The Pirates open a ten-game, West Coast trip tomorrow in San Diego. They’ll play three games there, three in Los Angeles and four in San Francisco.
The Pirates lead the NL East by three games over Montreal and five over Chicago. In the West, the slumping Astros, who once enjoyed a lead of ten and a half games, now lead the Reds by a game and a half.
The Pirates will send John Candelaria (11-8, 3.44 ERA), Bert Blyleven (10-4, 3.71) and Bruce Kison (8-7, 3.72) against San Diego. The Padres will counter with Randy Jones (9-9, 3.72), Gaylord Perry (10-11, 3.29) and Bob Shirley (6-12, 3.01).
