Pittsburgh Pirates at San Francisco Giants 7/23/21 - MLB Picks & Predictions

The Pittsburgh Pirates travel on the road to Oracle Park when they open a series with the San Fransisco Giants, who currently hold the best record in the MLB. The Giants won two of three games off the Dodgers, extending their lead in the NL West to two games after winning seven of their last ten games. Pittsburgh has lost four straight games and has continued to struggle this season, currently 19.5 games back in the NL Central at 36-60 on the year.

Pittsburgh is one of the worst offenses in the MLB and comes in averaging just 3.65 runs per game ranking 30th in the MLB In scoring offense, they’re hitting .239 as a team which ranks 17th in the league in team batting average. Left fielder Bryan Reynolds has been having a nice season hitting .306 with 17 homeruns and 54 RBIs, it’s just his third season in the MLB, and appears to have bounced back after struggling last season. 

The right-hander Chad Kuhl will get the start for the Pirates and he’s been a solid rotational starter this season. Kuhl is 3-5 with a 4.31 ERA on the year, he had a solid outing in his last outing but has seen an increase in walks this season with 33 walks in 56.1 innings, including five in his five-inning start against the Mets where he allowed two hits and an unearned run in a 4-1 Pirates win.

San Fransisco is an above-average offense this season hitting .244 as a unit which ranks 13th in the league in team batting average, and are sixth in scoring offense scoring 4.92 runs per game. The veterans have stepped up in a big way, including shortstop Brandon Crawford who leads the team in homeruns (18), batting average (.286), and RBIs (58). 

Johnny Cueto will get the start for the Giants and although he hasn’t been dominant, he has been a manageable inning eater for San Fransisco. Cueto is 35-years-old but he’s 6-5 with a 4.01 ERA on the year, he’s dropped his walk rater this season and has a career-high 4.4 K/BB ratio. Cueto is coming off another solid outing pitching five solid innings allowing a run on two hits while striking out five, but the Giants couldn’t provide any run support in a 2-1 loss to the Cardinals.