San Francisco @ Pittsburgh preview
PNC Park
Last Meeting ( Apr 14, 2010 ) Pittsburgh 0, San Francisco 6
The struggling San Francisco Giants offense is getting just what it needs - a trip to Pittsburgh.
The Giants will be looking to get on track tonight when they open a three-game series against the Pirates.
Offense has been the weak link in San Francisco for years, and 2010 is not proving to be any different. The Giants rank 14th in the National League in runs scored and on-base percentage, putting a lot of pressure on a pitching staff that leads the senior circuit with a .219 batting average against and 421 strikeouts.
But the pitching staff can’t cover for the bats all the time, leading to series like the one San Francisco just finished in Colorado where they dropped two of three while managing a total of five runs.
Four of those runs can in the series finale Wednesday, a 4-1 victory behind Matt Cain. Bengie Molina and Aaron Rowand combined to drive in three runs, breaking out of lengthy slumps in the process. Molina had entered Wednesday’s contest just 3-for-44 over his last 13 games, perhaps feeling some pressure from top prospect Buster Posey.
Posey, 23, was called up by the team last week and is 9-for-19 with four RBIs in five games while playing first base. The former first-round pick is expected to take over as San Francisco’s catcher of the future next season, though if Molina continues to struggle, it may be easier to get Posey’s bat in the lineup at catcher.
But Pittsburgh’s pitching staff certainly has the ability to set an opposing team’s offense on fire, ranking 14th in the NL with a 5.30 ERA and a .280 batting average against. But the Pirates have won two straight since snapping a seven-game skid and have had two days off since their series finale on Wednesday against the Chicago Cubs was rained out.
A well-rested Zach Duke will get the ball tonight for Pittsburgh. The left-hander has not pitched since last Friday against Atlanta, when he allowed seven runs on 12 hits in 5 1/3 innings to suffer the loss.
That setback pushed his ERA up close to the team average at 5.09. Duke, 27, has been either great or terrible this season, allowing four runs or more five times and allowing two runs or fewer six times. He has performed well against San Francisco in the past, owning a 2-2 record with a 3.43 ERA in seven career starts.
The Giants will counter with their own young left-hander, Jonathan Sanchez. The 27-year-old has been at the mercy of his offense this season, finding himself on the wrong end of three shutouts already.
But he is coming off a win against Arizona last Saturday in which he struck out seven and allowed one run and two hits in five innings. Sanchez had his best start of the season against Pittsburgh on April 14, striking out 11 in eight scoreless innings to earn a win.