GameThread, 6/11/2022: Pirates @ Braves

Zach Thompson vs. Charlie Morton

Here we go again, as the Braves seek win number 10 in a row. Let’s just start with the Statcast graphic:

The Pirates are mixing things up a bit — but that’s not surprising given that we’re heading into Game 57 and they still haven’t repeated a lineup all year. Tucupita Marcano moves up from the bottom half of the order to leadoff, pushing Ke’Bryan Hayes to third (where he’s hit most of the year) and everyone else mostly down a spot. The only other time the Pirates used this starting nine was also behind Zach Thompson last Sunday, when they won a 3-0 shutout against the Diamondbacks.

The Braves, meanwhile, are pretty much staying steady, but for the informal C/DH rotation they have right now with their two catchers and Marcell Ozuna. This time, Travis d’Arnaud gets the day off and Ozuna returns to the DH spot with William Contreras forming the receiving part of the battery with Charlie Morton. This batting order beat the Rockies 6-2 last Saturday; it also hung 13 runs on Oakland on Wednesday.

First pitch should be around 4:10 pm ET.