NL Central: Pirates rotation, Diaz call-up, Cubs World Series dreams

Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Juan Nicasio is excited to be in the starting rotation, writes Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Tonight, Nicasio will make his Pirates debut in his new home park, PNC Park, which can be describe as more friendly to Nicasio then his old stomping grounds in Colorado.

Nicasio sported a 5.03 ERA over four seasons in the Colorado rotation, and in his first spring with the Pirates he threw 15 scoreless innings, forcing his way from the bullpen to the rotation.

More from around the National League Central:

• Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch talked about Aledmys Diaz getting the call to the big leagues, after being so close to making the team out of camp. Diaz will be replacing outfield Tommy Pham, who has been placed on the disabled list with a strained side.
• Wick Terrell of Red Reporter gave us five dumb predictions for the Reds in 2016.
• The Brewers have placed Matt Garza on the disabled list with a strained right lat, and is expected to miss a little more than a month. Although, the Brewers have given Garza's spot on the roster to Tyler Cravy, they won't need a fifth starter during much of that time period.
• If the Cubs don't win the World Series, does that make this season a failure?