The San Francisco Giants (27-25) will host the Pittsburgh Pirates (26-25) on Memorial Day to start a three-game series. The Giants took five of the six head-to-head games against the Pirates last season and were favored by at least -150 odds in each contest.
This preview was written before either team completed their games on Sunday.
The Pirates slightly surprised the baseball world by winning 20 of their first 28 games to open the season. Since the hot start, the Pirates have gone just 6-17 heading into Sunday's action. Even with the recent struggles, Pittsburgh is second in the NL Central and only half a game behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the division lead. Pittsburgh beat Seattle 11-6 on Friday, but then lost to the Mariners 5-0 on Saturday.
Speechless in Seattle#RaiseIt pic.twitter.com/VtPTWYuHL2
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) May 27, 2023
Starting left-handed pitcher Rich Hill is scheduled to start on Sunday. Hill has a 4-4 record and a 4.27 ERA in 10 starts this season. Hill has had a bit of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde syndrome, with a 1-3 record and 5.83 ERA at home but a 3-1 record and 2.31 ERA on the road. The Pirates will hope that Hill's road success continues on Monday. Hill has particularly had road success in San Francisco in the past posting a 2-0 record and 2.76 ERA in starts against the Giants at Oracle Park since 2016. Behind Hill is a defense that is 20th in MLB with -6 runs saves. The Pirates bullpen is seventh with a 3.51-team ERA.
The Pirates offense has been up and down ranking 19th in the league with an average of 4.5 runs per game. Pittsburgh's lineup is not deep with power , as they currently sit 23rd in the majors, hitting an average of one home run a game.