Pittsburgh Pirates vs. San Francisco Giants – Game 8

Opening Pitch:  9:05 PM EST

Where To Watch: Root Sports, MLB.TV, CSN-BA (San Fran)

Charlie Morton, RHP (28)

Whenever I search Charlie Morton on Baseball Refernce I always wish he was Charlie Hazen Morton.

Anyway, Morton will be making his first start of the season.  He was placed on the Disabled List while he recovered from off-season hip surgery.  Thankfully he didn’t catch pneumonia.

Morton had an unreal year last year, despite his troubles against lefties (.364/.460/.500!).  Morton just took Roy Halladay‘s motion and made it his own, winning ten games for the first time in his career.

Morton made just one rehab start and if it is any indication on how he will perform we are in for a hell of a season.

Morton was downright awesome against the Giants last season.

It sucks that he only got one win out of such a strong line.

Except for the walks I take those numbers every single day.

By the way, that win came at AT&T Park.

Pleeeeeeeasssssse give me another one of those Chaz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

His overall body of work against the Giants is actually pretty good.

He does have two losses at AT&T though.

It’s hard to tell what you’ll get though with Morton because, like Jeff Karstens, he was a completely different pitcher last year.

Barry Zito, LHP (33)

It really seems like the Pirates have seen an inordinate amount of lefties thus far doesn’t it?

Zito has been weird, both in the sense of his personality and his stats. He has mostly been labeled a bust because of his insane salary and lack of results. Still he is capable of absolutely destroying a lineup, like he did in his first outing.

Zito pitched a complete game shutout, allowing just four hits. He walked no one and struck out four. When his curveball is working you can’t get good wood on it. It is possibly the best curve in history, and that isn’t a stretch. That pitch won him a Cy Young (I know ANOTHER CY Young winner), and made him a three time All Star. He can pitch.

His big problem last year was the same as Morton’s. Lefties killed him (.294/.390/.588).

He did not face the Pirates at all last season, though he has faced them five times in his career.

You almost have to expect him to get hit a bit since his fastball is basically junk so I guess those numbers aren’t all that bad.

Like I said, he didn’t pitch bad against the Bucs, but he wasn’t overly great either.

I think it is safe to say we see Rod Barajas in this one…..