The San Diego Padres (61-50, 31-23 home) return home to take on the San Francisco Giants (53-55, 24-28 away) in a three-game divisional series beginning Monday night. San Diego is 6-2 against the Giants this season.
The first pitch of the series-opener is at 9:40 p.m. EST at Petco Park in San Diego, California. The Padres are the betting favorite at -190, and the over-under total is 7.5 runs.
What to Know – San Francisco Giants
San Francisco defeated the Oakland Athletics in a two-game weekend series after getting swept by the surging Los Angeles Dodgers during the week. The Giants sit in third place in the NL West, 22 games back of the Dodgers and 6.5 games behind the Padres.
Left-hander Alex Wood (7-9, 4.42 ERA, 1.25 WHIP) is slated to start on the hill for the visitors. Wood had a superb month of June but was knocked around in his start last week against the Dodgers. For the season, the 31-year-old has pitched 106.0 innings, surrendering 52 earned runs on 106 hits and 26 walks while striking out 105 batters.
The Giants’ offense has struggled at times this year, and the front office dealt slugger Darin Ruf prior to the trade deadline. Wilmer Flores leads the team with 56 runs batted in, thanks to 16 home runs. Joc Pederson has 17 home runs and 44 RBIs in his first season in San Francisco.
San Francisco is 24th in the MLB, batting .234 as a team and scoring 4.6 runs per game. The Giants’ pitching staff is 17th in the majors sporting a 3.93 team earned run average.
What to Know – San Diego Padres
San Diego looks to get things back on track after suffering four-straight losses, including three to divisional rival Los Angeles. The Padres went out at the trade deadline and boosted their roster with hopes of a chance in the postseason. San Diego currently holds the last Wild Card spot.
On the hill for the Friars is lefty Blake Snell (4-5, 4.16 ERA, 1.33 WHIP). The 6’4 southpaw has won four of his last five starts after beginning the season 0-5. Snell’s been particularly sharp as of late, surrendering just two earned runs over three starts (17 innings).
The offense needs to get going for the Padres, and it starts with Manny Machado and the newly acquired Juan Soto. Machado has been the offensive leader with Frenando Tatis Jr. on the shelf, leading the team with a .289 batting average, 19 home runs, and 60 RBIs. The uber-talented Soto has hit safely in four of his first five contests in a Padres uniform.
The Padres offense averages 4.4 runs per contest and sits 18th in the league with a .240 team batting average. San Diego’s pitching staff is 11th in the MLB, featuring a 3.81 team ERA.
The Pick is In
San Diego added pieces to their offense to bolster a roster primed to win now. The Giants were sellers at the deadline and look to have moved on with this season and shifted focus to the future. The Padres are too talented to lose five in a row and get out to an early lead Monday before running away with the contest.
The Pick: San Diego Padres ML
