Game Thread: Trevor Williams leads the Bucs on Barry Bonds Night in San Francisco

After splitting the first two games of the season, Pirates’ right-hander Trevor Williams (9-8, 3.88) will face the Giants left-hander Ty Blach (6-6, 4.28)

With the Pirates in town, the team with whom Barry Bonds played his first six seasons, the San Francisco Giants will tonight retire Bonds’ number 25.

Before the Cardinals’ Matt Carpenter’s fifth inning homer off Williams on Monday, in a game St. Louis won 2-1, Williams hadn’t given up a run in three starts and had a streak of 22 scoreless innings.

The 27 year old Blach is a soft tossing lefty who will be making his 13th start along with 20 relief appearances this season. With a fastball that averages only 89.8 mph this year, he’s struck out only 4.9 batters every 9 innings, after a mark of 4.0 last year. Blach throws his 2-seam fastball 52% of the time and a change up 24%. The owner of a 4.38 career ERA over three seasons, he is good at suppressing the homer, allowing only six this year in 94 ²⁄₃ innings.

*I have to do this a little early tonight and lineups are not yet posted. I’ll be out for awhile and may not be back for game time. Other members of the staff are encouraged to insert the lineups when they become available.

UPDATE:

Pirates

1. Corey Dickerson, LF
2. Starling Marte, CF
3. Gregory Polanco, RF
4. David Freese, 3B
5. Francisco Cervelli, C
6. Josh Bell, 1B
7. Josh Harrison, 2B
8. Jordy Mercer, SS
9. Trevor Williams, P

Giants

1. Andrew McCutchen, RF
2. Buster Posey, C
3. Evan Longoria, 3B
4. Brandon Crawford, SS
5. Austin Slater, 1B
6. Alen Hanson, LF
7. Joe Panik, 2B
8. Steven Duggar, CF
9. Ty Blach, P