He's back!
For the first time in over a year, Johnny Cueto will take the mound when the Giants try to avenge a frustrating loss to the Pirates at Oracle Park on Tuesday night.
The lively right-hander says he feels "19 years old" in making his return from Tommy John surgery, and is nearly 20 pounds lighter than he was in previous seasons. He's had tremendous success against Pittsburgh throughout his career, having gone 20-4 with a 2.19 ERA across 30 starts. The 20 victories are nine more than Cueto has earned against any other team.
Whereas San Francisco will go with a veteran making his season debut, the Pirates will counter with 23-year-old rookie Mitch Keller (1-3, 8.18). The young right-hander has never faced the Giants and has struggled as of late, allowing at least six runs in four of his last seven starts.
Keller will oppose another rookie for his first batter, as Mauricio Dubon will bat leadoff for the first time as a member of the Giants. The middle infielder is batting .303 across 33 at-bats with two home runs and four RBI in 10 games since being called up to the majors at the end of last month.
Coverage begins with Giants Pregame Live at 5:30 p.m. PT on NBC Sports Bay Area and streaming on the My Teams app.
Sports
Here are the full Giants-Pirates lineups:
San Francisco Giants (69-75)
2B Mauricio Dubon
1B Brandon Belt
3B Evan Longoria
C Stephen Vogt
CF Kevin Pillar
SS Brandon Crawford
RF Jaylin Davis
LF Austin Slater
RHP Johnny Cueto (0-0, 0.00)
[RELATED: Bochy's career managerial record creates very unique stat]
Pittsburgh Pirates (63-81)
SS Kevin Newman
CF Bryan Reynolds
3B Colin Moran
1B Josh Bell
RF Jose Osuna
2B Adam Frazier
C Jacob Stallings
LF Kevin Kramer
RHP Mitch Keller (1-3, 8.18)
