5-21-24 – By Michael Castrignano – @412DoublePlay on X
Following a 4-3 road trip against division rivals Brewers and Cubs, the Pirates return home for a series against the San Francisco Giants. While the Giants took 2 of 3 when the teams last matched up at the end of April, the Pirates will look for payback on their home turf.
The Giants have won four straight games against divisional rivals, including a weekend sweep against the Rockies in which they outscored Colorado 28-10. Meanwhile, the Pirates have found their foot again, winning 3 of 4 over the Chicago Cubs as they look to build on that momentum.
Pitching Matchups
5/21
Giants – Logan Webb (R/R) – 4-4, 59.1 IP, 3.03 ERA, 47 Ks/17 walks, 1.35 WHIP
Pirates – Martin Perez (L/L) – 1-3, 50 IP, 4.86 ERA, 40 Ks/14 walks, 1.50 WHIP
5/22
Giants – Blake Snell (L/L) – 0-3, 11.2 IP, 11.57 ERA, 12 Ks/5 walks, 1.97 WHIP
Pirates – Jared Jones (R/R) – 3-4, 53 IP, 2.89 ERA, 63 Ks/7 walks, 0.91 WHIP
5/23
Giants – Mason Black (R/R) – 0-0, 11.2 IP, 7.71 ERA, 8 Ks/5 walks, 1.97 WHIP
Pirates – Paul Skenes (R/R) –1-0, 10 IP, 2.70 ERA, 18 Ks/3walks, 0.90 WHIP
Who’s Hot
Giants:
Luis Matos – Matos was a top 10 prospect for the Giants when he debut last June. Although he struggled in his rookie season, posting a .661 OPS and clubbing 2 home runs over his 228 at-bats, he has already matched that longball total in just 8 games since being recalled with a 1.115 OPS in 30 at-bats thus far.
Pirates:
Andrew McCutchen – Cutch has been clubbing the ball hard all season long but running into some awful luck. His 17.2% barrel rate is the 8th highest among qualified batters in MLB and he FINALLY broke out with 3 home runs in his past 8 games while slashing .355/.459/.645.
Who’s Not
Giants:
Wilmer Flores – Flores has historically been a slow starter but this current season is tracking for the worst of his career as he is batting .202 with a .563 OPS compared to his career .262 and .754 numbers. His batted ball data indicates that he’s been a bit unlucky (.224 BABIP vs. .271 career rate) but his exit velocity numbers are averaging more 4 MPH below his average – 82.7, down from 87 career.
Pirates:
Michael Taylor – There’s a more obvious answer whom I could put here but, as most rumors indicate that you-know-who might not be on the roster by the time of first pitch tonight, I’ll talk about Taylor. While his defense has continued to excel, Taylor’s offensive success have dwindled significantly as the season has progressed. Following an ELITE first 7 games where he amassed 12 hits in 29 plate appearances and a 1.083 OPS, Taylor has regressed back to his old glove-first self, slashing .140/.196/.186 in the 32 games and 94 plate appearances since that hot start while doubling his hit total in that span.
Key Injuries
Giants:
Jung Hoo Lee (Left Shoulder Dislocation) – Lee went 3-for-11 in the previous series matchup between these two teams but will miss the remainder of the season after requiring surgery to repair a torn labrum he suffered after colliding with the fence in center field on May 12th.
Pirates:
No New Injuries
Team Notes
Giants:
Bullpen – While neither team has found consistency out of their bullpen, the Giants have fared significantly worse that the Pirates as their bullpen has a combined 4.62 ERA while tossing 183 total innings thus far this season, tied for the 5th most in MLB. Getting through the starters and into the weak and embattled bullpen might help add on runs for this Bucs offense.
Pirates:
Rotation – This rotation might be the strongest it has been in over 30 years. Over the weekend series in Chicago, the quartet of Jared Jones, Paul Skenes, Bailey Falter and Mitch Keller allowed just 5 runs over 25.2 innings pitched for a combined 1.79 ERA in that span. And while Martin Perez struggled in his recent start, he had a 3.60 ERA prior to that game and can be both a steadying force in the rotation and a morale booster in the clubhouse.
Steel City Pirates 