Pittsburgh @ San Francisco preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 8, 2011 ) Pittsburgh 5, San Francisco 0

THE STORY: The Pittsburgh Pirates had a huge weight lifted from their shoulders Monday, thanks to Charlie Morton's second straight scoreless outing. Pittsburgh will try to build on that success Tuesday as it takes on the San Francisco Giants in the middle game of their three-game series at AT&T Park. The Pirates completed the worst homestand (0-7) in their 125-year history before Morton's heroics helped end their 10-game losing streak. San Francisco is in a tailspin of its own and has dropped nine of its last 11 contests, but the club still leads Arizona by one-half game in the National League West.

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

PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates RH James McDonald (7-5, 4.23 ERA) vs. Giants LH Madison Bumgarner (6-11, 3.71 ERA).

McDonald pitched seven innings Thursday for the first time in 24 starts dating to last season but settled for a no-decision against Chicago. The 26-year old has won seven of his last 10 decisions overall and three of four on the road. McDonald faced San Francisco on April 27, tossing six scoreless innings en route to his first win of the season.

Bumgarner suffered his second straight loss Thursday despite allowing just two runs in eight innings against Philadelphia. The 22-year old has yielded three runs or less in six of his last eight outings but is just 3-2 during that span. Bumgarner was outdueled by McDonald in April as he surrendered one run over six frames in the 2-0 loss.

ABOUT THE GIANTS (63-53): San Francisco was shut out for the third time in its last nine games. It fell to 2-6 on its 10-game homestand. LHP Barry Zito, who is on the disabled list with a srained right foot, made a rehab start for Class A San Jose on Monday. The former AL Cy Young Award winner allowed three runs and seven hits in 7 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts. Carlos Beltran missed Monday's contest with an injured right hand. Nate Schierholtz filled in admirably, collecting three of the Giants' six hits.

ABOUT THE PIRATES (55-59): Derrek Lee returned to the lineup Monday after missing four games with a hand injury and hit his second triple of the season but first with Pittsburgh. Garrett Jones' sizzling August continued as he went 4-for-5 and scored twice. Jones is hitting .444 (12-for-27) with seven runs scored. The Pirates allowed 82 runs during their losing streak while scoring just 37.

FINAL PITCH: "We're fortunate we had a little cushion that helped out. That's why we're where we're at. When you do hit a bump in the road, it helps out. You still have to look at the silver lining, and that's that you're still in a good position." -- San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy on remaining atop the NL West despite his team's struggles.