Pirates Host Struggling Giants in Afternoon PNC Park Showdown
Pittsburgh enters Thursday's 12:35 PM ET matinee at PNC Park sitting at 68-72, still within reach of relevance, while San Francisco drags in at 58-82 with little left to play for. Our model doesn't have a read on this one — so we're going straight to the tape.
The records tell a blunt story. The Giants are one of the worst teams in baseball this season, and a road trip to Pittsburgh doesn't offer much of a lifeline. The Pirates, meanwhile, are a team that has hovered just below .500 all year — not good enough to feel comfortable, not bad enough to fully check out. That tension makes Pittsburgh a dangerous afternoon opponent, especially at home. Lake Bachar is expected to take the mound for the Pirates, while Blade Tidwell is set to start for San Francisco. Neither name carries marquee weight, which means the offenses could end up doing the heavy lifting.
On the Giants' side, Rafael Devers is the number to watch — 32 home runs and 83 RBI make him the clear power threat in this lineup, and a hitter capable of changing a game with one swing regardless of his team's record. Jung Hoo Lee's .282 average gives San Francisco a legitimate contact option at the top of the order, someone who can set the table if the Giants are going to manufacture anything against Bachar. Pittsburgh's offense runs through two names: Nick Gonzales, who is hitting .310 and is arguably one of the more underrated contact hitters in the National League right now, and Brandon Lowe, who matches Devers almost punch for punch with 29 home runs and 83 RBI. Lowe has been Pittsburgh's most dangerous run producer, and in a day game at PNC Park, his pull-side power could be a real factor.
We don't have a model read to anchor this one, and honestly, that's worth acknowledging rather than papering over. What we do know: Pittsburgh has the better record, the home field, and a lineup with legitimate pop. San Francisco has a power bat in Devers who can make any game interesting. This is a September afternoon game between a team fighting for something and a team playing out the string — and those matchups tend to be more competitive than the standings suggest.