Fresh off a series victory in Phoenix against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Pittsburgh Pirates will now close their West Coast road trip with a series against the San Francisco Giants.
The Pirates (21-17) arrived on the West Coast hoping to hold their ground in a division where no one is losing. They leave it with a chance to do something more: gain ground. As Pittsburgh opens a three-game series Friday night at Oracle Park against the Giants (14-23), the NL Central remains the most surprising race in baseball—every team above .500, every series carrying extra weight. And the Pirates, at 21-17, are right in the middle of it.
The math is dizzying. The Cubs have raced out to 26-12 record, setting a pace no one expected. The Cardinals sit second at 22-15. The Pirates are third at 21-17, just two games out of second place and five games behind Chicago. Fourth-place Milwaukee is 19-16. Fifth-place Cincinnati is 20-18. Every single team in the NL Central entered the weekend with a winning record, a logjam that has turned every divisional game into a potential standings shuffle.
The Pirates have not played a division opponent on this road trip. They have been focused on the Diamondbacks and now the Giants, two National League West clubs with their own ambitions. But the standings do not stop moving just because the Pirates are facing other divisions. Every win in San Francisco is a chance to keep pace or climb before a long summer. Every loss is an opportunity for the Brewers or Reds to inch closer.
The Giants present a different kind of challenge. Oracle Park is a pitcher’s ballpark, with deep alleys, a stiff evening breeze off the bay, and dimensions that swallow fly balls that would be home runs elsewhere. For a Pirates team that has relied on timely power, the adjustment will be real. For a pitching staff that has performed like one of the best in MLB, the spacious outfield might offer a safety net.
With first pitch scheduled for 10:15 p.m. Eastern (7:15 p.m. local) Friday night, here are three things to watch as the Pirates close their West Coast road trip against the Giants.
1. Can the Pirates continue to gain ground in a competitive Central division?
The NL Central race has become a weekly chess match. The Cubs are running away from the pack for now, but behind them, the Cardinals, Pirates, Brewers, and Reds are separated by just four games. That means a strong week can vault a team from third to second, or a bad week can drop them to fifth.
The Pirates have won series against division opponents all season. Now they need to win series against everyone else, too. San Francisco is a beatable Giants team, but Oracle Park has a way of humbling visiting lineups. Every win this series matters, not just for the Pirates’ overall record but for their position in a division where no one is fading. If Pittsburgh can take two of three or better, they will return home with momentum and a chance to make a move towards second place.
2. Will Brandon Lowe stay hot?
The Pirates’ offseason acquisition from the Rays has been everything they hoped for and more. Brandon Lowe enters the Giants series having homered in each of his last two games, both against Arizona, giving him a major league-leading 10 home runs among all second basemen.
His power has been a revelation for a Pirates offense that struggled to hit the ball over the fence in recent seasons. The challenge in San Francisco is whether that power translates. Oracle Park is notorious for suppressing home runs, especially to left-center and right-center fields where the gaps are deep and the air is heavy. Lowe is a pull hitter who does most of his damage to right field, which works in his favor. The right field arcade at Oracle is reachable. But he will need to be precise with where he launches off. If Lowe stays hot and adds to his home run total, the Pirates’ offense has a chance to produce runs in a ballpark that typically limits them.
3. Can Bubba Chandler limit walks against an impatient Giants team?
The rookie right-hander has electric stuff. No one questions that. The problem has been finding the strike zone. In his last start, Chandler walked six batters, continuing a troubling trend that has defined his first full season in the rotation. Through 34 innings pitched, he has issued 26 walks. That is a ratio that simply does not work over the long term.
Fortunately, the Giants have not been displaying their usual patience at the plate so far this season. They are dead last in MLB in walks, with only 72. The next lowest amount of walks for a team is 99. The Pirates have 151 walks, or more than double the Giants’ amount. So this is a San Francisco team that will freely swing the bat. Chandler can’t give the most anemic offense in MLB any chance to build momentum.
The Pirates do not need Chandler to be perfect. They need him to throw strikes. First-pitch strikes, two-strike strikes, competitive strikes. Make San Francisco swing the bat. It hasn’t worked well for them when they do. The Giants also rank last in runs, home runs, on-base percentage and on-base plus slugging percentage. That’s not exactly a recipe for offensive success, as Pirates fans from last season know.
Key StatsBuccos on the Basepaths: .342 OBP over last seven days is sixth in MLBGiant Problem on Offense: 11 runs over last seven days is last in MLBThe Pirates and Cardinals have met a total of 2,212 times. The Giants lead the series 1,163-1,024-25.Probable Pitchers & MatchupsGame 1: Friday, 10:15 PM EDT at AT&T ParkPIT: RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (2-2, 4.76 ERA, 40 K)SF: TBD — Probable: LHP Robbie Ray (2-4, 2.95 ERA, 40 K)Key Battle: Ray vs Pirates OF Ryan O’Hearn (1 HR in only AB against Ray)Game 2: Saturday, 9:05 PM EDT at AT&T ParkPIT: RHP Braxton Ashcraft (1-2, 3.02 ERA, 45 K)SF: TBD — Probable: RHP Landen Roupp (5-2, 3.18 ERA, 43 K)Key Battle: Ashcraft vs Giants 2B Luis Arraez (First career matchup)Game 3: Sunday, 4:05 PM EDT at AT&T ParkPIT: RHP Bubba Chandler (1-4, 4.76 ERA, 311 K)SF: TBD — Probable: RHP Tyler Mahle (1-4, 5.00 ERA, 34 K)Key Battle: Mahle vs Pirates DH Marcell Ozuna (4-for-14, 1 HR, 6 RBI in 14 career AB against Mahle)Players to WatchSP Braxton Ashcraft (PIT): Career high 7.2 IP in last start (4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K)2B Brandon Lowe (PIT): .462/.611/.923, 6 H, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 5 BB over last seven days1B Casey Schmitt (SF): 2 HR, 4 RBI over last seven daysSP Robbie Ray (SF): 6.1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 5 K in last start
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