Both clubs are in the playoff race as they start a three-game series at AT&T Park in front of a ESPN2 audience.
Cincinnati Reds at San Francisco Giants
Cincinnati currently leads the NL Central division by 3 1/2 games with six weeks to go, as the team starts a three-game series against the Giants. The Reds captured a 5-2 victory over the Dodgers on Sunday afternoon giving the team its eighth win in nine games and guaranteed a winning nine-game West coast road trip. “You can’t help but notice we haven’t done much winning in Los Angeles,” first baseman Joey Votto said. “For us to be the team that finally breaks that streak and gets a winning series on the road, it’s a good thing.” The pitching staff has been fantastic since June 17, posting a 3.15 ERA, which is the third-best mark in the majors over that span. Offensively, the club leads the NL with a .272 average and scoring 4.96 runs per game. The Reds are 15-5 in August (+1,020) and 10-4 as a road underdog of +100 to +125 this season (+760).
San Francisco captured a 6-3 road victory over the Cardinals in the opening game of this three-game series in St. Louis. The Giants are now 9-9 in August after completing a 20-8 July, but the club is happy with its recent results overall. In 83 games of scoring three-or-more runs in a game, the team has produced a 62-20 record (.756), which is the second-best winning percentage in the majors in that particular situation. The club is 3-4 in its current 12-game stretch in which they play against opponents in the heart of the playoff picture. San Francisco has posted a 32-31 record on the road this season, which is the fourth-best mark in the National League behind San Diego, Cincinnati and Florida. The team has compiled a 5-7 record as a road underdog of +125 to +150 this season (-30) and the total is 8-4 O/U in those contests. It’s also important to state the Giants are 12-7 when playing on Saturday (+600).
San Diego had its five-game winning streak snapped with Saturday’s 3-2 loss to San Francisco at AT&T Park. “We had our chances,” said manager Bud Black, whose team lost to the Giants for just the second time in 10 chances this season. The Padres left a season-high 16 runners on base and were 2-for-18 with runners in scoring position. The club has posted an impressive 13-5 record on Sundays this year (+880), which is their best winning percentage of any day. San Diego has won each of its last eight Sunday games and 11 of the last 12. With the team being 21 games over .500, it’s important to note that the only other San Diego teams to reach that mark at any point of the season are the two National League champion clubs (1998 and 1994). The Padres bring in a solid 23-13 record in day games this season (+1,160) and the total stands at 17-14 O/U in those contests.
San Diego travels up to San Francisco leading the Giants by 2 1/2 games and are riding a four-game winning streak into this pivotal series. “We’re feeling good about ourselves,” said pitcher Jon Garland. “We can’t get a little overexcited. We just need to go up there an continue to play good baseball.” The Padres picked up their seventh sweep of the season in beating the Pirates in a three-game set and enter with the National League’s best record at 67-46 (+2,360). New addition Ryan Ludwick has been leading the offense, hitting three home runs in his past four games, after hitting just .222 during his first 10 games with the club. The club is a solid 21-11 against left-handed starters this year (+1,190) and the total is 15-16 O/U in those contests. San Diego has compiled a solid 8-4 record as a road underdog of +100 to +125 this season (+520) and are 27-25 in this situation the last three years (+560).
San Francisco entered this four-game series winning 21 of their last 27 games since July 4, but fell 3-2 in defeat in the opener at Turner Field. The Giants have now dropped back-to-back games for the first time since July 1-2. “We’ve won these kind of games. Look at the Dodgers series,” manager Bruce Bochy said after the game. The club has a good chance of bouncing back over the weekend, given its 6-0-2 series record in their last eight sets. San Francisco is 37-33 this season against teams with a record above .500, while going 25-14 versus losing teams. The Giants are 29-28 on the road this season (+120) and the total is 31-25 O/U in those contests. The team is 46-35 when facing right-handed starters in 2010 (+780) and a solid 166-147 in this situation over the last three seasons (+2,580). San Francisco hasn’t dropped three in a row since a season-high, seven-game skid from June 26-July 2.
Los Angeles looks to avoid being swept in this three-game weekend series, after dropping a 2-1 contest on Saturday night to the Giants at AT&T Park. The loss was the Dodgers’ fourth straight, leaving them seven games behind first-place San Diego and 5.5 games back of today’s opponent in the NL Wild Card race. “All we’re doing is digging ourselves a deeper hole that we’re going to have to come back out of if we expect to do anything,” manager Joe Torre said. The team was shorthanded on Saturday due to the trade of Blake Dewitt, Andre Ethier going home to see the birth of his second child and Manny Ramirez still on the disabled list. Los Angeles is 9-7 when playing on Sunday this year (+70) and 37-33 on this day the past three seasons (-160). The club is still 26-15 at tonight’s venue since the 2006 season and have a solid 25-12 record against the division (+1,320).
Los Angeles has fallen 4.5 games back in the NL Wild Card race after last night’s 6-5 road defeat against the Giants at AT&T Park. “I don’t know if we were playing a little soft earlier, but tonight I liked the way we fought back,” said catcher Russell Martin. The club is 5-10 since the All-Star break and has managed to score just 35 runs in that span. Don’t expect things to improve offensively this afternoon, as the Dodgers are averaging just 3.3 runs and hitting for a combined average during the day, leading to a 13-14 daytime record (-290). Outfielder Matt Kemp is the only Dodger with a batting average over .290 in the second half of the season. The Dodgers are not only 4.5 games behind the second-place Giants in the division, they are now seven games out of first place. The starting rotation has done its best to give the club an opportunity to win, posting a 1.54 ERA over the last 13 games, which is the lowest mark in Major League Baseball. Los Angeles is 14-18 against southpaw starters (-930) this season and the total is 17-15 O/U in those contests.
New York started its season-high 11-game road trip by getting shutout in a 2-0 loss to the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park. The Mets have lost four of their last five games and have managed to score just three runs in the four losses. Despite failing to score a run, the lineup received a boost with the return of outfielder Carlos Beltran, playing his first game since May 20, 2009. “After being out for so long and going through a very long process, I was happy,” Beltran said. He went 1-for-4 last night and hit .367 with five RBI in 14 rehabilitation games. New York still holds a 14-8 series edge against the Giants over the last three years and have won the last four series in the Bay Area since 2006. The club has compiled a 14-10 record against left-handed starters this season (+420), with the total being 10-12-2 O/U in those games.
