Minutes from now the Pirates will take on the Giants in San Francisco. Tonight is game two in the series. The Giants took game one yesterday 5-4. Benitez got the win and Marte the loss. The Pirates are sending Victor Santos to the hill and they are a +123 underdog. The Giants are a -133 favorite and Matt Morris will be going for them tonight. The under/over is set at 9 with the under being -130 and the over being +110.

The Pirates are 5-5 over their last 10, but they have lost 3 in a row. They are just 5-11 against the West and 5-25 on the road—ouch. They have their work cut out for them tonight. Over their last 10 games, they are scoring 5 runs per game. However, they have on 12 run game in Milwaukee and a 9 run affair in hitter-friendly Colorado. If we set these two game down to 5 runs, the more appropriate number is 3.9 runs per game, which is a little bit lower than their 4.6 average.

The Giants are 6-4 over their last 10 games. They are 11-12 against the Central and 17-14 at home. The big question, as usual, is will Bonds play? The answer is nope. He is sidelined for tonight’s game, which is about a 1 run loss in the Giants scoring. They are scoring 4.7 runs per game, which is slightly higher than their 4.33 season average. However, one game was a 14 run bashing against Florida. If we alter the number down to 4.7, the new number is 3.77 runs per game. Looks like both of these teams are scoring about the same lately. Remember, Bonds is not in the lineup.

Victor Santos has a 4.70 ERA and is 4.01 on the road. He has been pitching somewhat well of late. His last two outings were against San Diego and Milwaukee. He went 5 and 6 innings respectively and gave up 1 run in each game. He has not faced the Giants yet this season. If past performance is utilized, he will most likely pitch 5-6 innings. Getting 7 would be a miracle.

Matt Morris has a 5.32 ERA and is 5.40 at home. He is pitching about average recently. If his last three starts are indicators, he will pitch 6 innings tonight and give up 3-4 runs. He will give up 6 hits and a couple of walks. He has not faced the Pirates yet.

This game on paper looks to be an under play and both teams seemingly are somewhat matched since Bonds is not playing. However, tonight’s game features two currently below average teams going against two somewhat average pitchers—anything could and probably will happen.