The San Francisco Giants (66-57)are closer to displacing the Los Angeles Dodgers atop the National League West than catching either the Chicago Cubs or the Pittsburgh Pirates (73-48) in the wild card race. That still holds true even after the Giants suffered a 3-2 loss to Pittsburgh on Saturday. Will San Francisco bounce back and get back on track by finishing its four-game series with the Bucs with a win? Or will Pittsburgh inch closer to the top of the NL Central division?
[sc:MLBArticles ]San Francisco Giants vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Preview
Where: PNC Park, Pittsburgh
When: Sunday, August 23, 2015, 8:00 PM ET
Line: San Francisco Giants vs. Pittsburgh Pirates – view all MLB lines
Betting on the San Francisco Giants
[sc:MLB240banner ]October is fast approaching, which means the Giants are pressed to have a great stretch if they intend to win a spot in the postseason. Later tonight, the Giants look to improve their chances of doing just that, when they send Ryan Vogelsong to the mound against Pittsburgh.
Vogelsong (9-8, 3.93 ERA) has been terrific for the Giants of late, giving up just one earned run on five hits across 11 innings in two starts, in which he’s gone 2-0. Against the Cards on August 18, Vogelsong was at his sharpest, as he tossed six scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and issuing a free pass to lead the Giants into a 2-0 victory at Busch Stadium. Beating a team like St. Louis should boost Vogelsong’s confidence as he takes the mound at PNC Park for the four-game series finale.
On offense, the Giants would rely on the bats of new acquisition Marlon Byrd and Buster Posey. Byrd, who was acquired by San Francisco from the Reds has hit 3-for-9 (.333) thus far in this series. In addition, Byrd is also 5-for-13 (.385) in his career against Francisco Liriano. As for Posey, the former NL MVP is 5-for-11 (.455) against the Pirates’ lefty.
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Betting on the Pittsburgh Pirates
Francisco Liriano’s ERA has gradually increased over his last four starts, which isn’t a good sign for the Pirates. Nevertheless, the Pirates are smoking opponents whenever the nine-year veteran is on the mound, as the Bucs are 9-0 in Liriano’s last nine starts.
In Liriano’s most previous start, he allowed five earned runs on six hits in seven innings of work, but escaped with a no-decision as the Pirates went off at the plate in a 9-8 win over Arizona on August 18. Liriano raised his ERA to 3.35 ERA following that game to go along with an 8-6 record in 23 starts thus far this season. Liriano has struggled over his last four starts despite a 2-0 record as he’s posted a 5.82 ERA during that stretch. If it weren’t for his teammates scoring an average of 8.75 runs in those games, it would have been a very different story for Liriano. Liriano is getting 5.19 of scoring support per nine innings pitched this season.
Speaking of offense, the Pirates are getting solid numbers from the likes of Starling Marte, Aramis Ramirez, and Francisco Cervelli. Marte has batted 10-for-31 (.323) in his last seven games, while Ramirez is 9-for-28 (.321) during the same span. Cervelli, meanwhile, is 8-for-25 (.320) over his past six games.
Writer’s Prediction
San Francisco wins, 5-3.
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