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Pirates try to make it back-to-back wins over Giants

Aug 9, 2011 - 2:39 PM (Sports Network) - Now that their 10-game losing streak is in the past, the Pittsburgh Pirates can focus on getting back to business.

Recording back-to-back victories is first on the agenda for Pittsburgh, which will continue its three-game series against the San Francisco Giants tonight at AT&T Park. The Pirates won Monday's opener of this set, 5-0, and prevailed for the first time since beating Atlanta back on July 28 at Turner Field.

Charlie Morton kept the Giants off the scoreboard through eight innings for the win and allowed six hits to improve to 9-6 on the season. Jose Veras closed the door in the ninth for Pittsburgh, who also ended a three-game road losing streak and sits 9 1/2 games off the NL Central lead.

"He was very effective keeping the ball down," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "He had a good breaking ball, good composure, good rhythm and tempo on the mound. It was an excellent outing for Charlie, just what we needed."

Garrett Jones had four hits and scored twice, while Ryan Ludwick knocked in two runs in the win. Pirates first baseman Derrek Lee returned to the lineup Monday after missing five games with a left hand contusion and went 1-for-4. Brandon Wood has hit safely in seven of his last eight games and is batting .306 in 19 games since the All-Star break.

The Pirates will visit Milwaukee for three games on this current road trip and are counting on James McDonald to keep the ballclub in the win column when he takes the mound this evening. McDonald defeated the Giants back on April 27 at PNC Park, tossing six shutout innings of four-hit ball in a 2-0 victory. He is 1-1 with a 2.66 earned run average in nine career games (2 starts) against San Francisco.

McDonald is 0-1 over his previous two starts and did not post a decision in Thursday's 7-6 home loss to the Chicago Cubs. He allowed four runs and four hits in seven innings of work, and remained at 7-5 on the season through 22 starts to go along with a 4.23 ERA. The right-hander is 4-4 in 11 road starts.

San Francisco reverted back to its losing ways last night after salvaging the finale of a four-game series versus Philadelphia with a 3-1 win on Sunday. In last night's blanking at the hands of the Buccos, All-Star hurler Ryan Vogelsong was reached for five runs and nine hits in five innings to fall to 9-2 on the season.

Nate Schierholtz led the Giants' offense with three hits, but it wasn't enough to prevent the defending World Series champions from losing for the ninth time in 11 tries. The Giants, who lead the NL West by a half-game ahead of Arizona, are 2-6 on a 10-game homestand and did not have new outfielder Carlos Beltran on Monday because of a strained right wrist. He underwent an MRI Monday.

"He's still day-to-day," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said following Monday's contest. "We'll check on him tomorrow. I can't tell you when he will play next. It could be tomorrow or we could wait until Friday. That's what it is right now, sprained wrist."

San Francisco has scored a total of six runs in the past five games and hope to give Madison Bumgarner some support when he toes the rubber tonight by the Bay. Bumgarner has lost consecutive starts and pitched well in Thursday's 3-0 loss to the Phillies, allowing just two runs and six hits over eight innings with nine strikeouts and a pair of walks.

The setback dropped Bumgarner to 6-11 in 23 starts, but lowered his ERA slightly from 3.80 to 3.71. Opposing hitters are batting .274 off of the left- hander, who is only 3-6 in 12 home starts this season. Bumgarner faced the Pirates for the first time in his career in the aforementioned 2-0 loss on April 27, as he delivered six innings of one-run ball and seven K's.

San Francisco won two of three meetings in Pittsburgh from April 26-28 and is 10-6 in this series since the beginning of the 2009 campaign.