(SportsNetwork.com) - The San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates both turn to replacement starters for Monday's series opener at PNC Park.
San Francisco sent right-hander Matt Cain to the disabled list on Sunday because of a cut on the tip of his right index finger, which happened last Tuesday while trying to make a sandwich. In his place, right-hander Jake Dunning was recalled from Triple-A after making one start at Fresno. The team was also considering Yusmeiro Petit and Tim Hudson as options.
For Pittsburgh, lefty Jeff Locke gets the call in place of injured southpaw Wandy Rodriguez (right knee inflammation). Locke was 0-2 with a 5.04 ERA in five starts with Triple-A Indianapolis. He was an All-Star last season but struggled badly down the stretch, posting a 6.66 ERA over his final 11 starts before ultimately being left off the postseason roster.
"He's certainly had his share (of challenges) since the second half of last season," manager Clint Hurdle said. "This is a great opportunity for him to embrace what he has and to keep focused on where he wants to go, and how to get there."
Locke faces a tough task in trying to shut down a San Francisco team that has won five straight and nine of 10 overall. The Giants, who are in the midst of a 10-game road trip, have gone deep in 11 straight games and rank second in the majors with 41 homers on the season. They hit seven over the course of this weekend's three-game sweep over Atlanta, their first road sweep against the Braves in 16 years.
"The power this year has been really nice," said Madison Bumgarner, who tossed six scoreless innings in Sunday's 4-1 win. "We haven't had a whole lot of it in the past. It lets you know that your lineup is dangerous. It puts a lot of pressure on the other pitcher and the other team."
Brandon Crawford launched two home runs on Sunday while the pitching continued to dominate. The Giants' starting rotation has allowed four earned runs during the winning streak while the bullpen has not given up a run in 12 1/3 innings.
Things have not gone so well for the Pirates, who are seven games below .500 and coming off Sunday's 7-2 loss. They managed only four hits for the game as they lost for the 13th straight time when being held to three or fewer runs.
Pittsburgh went 4-3 against the Giants last season, although the teams were even in runs scored (36-36) for the season series.
[SportsNetwork.com]
