQ
— Pirates (@Pirates) August 6, 2020
Twins
#Twins Lineup 08/06/20
1. Max Kepler RF
2. Jorge Polanco SS
3. Nelson Cruz DH
4. Eddie Rosario LF
5. Miguel Sano 1B
6. Luis Arraez 2B
7. Marwin Gonzalez 3B
8. Alex Avila C
9. Byron Buxton CFStarting Pitcher : Kenta Maeda
— Daily MLB Lineups (@DailyMLBLineup) August 6, 2020
Here are today’s history articles
Game Rewind – The day my grandfather was born (102 years ago today) was a great day for Pirates great Wilbur Cooper.
This Date – Birthdays include Steve Nicosia and two Buds.
1979 Recap – Update on the standings and a look ahead to the series against the Chicago Cubs
**Also, Wilbur Miller posted an article about Rob Manfred and the Pirates, which is worth a read.
**Discussion question for the day. Do you believe that JT Brubaker will still have a prospect status going into next year? Assume that he stays healthy and the season doesn’t get stopped, and base you answer strictly on possible usage during a 60-game season. His prospect status peak would be 50 innings pitched. If he throws 50.1 innings, he’s no longer considered a prospect. We don’t use the service days maximum like some sites, so it won’t matter if he remains with the Pirates all season. So does he get used enough and pitch well enough to get to 50.1? Leave your opinions in the comments below.
