Giants at Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are in the midst of their second four-game winning streak this month and will try to push the run to five in a row when they continue a three-game series with the visiting San Francisco Giants on Saturday. Francisco Cervelli's two-run double highlighted a four-run first inning and six pitchers made the early lead hold up in Friday's 4-1 victory for Pittsburgh.
Closer Felipe Vazquez struck out the side in a perfect ninth to finish it off as the Pirates improved to 10-3 following a 1-3 start. Catcher Buster Posey had a pair of hits and the lone RBI on Friday for the Giants, who dropped their third straight and fell to 3-8 on the road. Pittsburgh lowered its major-league leading team ERA to 2.54 in the series opener and will try to maintain its dominance on the mound behind big right-hander Jameson Taillon on Saturday. San Francisco counters with veteran left-hander Derek Holland as it looks to avoid its first four-game losing streak of the season.
TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1, NBCS Bay Area (San Francisco)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Giants LH Derek Holland (1-2, 4.09 ERA) vs. Pirates RH Jameson Taillon (0-2, 3.43)
Holland allowed a season-high four runs in six innings in a loss to Colorado at home Sunday. He has 27 strikeouts in 22 innings on the year but has also walked 12 while serving up four home runs. The 32-year-old worked around five walks across 6 1/3 scoreless innings to get the win in his only prior start at PNC Park last May.
Taillon has yet to break into the win column, although he did notch a quality start Sunday in Washington, holding the Nationals to three runs in six frames. The former No. 2 overall pick yielded a run on three hits in seven innings in his only prior home start this year, settling for a no-decision against St. Louis. Posey is 4-for-6 with two doubles against Taillon, who has been reached for 12 earned runs in 12 innings over his first three career starts versus the Giants.
WALK-OFFS
1. Pittsburgh CF Starling Marte and SS Erik Gonzalez both left Friday's game after a collision chasing a pop fly in the eighth inning.
2. The Giants' batters struck out 13 times Friday night after fanning 11 times in Thursday's setback at Washington.
3. Pirates 1B Josh Bell is 10-for-28 with five walks and seven runs scored during an eight-game hitting streak.