Pittsburgh PiratesPittsburgh Pirates vs. San Diego PadresSan Diego Padres Pick Center

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Pirates leaning on Lyles vs. Padres He's not scheduled to pitch again for five days, but when Trevor Williams unexpectedly walked off the mound at Petco Park in the fourth inning Thursday night, he cast more shadows over an iffy rotation situation for the Pittsburgh Pirates.Williams injured his right oblique in the 4-3 win over the Padres, the opener of a four-game set.Opening Day starter Jameson Taillon remains on the 60-day injured list with an elbow issue. Chris Archer was ineffective in his return from the IL on Wednesday. And Pirates manager Clint Hurdle is still undecided between going with a bullpen start on Saturday or giving Steven Brault -- and his 8.82 ERA -- another opportunity on Saturday.Which makes right-hander Jordan Lyles' start at the San Diego Padres on Friday night all the more important.At the moment, the 6-foot-5 Lyles is the most effective starter in the Pirates' rotation. He is 3-1 with a 2.09 ERA, a 1.09 WHIP and a .200 opponent batting average through seven starts.Lyles, 28, is no stranger to the Padres or San Diego manager Andy Green, having pitched for the Padres during parts of the 2017 and 2018 seasons."I'm not surprised Lyles is having success, and I'm happy for him," Green said Thursday afternoon. "I'm just not wishing him well tomorrow. When he was with us, I liked the stuff, I liked the approach. I thought he was getting close. Now he's put it together." The Pirates are 6-1 when Lyles has started this season, and he held the Cardinals to one run and one hit over six innings in his most recent outing. He is also 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in his first three road starts this season after starting the campaign on the IL.Lyles has had mixed results against the Padres, going 2-4 with a 5.60 ERA, a 1.733 WHIP and a .296 opponent batting average in 12 games (eight starts).But he has always pitched better at Petco Park -- either as a member of the Padres or as an opponent. In that building, he's 2-5 with a 4.42 ERA, a 1.346 WHIP and a .263 opponent batting average in 22 appearances (10 starts).Meanwhile, the Padres will go with left-hander Joey Lucchesi (3-2, 4.57 ERA), hoping he can go deeper Friday night than his average of just over five innings per start."It's important for us that both Eric (Lauer) and Joey start getting deeper into games to help the bullpen," Green said recently. "We have two starters on pitching limits (Chris Paddack and Matt Strahm) plus another rookie (Nick Margevicius) in the rotation. We need Lauer and Lucchesi to pitch deeper into games." Lucchesi went 5 1/3 innings in the rarefied air of Coors Field in Denver in his last outing on Saturday. But the quick hook was more Green's decision than caused by any problems. Lucchesi gave up only one run on three hits and a walk with four strikeouts when he was pulled after just 71 pitches.Over his last four starts, Lucchesi has allowed 10 runs (nine earned) on 22 hits and six walks with 19 strikeouts in 20 innings, for a 4.05 ERA and a 1.400 WHIP.Lucchesi faced the Pirates once last season as a rookie, holding Pittsburgh to no runs on a hit and four walks with five strikeouts over five innings. Like Lyles, he has better numbers at Petco Park, where he is 8-5 in 20 starts with a 3.62 ERA, a 1.294 WHIP and a .251 opponent batting average.--Field Level Media

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