The Pirates’ offense went from ugly to nearly unwatchable Friday afternoon in a 5-0 loss to the Giants in which Matt Cain pitched a one-hitter. The Bucs will get another chance to, well, produce more than one hit in a rematch against the Giants at 9:05 p.m. on Saturday.
Charlie Morton should make his season debut for the Pirates, while Barry Zito will start for the Giants. Morton had started the season on the disabled list after having hip surgery in the offseason, but he probably could have pitched earlier if needed — due to a couple off days early in the season, the Pirates didn’t have any need for a fifth starter until now. Morton had a great “rehab” start for Indianapolis, so there’s every reason to think he’ll be in typical midseason form on Saturday.
Whether that will be good enough is another question. Tonight might be Morton’s first game, but Pirates fans will surely be watching the offense even more closely after the hitters managed to produce just 11 runs in the first seven games.
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