The Pittsburgh Pirates could see a whole different look from the host San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night when the clubs meet in the rematch of a series-opening blowout.
Stacking the lineup with right-handed hitters against Pirates lefty Rich Hill, the Giants got two or more hits from six players in a 14-4 holiday romp on Monday.
Recalled from the injured list earlier in the day after rehabbing a strained hamstring, Austin Slater homered in his first big-league game since May 10 as part of the Giants’ third-biggest run explosion of the season.
But Slater, a platoon player who sees action mostly against lefties, likely will be among a handful of Monday’s starters who won’t be in the San Francisco lineup against Pirates righty Johan Oviedo (3-4, 4.70 ERA) on Tuesday.
“The combination of Slater and (Mitch Haniger) kind of gives you that look one through five (in the lineup) that feels you can be as good as any one-through-five against a left-handed pitcher in the league,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said.
“And then you see what it does to the depth, you have one left-handed hitter in the lineup in (Brandon Crawford) … and have a chance to give all of your other left-handed bats a day off. LaMonte Wade Jr. and (Mike Yastrzemski) and (Michael) Conforto, these are guys that need to rest once in a while and (Monday’s) a good day for that.”
Slater and Haniger combined for six hits, six RBIs and three runs in Monday’s win, and they didn’t even stand out. Crawford, Casey Schmitt, Patrick Bailey and J.D. Davis chipped in with an additional 11 hits, eight RBIs and eight runs in the 18-hit assault.
“Really good team effort,” Kapler said of his sqaud’s 11th win in its last 14 games. “We’re coming together as a team. Now we’re getting contributions from everybody on the team. We’re not just waiting for one or two people to come up with the big hits.”
In Oviedo, the Giants will see a guy who has pitched well in his last three starts, allowing a total of five runs and 12 hits in 16 2/3 innings.
The fourth-year major-leaguer will be facing the Giants for just the second time in his career. He suffered the loss in a 5-2 St. Louis Cardinals defeat in San Francisco in July of 2021, allowing two runs and three hits in four innings.
The 25-year-old will duel — for at least an inning, anyway — with another former Cardinal, opener John Brebbia (2-0. 3.68), who will be making his fourth start. He didn’t allow a run in any of his first three starts, going a total of 3 1/3 innings.
The 33-year-old has never started in 26 career appearances against the Pirates, during which he’s gone 2-1 with a 4.13 ERA.
Based on Monday’s explosive effort, the Pirate for Brebbia to beware of would be outfielder Jack Suwinski, who accomplished a piece of Oracle Park history in the series opener with two home runs into the San Francisco Bay — “Splash Hits” as the Giants call them — well beyond the right field fence.
Previously, only one player had ever dumped two balls in the bay in the same game. It happened to be a former Pirate — Barry Bonds.
The homers were Nos. 10 and 11 for Suwinski, who isn’t surprised with his early season power.
“All of our prep work, and all of the guys who have been helping me, we’ve been working really hard,” Suwinski insisted. “It’s good to see it come.”
–Field Level Media