July 5: Pirates (37-44) @ Marlins (42-40); All-Star Sunday

Officially, the second half of the season begins today with game #82, which makes it fitting that your 2009 All-Stars will be announced in a few hours. Though there could be arguments made for Zach Duke and Freddy Sanchez to be included on the team, the Pirates are expecting only one All-Star representative. Sanchez seems the most likely given how his numbers stack up against the league's second baseman and how versatile an option he could be for NL manager Charlie Manuel. 

As for your news, notes and randomness...

• Sanchez remains out of the lineup, as expected, with lower back tightness. Ramon Vazquez will again serve as his replacement, though really what other option was there? Sanchez did not swing a bat on Saturday, but said after the game that he had loosened up by the time the game ended. He did not swing again on Sunday, though, so that doesn't seem to put him in very good position to return to the lineup on Monday.
• Catcher Ryan Doumit begins his rehab stint with Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday. UPDATE: Doumit caught five innings and went 0-for-2 at the plate.
• Indianapolis was rained out on Saturday, which means that Ian Snell will now start on Sunday. The Indians are playing a double header, but the most interesting thing will be to keep an eye on how Snell responds after his 17-strikeout outing last week. UPDATE: Snell pitched a seven-inning, complete-game shutout. The game was to last only seven innings because it was the first of a doubleheader on Sunday. Snell allowed five hits, walked one and struck out six.
• The Gulf Coast League Pirates are off on Sunday (as they always are on Sundays), and so a number of them will be making the trip down to Land Shark Stadium for the game today. About 30 players and staff members are expected to be in attendance.
• Some interesting numbers to put the Pirates' first-half stats into perspective: The team's .267 average currently ranks third in the NL, which marks the first time since 2004 the Pirates have ranked that high at the mid-point of the season. The team's 4.26 ERA is seventh best in the league. That's the best rankig since the club was ranked sixth halfway through the 2002 season when it had a staff ERA of 3.97. Last year, the Pirates owned an NL-worst 5.10 ERA at this point in the season.

Pirates lineup:

1. Andrew McCutchen (CF)
2. Jack Wilson (SS)
3. Brandon Moss (RF)
4. Adam LaRoche (1B)
5. Garrett Jones (LF)
6. Andy LaRoche (3B)
7. Ramon Vazquez (2B)
8. Jason Jaramillo (C)
9. Ross Ohlendorf (RHP)

Marlins lineup:

UPDATE 11:30 pm: Hanley Ramirez has been scratched because of a tight right hip flexor. The revised Marlins lineup is noted below.

1. Chris Coghlan (LF)
2. Emilio Bonifacio (3B) (SS)
3. Hanley Ramirez (SS) Dan Uggla (2B)
4. Jorge Cantu (1B)
5. Jeremy Hermida (RF)
6. Dan Uggla (2B) Cody Ross (CF)
7. Cody Ross (CF) John Baker (C)
8. John Baker (C) Wes Helms (3B)
9. Rickey Nolasco (RHP)