The Giants come into town for a huge NL West showdown that will go a long way in deciding the divisional race.
San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres
San Francisco enters this weekend series following a 3-1 loss in Arizona on Wednesday, ending a four-game winning streak and dropping the club two back in the Wild Card race. “We weren’t under the allusion that we were going to win the rest of the games,” said manager Bruce Bochy. “There’s some baseball left here.” Over the last nine games, the starting rotation has posted a 2.54 ERA and seven quality starts. The Giants have 22 games left on their schedule and are 36-37 on the road this season (+100). After beginning the year with a 8-19 record against the NL West, the team has bounced back nicely to pick up victories in 19 of its last 29 divisional contests. San Francisco is an even 12-12 as a road underdog of +100 to +125 (+130) and the total is 11-13 O/U in those games.
Giants starting pitcher Matt Cain is an even 10-10 with a 3.18 ERA in 28 starts this season and the club has won his last three outings overall. Over that span, the offense has provided 25 runs of offense, as he has given up nine runs and 18 hits over 21.1 innings of work. San Francisco has won eight of his last 10 games overall. The right-hander has a disappointing 3-7 record and 3.69 ERA in 14 road starts, as opponents are hitting for a combined .258 average. In 21 previous starts versus the Padres, Cain has compiled a 4-8 mark and 3.12 ERA, as he’s made more appearances against them than any other team over his career. He has produced a 1-1 record and 2.91 ERA in four road starts versus the NL West.
San Diego is back on track due to sweeping the Dodgers in a three-game series that directly followed a season-high 10-game losing streak. “We are in a position right now where in the month of September every game is going to be touch, especially with the team that’s right behind you right now,” second baseman David Eckstein proclaimed. The Padres offense still needs to get back on track, scoring four or less runs in each of their last 12 games. The club is a stellar 11-5 after tossing a shutout (+700) and the total is 2-12 O/U in those contests. San Diego is surprisingly just three games over .500 against the NL West (32-29, +280) and 93-110 versus the division over the last three campaigns (-1,040).
Padres starting pitcher Jon Garland has a 13-10 record and 3.31 ERA in 28 starts this season and comes in on a two-game losing streak. In his last two outings, the offense has managed just three runs of support, as he has given up six runs (five earned) and 10 hits over 11 innings of work. The right-hander is 7-4 with a 2.68 ERA in 15 home starts, issuing 48 free passes and collecting 62 punch outs in 90.2 frames. The 30-year-old veteran has gone 5-4 with a 2.85 ERA in 10 second-half starts, with his .209 opponents average ranking eighth best in the NL since the All-Star break. Garland is a perfect 3-0 in four career starts against the Giants, with the team being 4-0 in those games.
Bettors will find that the Giants are 8-2 in Cain’s last 10 starts overall and 4-0 in his last four appearances against the division. On the other end, San Diego has posted a 13-3 record against the San Francisco right-hander in the last 16 meetings.
