The Pirates will attempt to bounce back from a gut-wrenching 9-8 loss when they face the San Diego Padres again Saturday night at 7:05 p.m.
The Bucs, currently dealing with a series of unreliable performances by one of their better starters in James McDonald, will send their stopper, A.J. Burnett, to the hill. Recently, Burnett has been as great as McDonald has been bad, nearly pitching a complete game against the Reds in his previous start and tossing a one-hitter against the Cubs in the start before that. He has won his last four decisions.
The Padres, meanwhile, will start Jason Marquis. Marquis has struggled this season, with a 5.47 ERA overall and a 5.82 ERA away from the favorable pitching environs in San Diego, but his underlying numbers suggest he's had a lot of bad luck with fly balls turning into home runs. The righty still generally keeps the ball on the ground, but his dwindling velocity should continue to make him very hittable.
For more on the Pirates, check out Bucs Dugout. For more on the Padres, there's Gaslamp Ball.