Pirates Make Second Base Change vs. Diamondbacks

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburhg Pirates made one big change to their lineup for the second game vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks at PNC Park.

Liover Peguero takes over at second base from Nick Gonzales and will bat eighth for the Pirates against the Diamondbacks.

The Pirates brought Peguero back from Triple-A Indianapolis on July 18, two days after they traded utilityman Adam Frazier to the Kansas City Royals for shortstop Cam Devanney.

Peguero has appeared once for the Pirates, doing so in the series opener vs. the Diamondbacks on July 25.

He served as a pinch-runner in the bottom of the 11th inning and made a baserunning error, going early on a fly ball that Diamondbacks left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. caught, but Peguero was off the bag and it was too late to run home and score after tagging in the 1-0 defeat.

Pittsburgh first recalled Peguero on May 2, as they needed infield help when shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa went on the 10-day injured list with lower body discomfort.

Peguero made three starts for the Pirates this season, once each at second base on May 6 and shortstop on May 7 vs. the St. Louis Cardinals on the road, then at shortstop vs. the Atlanta Braves on May 11. He also came in to play shorstop vs. the Braves on May 10 after an in-game injury to center fielder Oneil Cruz changed the dynamics of the team.

He played in 24 games with Indianapolis this season before Pittsburgh recalled him, slashing .258/.309/.382 for an OPS of .691 in 24 games, with 23 hits in 89 at-bats, six doubles, a triple, a home run, 12 RBIs and seven walks to 16 strikeouts.

Peguero went back to Triple-A once Kiner-Falefa came back off the injured list. He slashed .247/.314/.367 for an OPS of .681in 48 games, with 41 hits in 166 at-bats, eight doubles, four home runs, 24 RBIs and 17 walks to 41 strikeouts following his demotion.

This is the first game that Gonzales hasn't started since June 29, the series finale vs. the New York Mets at PNC Park and just the third game since he returned from an ankle injury in early June, that kept him out the first two weeks of the season.

Joey Bart takes over at catcher for the Pirates from Henry Davis and will bat seventh, marking the other change in the lineup.

The Pirates will have Peguero in their infield, plus first baseman Spencer Horwitz leading off, third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes batting sixth and shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa hitting ninth.

Pittsburgh has the same outfield, with Bryan Reynolds in right field batting third, Oneil Cruz in center field batting fifth, plus Tommy Pham playing left field, but moving up two spots from sixth to fourth in the lineup.

Andrew McCutchen rounds out the lineup for the Pirates, as he'll serve as desingated hitter and bat second.

Left-handed pitcher Andrew Heaney makes his 21st appearance and the 20th start of the season for the Pirates against the Diamondbacks. It may also mark his last, as the Pirates will likely move him by the MLB trade deadline on July 31.

Heaney struggled in his most recent outing, as he gave up seven earned runs, tying a season-high, and back-to-back home runs in the 7-2 loss to the White Sox on July 20.

This marks a poor six-game stretch run, where he's allowed nine of his 20 home runs allowed and has a 10.65 ERA over 23.2 innings pitched, suffering four losses.

He also struggled in his first start vs. the Diamondbacks on May 26, giving up eight hits, three walks and five earned runs over five innings in a 5-0 defeat in the series opener at Chase Field.

First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m.

Pittsburgh Pirates Lineup vs. the Diamondbacks

1B Spencer Horwitz
DH Andrew McCutchen
RF Bryan Reynolds
LF Tommy Pham
CF Oneil Cruz
3B Ke'Bryan Hayes
C Joey Bart
2B Liover Peguero
SS Isiah Kiner-Falefa