The San Francisco Giants play host to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the series finale on Sunday afternoon from Oracle Park. The Giants have come away with wins in the first two games after winning two of three in the first series between the two teams back in June. Primed to grab the sweep, San Francisco is looking to make one final push towards the playoffs, while the Pirates have the role of spoiler secured. In what should be an exciting games, National League fans won't want to miss this one.
While the Pirates were able to tread water for a few months, as the season has drawn nearer to the finish line, Pittsburgh has continued to fall further and further down in the NL Central standings. Heading into Sunday, they are tied with the Reds for last place in the division and have one of the worst records in the National League to go along with it. A 3-7 record over their last ten games leaves quite a bit to be desired and with a 21-40 record away from home, there's little reason to think that this group will turn things around not only on Sunday but the last six weeks of the season.
Injuries have also continued to mount for this group of late, on both sides of the ball. Positionally, they continue to be without Roberto Perez (hamstring) and Canaan Smith0Njigba (wrist), while Ke'Bryan Hayes (back) remains questionable as the weekend closes out. Adding to that are five relievers being ruled out for the fi nale, which only further depletes an already thin bullpen.
Ben Gamel to the rescue! pic.twitter.com/Ginff8lYIi
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) August 13, 2022
According to MLB.com, the Pirates will lean on Zach Thompson to take the ball on Sunday. The righty has struggled this season and certainly could have his hands full, especially being on the road. He comes into this one with a 3-9 record and 5.08 ERA, though has been better of late, allowing only five combined runs in his last two starts. Adding in a 4.1 inning performance in which he only allowed two runs back in June, he'll be looking to replicate that in this one.
Pittsburgh's lineup has been abysmal for much of the season, which has only served to add more pressure to their rotation. They rank in the bottom five of baseball in runs, average, OPS, and strikeout rate, while ranking right in the middle in home runs has helped to prop up their numbers slightly. Hayes has been their most dangerous hitter for much of the season, though without him in the lineup, it could continue to be a challenge. The last week of action hasn' ;t seen anyone take over and lead the way and without consistent hitting, grabbing the win on the road will always be a challenge.