Last week, in their previous game against Reynaldo Lopez and the Chicago White Sox, the Pirates couldn’t figure out the 24-year-old right hander. They didn’t get a runner on base until the fourth inning, and outside of two solo homers, didn’t score any runs over his 7 1/3 innings.
Manager Clint Hurdle was impressed with Lopez’ plus fastball and his change-up, saying that Lopez was better live than he was on tape. The Pirates came from behind to win that game, but Lopez had made an impression.
This time, the Pirates decided not to wait to attack White Sox pitching.