He had movement on his fastball and a good curveball. “That’s why I don’t ever have any concerns with his workload because I think he can handle it. He’s an old-school type pitcher”.
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“Any one-game playoff game is always tough”, Aoki said.
It was almost as if the Giants weren’t here yet, either, in a 4-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday that had so little to offer that manager Bruce Bochy’s postgame news conference lasted less than two minutes and a handful of questions. The Pirates would look to continue that trend on Thursday night at PNC Park against the San Francisco Giants.
Jared Hughes came on to face Gregor Blanco, who hit a rocket to right field but right at Gregory Polanco. While Bumgarner is the better pitcher in this matchup, he has no success against Pittsburgh in his career. We knew what to expect when we got to this point but it’s fun to play in front of crowds like this.
He’s kept the ball in the park in his last seven starts spanning 44 2-3 against the Giants, posting a 2.22 ERA. Aramis Ramirez and Jung Hu Kang added run-scoring doubles.
“It was kind of a sticky situation at the end, so that leaves a bad taste in my mouth”, Morton said, “but I felt like I did pretty well”.
“I’m just working with my hitting coach and sometimes you don’t have hits because you do something wrong”, Marte said.
The Giants got into Pittsburgh Thursday with only one thing on their minds after dropping two of three in St. Louis: winning. The Giants allow 3.8 runs per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 2.7 runs per game during that span. When it comes to issuing walks on the road, the Giants have the fifth-fewest in the NL with an average of just 2.8 walks allowed per game.
Jake Peavy (3-6) tried to keep the Giants in it as long as he could. 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. “Then you’ve got guys like Pedro (Alvarez) and Andrew (McCutchen) who can hit 25 (home runs) in their sleep”.
Pirates: 3B Josh Harrison (torn left wrist ligament) and SS Jordy Mercer (sprained left knee) could return from the disabled list sometime during the four-game series that ends Sunday, according to manager Clint Hurdle….
Giants acquire veteran outfielder Marlon Byrd from Reds. His strikeout total ranked as his second highest of the season, and he left without giving up a run for just the fourth time. However, at home Morton is 4-1 in seven games started with a 3.25 ERA.
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Tigers 4, Rangers 0 – Alfredo Simon (11-7) threw a one-hitter in his first career complete game and Detroit beat visiting Texas. Oddsmakers have the Astros as a -115 favorite at home in this game, while the Rays are getting a money line of +105 to win.
