Pittsburgh @ San Francisco preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 1, 2014 ) San Francisco 8, Pittsburgh 0

The San Francisco Giants posted a major league-best 21 victories in May and look to carry that over to June as they host the red-hot Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday in the opener of their three-game series. San Francisco had won 13-of-15 contests before dropping the last two against Atlanta, coughing up a two-run lead late in a 7-5 loss on Sunday.

The Giants topped the National League by scoring 148 runs last month as they were led by Brandon Crawford (23 RBIs), Brandon Belt (seven homers, 13 doubles, 17 RBIs) and Buster Posey (five homers, 17 RBIs). Gerrit Cole will try to cool off San Francisco and tie for the major league-lead with his eighth victory. The Pirates split a four-game set at San Diego that concluded with a 7-1 defeat on Sunday, after winning six straight. Former NL MVP Andrew McCutchen is batting .378 with five homers and 17 RBIs over his last 23 games while Francisco Cervelli is 13-for-27 in his last eight for Pittsburgh.

TV: 10:15 p.m. ET, ROOT (Pittsburgh), CSN Bay Area (San Francisco)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates RH Gerrit Cole (7-2, 2.11 ERA) vs. Giants RH Ryan Vogelsong (4-2, 4.24)

Cole has limited opponents to two runs or fewer in eight of his last nine starts, including four straight, and has recorded 25 strikeouts while issuing only two walks in his last three outings. The 24-year-old, who has completed at least six innings in eight of his 10 turns, surrendered two solo homers over seven frames in a 5-2 win over Miami last time out. Belt has homered against Cole, who is 2-0 with a 3.14 ERA in two starts versus the Giants.

Vogelsong has turned around his season with four straight victories in a span of five starts in which he has given up a total of four runs. The 37-year-old North Carolina native yielded 20 earned runs in his first five outings of the campaign, surrendering eight of his nine homers in those contests. Neil Walker is 7-for-16 with four doubles versus Vogelsong, who is 2-3 with a 3.38 ERA in five career starts against the Pirates.

WALK-OFFS

1. San Francisco 2B Joe Panik went 33-for-105 in May, hitting safely in 25-of-28 contests.

2. The Pirates, who won two of three at San Francisco last year, have registered at least one extra-base hit in 16 consecutive games.

3. The Giants lead the NL in batting average (.272) and are second in on-base percentage (.333), while Pittsburgh is second in ERA (3.10).

PREDICTION: Pirates 4, Giants 2