Playing the total is a definite option for bettors in the first game of this NL series.
San Francisco Giants at Milwaukee Brewers
San Francisco dropped a 4-3 decision to the Colorado Rockies in 15 innings on Sunday at Coors Field. The club is four games into a season-long 11-game road trip that takes the team through three different time zones. “We need to be more consistent on both sides of the ball,” manager Bruce Bochy said. Since June 22, the Giants have lost 10 of 12 games and have been outscored by a 67-42 margin. San Francisco’s recent troubles has caused the team to fall back a season-high 7.5 games in the NL West divisional race. The team has good reason to be confident in playing the Brewers, as the Giants have posted their best record against NL Central opponents this season (15-7). San Francisco played at Miller Park twice last season, going 3-3, but the club has won just six of their last 23 games in Milwaukee.
Giants starting pitcher Jonathan Sanchez is an even 6-6 with a 3.26 ERA in 16 starts this season. The left-hander finished last month with a 3-2 record and 3.94 ERA, allowing opponents to hit .258 against him (.189 May / .167 June). Sanchez has gone 1-3 with a 3.51 ERA in seven road outings in 2010, but has allowed just 33 hits in 41 innings of work. He stands as the fifth toughest pitcher to hit in the NL this season, holding the opposition to a .209 average against. The offense has provided him an average of 3.83 runs per game during the year, which is the 11th-lowest mark in the league. He is scheduled to make his fifth career start and ninth appearance against the Brewers, going 0-1 with a 8.31 ERA.
Milwaukee starts a seven-game homestand leading into the All-Star break, coming off a listless 7-1 defeat against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on Sunday. The Brewers had three players named to this year’s All-Star game, led by three-time starter Ryan Braun. “It is amazing. It is definitely special,” Braun said. The Brewers are just 17-22 at home this season (-1,000) and 6-7-0 in series play. Milwaukee comes in with a winning 9-7 mark against the NL West division this season and won all three meetings against the Giants at Miller Park last season. Power is the name of the game for this squad, tied for first in the league with 102 home runs and ranking third in the majors behind Toronto (120) and Boston (109).
Brewers starting pitcher Dave Bush is 3-6 with a 4.43 ERA in 16 outings (15 starts) this season. He has tossed three consecutive quality starts, going 2-1 with a 2.33 ERA over that span. The Brewers are 5-10 in his starts and he has made nine quality appearances. In six games against the Giants, he stands 1-2 with a 4.75 ERA in six games, including four starts. Bush is 1-4 with a 4.87 ERA in eight home starts this season, issuing 22 walks and striking out 27 in 44.1 innings of work. The right-hander is winless in five day starts, going 0-2 with a 5.06 ERA.
Bettors may look to fade the road team in this contest due to the Giants playing a 15-inning marathon on Sunday. This can’t be done blindly, with the club notching a 140-86 mark on Mondays since 1997 (+5,470). The stat that jumps off the page in his matchup is the Brewers 8-0 O/U mark when playing on Monday this season.
