Charlie Morton (7-4, 4.36 ERA) and Jake Peavy (3-5, 4.18 ERA) are on the hill in the first of a four-game series between the Pittsburgh Pirates (71-47) and the San Francisco Giants (65-55) at PNC Park.
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Morton (8-4) scattered four hits over 6 2/3 innings while striking out eight and walking two.
Walker, Kang and Starling Marte each had two hits. He had won all three of his career starts at PNC Park but was pitching in Pittsburgh for the first time since 2008.
Peavy kept the deficit at 2-0 until the bottom of the sixth, when Kang led off the inning with a single to right and Neil Walker hammered a 3-2 pitch into the right field seats to double the Pittsburgh advantage. With two outs in the seventh, he hit pinch-hitter Ehire Adrianza with a 1-2 curveball – his second hit batsman of the inning – to load the bases. We just couldn’t generate any offense. Peavy gave up seven hits, walked one and struck out five. The Giants now sit three games behind the Chicago Cubs after Wednesday’s 4-3 loss to the St. They’re 0-4 against the Pirates this season and lost seven of their last nine regular-season games in Pittsburgh.
The Giants are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. “That’s not bad….Overall, I thought he threw alright”.
The Giants are in the midst of a grueling stretch that features 13 straight games against Central contenders followed by a three-game set at NL West-leading Los Angeles. 2B Joe Panik (lower back inflammation) has started participating in baseball activities at the Giants’ spring training facility in Scottsdale, Ariz., and will be examined by team doctors next Tuesday when the Giants begin their next homestand. The Giants September schedule is relatively easy as they face the likes of the Colorado Rockies (four games), the Arizona Diamondbacks (six games), the San Diego Padres (six games), the Cincinnati Reds (three games) and the Oakland A’s (three games). Harrison has been out since July 6 and Mercer went on the DL on July 20. The Giants hope Byrd will bolster and outfield also missing center fielder Angel Pagan, who is on the DL with right knee tendinitis. He has the experience, and he’s played in pennant races.
The 37-year-old Byrd hit. They are 1-6 in Peavy’s last 7 starts vs. a team with a winning record and are 1-6 in his last 7 starts as a road underdog. 237 with 19 home runs and 42 RBIs in 96 games for the Reds.
Brandon Crawford, whose grand slam broke that game open, brings a career-high 13-game hitting streak into the opener. Marte is 9-for-23 (.381) during his streak.
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Dating back to last season, the Pirates have won seven of their last eight meetings with the Giants, including all three matchups between the clubs so far in 2015.
