Giants @ Pirates, 4/19

First, there’s a very good chance this game doesn’t get played or it gets delayed. If it gets delayed, this is still the thread. If it doesn’t get played, this is your evening “Bryan sucks” comments thread.

As I noted in the Series Preview, the Pirates lead the NL Central at 10-6 and despite their cheapskate owner continuing to lower payroll, Neil Huntington and his server room continue to find hidden value in major league castoffs and are still getting solid performance from the remaining star players.

I say solid when maybe “below average” would’ve been more accurate. Their 8.7% walk rate is 17th in MLB, but their 22.6% strikeout rate is 10th-best. They have the 8th-worst xwOBA in baseball right now (.307) and have scored just 59 runs in 16 games. Their team ISO (Isolated Power, defined here) is just .135, 26th in MLB, ahead of the Giants (.130).

The last time Madison Bumgarner pitched in Pittsburgh was back on June 20, 2016 in a complete game 1-0 loss. The lone home run he allowed was a home run to Erik Kratz.

The Giants face Jordan Lyles (maybe), who’s off to a nice start as a starter after being in the Padres’ bullpen for most of last season. He’ll face this Giants lineup: