Padres vs Giants Preview: Surging San Francisco Has Won 7 Straight

The Padres vs Giants preview features the two hottest teams in the National League West meeting for a three-game series. The Padres have gone 7-3 in their last 10 games to get within a game of .500. The Giants have won seven straight and are now in second place in the division.

Despite having some big-name hitters in their line-up, the Padres aren’t hitting the ball. The team’s .228 batting average is near the bottom of the league. The Padres are No. 21 in runs scored, so they’re making the most of their hits. The San Diego pitching staff has been solid all year. The MLB stats show the Padres are No. 4 in team ERA. If the hitting comes around, the Padres will be pushing for a playoff berth.

The Giants are No. 8 in team ERA, getting solid work out of their pitching staff. San Francisco is also No. 8 in team batting. With those types of stats, you expect the Giants to be higher in the MLB standings. The Giants have a run differential of +48, which is the highest in the division.

San Francisco is just 18-17 at home this season compared to 21-15 on the road. The Giants are coming off a road sweep of the Dodgers, so they could have a bit of a letdown. While not what it once was, the Dodgers and Giants are still rivals.

Monday’s Game

The Padres vs Giants preview shows San Diego is expected to start Michael Wacha in the opener. Wacha has been solid this MLB season, sporting a 7-2 record and a 2.89 ERA. San Diego has gone 9-4 in the games he’s started and 4-1 on the road.

The Padres are coming into this one after taking two of three from Tampa Bay. San Diego is just 15-19 after a win, but has won four of its last six in that situation.

The Giants have Ryan Walker listed as their starter. Walker has appeared in 11 games this season, but has just 14 1/3 innings pitched, so he’ll most likely just pitch an inning or two. This will be his first start.

The Padres opened as small favorites due to the pitching edge they have. Wacha is definitely more battle tested than Walker, so the line makes sense. The early total is 8.5 and can see the under coming through in this one. The Padres are 4-8-1 in totals with Wacha on the mound this season.

Tuesday’s Game

The Giants are expected to start Anthony DeSclafani in this one. The Padres haven’t announced a starting pitcher for the game. DeSclafani has been pretty average for the Giants so far this season. San Francisco is 7-7 when he starts and 8-6 in totals. At home, the Giants are 4-4 in his starts and 3-5 in totals. Right now, there’s nothing that makes you want to bet on DeSclafani in this spot.

The Giants are 15-14 on the year when playing at home for the second straight day, so no real advantage there. This could be a bullpen game for San Diego, so it will be a question of how the San Francisco hitters adjust to different pitchers.

Wednesday’s Game

The Padres vs Giants preview notes that it’s the Giants’ turn to not have a listed pitcher. The Padres have Yu Darvish down as their starter and he’s been pretty average this season. San Diego is 6-7 when he starts and the Padres are allowing 4.62 runs per game. The Padres are 3-3 when he starts on the road. San Diego has allowed at least four runs in those six road starts and is 4-1-1 in totals with Darvish away from home.

What the Giants do in this one could be dependent on how things play out in Monday’s game. San Francisco probably won’t have two bullpen games in three days unless it can save a few arms on Monday. Calling up a pitcher from the minors is another option for the Giants.

It’s hard to overlook the numbers of Darvish away from home, so the over may well be the best bet in this game.

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