THE BULLPEN

The crack of the bat, the thrill of the hit! Your first-place Pittsburgh Pirates begin a 4-game series in the city by the bay tonight as they take on the San Francisco Giants. These are your keys to tonight's game. 1)Pirates catcher Russell Martin has thrown out an MLB-best 24 runners this season. The Giants don't want to run on Frenchy. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200! 2)The Pirates start lefty Jeff Locke tonight. While Locke is 9-4 with a 2.90 ERA, he has been down on his luck, of late. Locke is winless in his last 5 starts. He last won back on July 21. Help Locke change his luck. Give him the ol' Hit, Run, & Score! 3)Locke has been good on the road this year. In 12 road starts, he's 5-2 with a 1.81 ERA. The Giants counter with RH Matt Cain, 8-8 with a 4.35 ERA. In Cain's last 6 start versus the Pirates, he is 3-0 with a 1.24 ERA. Hit him early, hit him often, hit him HARD. The Pirates didn't get the sweep yesterday, losing to San Diego 2-1. Both St Louie and Cincy won but we still lead the NL Central. St Louie is 1 game back and Cincy is 2.5 out. Time to have some San Francisco treat! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!