Matt Cain and Zach Duke for a third pitcher’s duel?

So far, the Pirates are ahead of the Giants by a total score of 4-1 in this series. I don’t think that trend is likely to change much with Matt Cain and Zach Duke on the mound this afternoon. It’s at least arguable that each guy is the best pitcher on his respetive team. That says a lot about Cain, who’s sharing the mound with Tim Lincecum. It says considerably less about Duke, but that doesn’t mean he’s not having a good year.

Of course, my saying that this will be a pitcher’s duel will almost certainly preclude either a high scoring game or some kind of blowout. Whatever results, the Pirates have a chance to kick off their second half with a sweep of the Giants, which would be a terrific pick-me-up for a team that ended the first half so poorly.