Game Thread: Bucs and Giants go at it again

Right-hander Joe Musgrove, bad right foot and all, is scheduled to take the mound today as the Pirates (64-82) look to close out their visit to San Francisco (70-76) by taking three out of four.

Musgrove’s sore foot prompted the Pirates to skip his last turn in the rotation --- Friday against St. Louis – but he deemed himself healthy enough to start in today’s 3:45 p.m. series finale at scenic Oracle Park.

Musgrove has reached a career-high innings count of 154 1/3 this season in 28 starts and has compiled a 9-12 record to go with a 4.67 ERA and 136 strikeouts.

Musgrove’s previous high in innings came last year, when he went 115 1/3 in 19 starts.

In his most recent start, which came on Aug. 31 at Colorado, Musgrove scattered eight hits over six innings and yielded three earned runs in an 11-4 win.

He has had his share of solid starts, but the occasional clunker also has surfaced, such as his 10-hit, eight-run outing in a loss to the Mets on Aug. 4.

He also yielded eight earned runs in a three-inning effort against St. Louis in late May and surrendered six earned runs on two other occasions.

He has seen good times as well, though. He went seven shutout innings against the Reds in his first start and has given up two earned runs or less in 10 other starts.

Musgrove’s mound opponent today will be veteran right-hander Jeff Samardzija, who has quietly put together a respectable campaign after being limited to just 10 starts a year ago.

Samardzija has gone 10-11 with an overall 3.64 ERA and 131 strikeouts, and he has been particularly effective in the second half, fashioning a 2.72 ERA and holding batters to a sub-.200 batting average since July 1.

Following today’s matchup, the Pirates’ road swing continues with a 4:05 p.m. start against the Cubs Friday in Chicago.

PIRATES

1 L Adam Frazier 2B

2 S Bryan Reynolds

3 L Colin Moran 3B

4 S Josh Bell RF

5 R Jose Osuna RF

6 S Cole Tucker SS

7 L Kevin Kramer LF

8 R Jacob Stallings C

9 R Joe Musgrove P

GIANTS

1 L Mike Yastrzemski LF

2 R Buster Posey C

3 L Brandon Belt 1B

4 R Evan Longoria 3B

5 R Kevin Pillar CF

6 L Brandon Crawford SS

7 R Jaylin Davis RF

8 R Mauricio Dubon 2B

9 R Jeff Samardzija P