The San Francisco Giants moved one game behind the Dodgers for the NL West lead. But before they take control of the division, they’ll need to be able to solve their home woes starting with a primetime showdown against the San Diego Padres.
The Padres have had plenty of success against San Francisco with starter Odrisamer Despaigne on the mound. Can the Padres starter lead them to a big win over Madison Bumgarner and the Giants? Read on for a complete look at this NL West clash.
For more big-time Major League games tonight, check out the complete previews for the Astros vs. Angels and Royals vs. Mariners.
[sc:MLBArticles ]San Diego Padres vs. San Francisco Giants
Where: AT&T Park, San Francisco, CA
When: Tuesday, June 23, 10:15 PM ET
Line: San Diego Padres (+170) at San Francisco Giants (-200); total 6.5 – view all MLB lines
Betting on the San Diego Padres
After losing seven of their last 10 games, the San Diego Padres have a chance to crawl back to a .500 record with Odrisamer Despaigne on the mound (3-5, 4.92 ERA).
[sc:MLB240banner ]Despaigne went 2-0 with a 0.45 ERA in three starts against the Giants last season, and he has limited the Giants to hit .101 against him in his career. The Giants are averaging a majors-worst three runs at home — their worst since averaging 2.91 in 2011.
Despaigne already faced the Giants earlier this season, pitching 4.2 perfect innings of relief in April 9. But the Padres starter struggled greatly on the road this season, going 1-3 with a 6.00 ERA in six appearances. He has two losses on the road this month, allowing 10 runs on 17 hits (three home runs) in 12 innings.
The Padres could also make some noise at the plate. Justin Upton has hit 3 of 5 against San Francisco’s Madison Bumgarner this season, and 12 of 30 in his career. Derek Norris has also been a hot batter against Bumgarner, going 6 for 14 lifetime.
The total has gone over in five of San Diego’s last seven games.
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Betting on the San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants aren’t that good at playing at home this season, going 17-18 compared to their 21-15 record on the road. They had lost nine straight at AT&T Park before a 7-0 shellacking of Seattle on Tuesday last week. San Francisco’s struggle is mostly due to a paltry offense at home.
Buster Posey, who leads San Francisco with 10 homers, is hitting .179 with three RBIs in his last nine games at AT&T Park. To add, Brandon Belt is batting merely .185 in his last eight games at home, and San Francisco’s batters may continue to underperform in this game. Posey is hitless in 10 career at-bats against San Diego’s Despaigne. The team’s RBI leader (with 42), Brandon Crawford, is 1 for 8 in his career against the Padres starter.
Despite their struggles at the plate, the Giants have Madison Bumgarner (7-4, 3.09 ERA) to help keep them out of trouble. Bumgarner has lost his last two starts despite posting a 1.69 ERA. The Giants ace has a 1.91 ERA in his last five home starts, including a 2-0 victory over San Diego on May 4.
But Bumgarner’s worst start of the season came against the Padres. He was tagged for five runs on 10 hits in just three innings of a 10-2 road loss in April.
The Giants have won six of their last eight home games against San Diego.
Writer’s Prediction
The Padres take advantage of San Francisco’s home woes. Take San Diego at +170.
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