Right now as you know the Pirates are probably playing their best baseball of the year if not the past twenty years and they have sure been fun to watch lately. The team is currently coming off of a rare four game sweep of the Astros outscoring them by fourteen runs during those games and now look at the slumping Giants for their next series, a three game set. The Giants are entering the series on a three game losing streak in which they got swept by the Nationals who currently have the best record in the National League.
Game 1- In game one of this series the Giants will send Barry Zito to the hill to try to beat the struggling Erik Bedard. Zito is 6-6 this year with a 3.84 ERA and has been overall pretty good. Erik Bedard who seems to be trying to work his way of the rotation will enter the game with a 4-9 record and 4.57 ERA and has looked terrible as of late. I think that both for both Bedard's and the teams sake he needs to pitch well tonight and try to get himself back on track and give himself something positive to hang on to before the All-Star break.
Game 2- Game two is shaping up to be the best pitching match-up of the series when Ryan Vogelsong will go up against A.J. Burnett in the middle game of the series. Vogelsong is truly a nice comeback story from last year when he came back from pitching in Japan trying to save his career to pitching for the Giants and having a great year posting a season long 2.71 ERA. Luckily the Pirates are throwing their ace in James McDonald who is 8-3 with a 2.45 ERA and having a career year. If this game ends up being half of what is is supposed to be it should be very exciting to watch.
Game 3- In the final game before the All-Star break the Giants will throw their former Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum who is having the worst year of his career by far. Lincecum is a mere 3-9 with a hideous 6.08 ERA and should be throwing batting practice for the Giants instead of pitching for them. The Pirates will throw their second ace in A.J. Burnett who is having having a career year for the good winning in nine straight start and has had a 3.74 ERA during that time. Burnett might have a chance to start in two straight games as he might be the first pitcher to pitch after the All-Star break when the Pirates play the Brewers in Milwaukee.
I think it would for sure be nice to win the last series before the All-Star break and try to carry that momentum over to the second half where the Pirates will give it their best shot at a playoff bid. The Giants don't have a great offense only scoring 329 runs on the year just five ahead of the Pirates who have scored 324. The Giants live off of their pitching so it will be important to get runs early and often if they want to have a shot.
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