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.
Colorado picked up a 4-3 road victory versus the Padres on Friday night and moved to within 6 1/2 games of the division lead. The Rockies had dropped three in a row heading into this weekend series, but the club has had great success against San Diego this season. “What we talked about at the beginning of the season was winning the division,” shortstop Troy Tulowitzki said. “That’s what gets you into the playoffs the easiest way.” The team has been led offensively by outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, who is riding an 11-game hitting streak and is hitting .500 with six home runs and 14 RBIs over that stretch. The team also remains confident heading into the final two games of the series due to a 33-29 all-time mark at Petco Park. Colorado is 29-24 against the division this season (+140) and the total is 20-32 O/U in those contests.
Philadelphia picked up a 3-2 victory in the series opener over the San Diego Padres last night, as both teams see this matchup as a potential playoff series. The victory snapped a four-game losing streak and moved the Phillies within two games of the Atlanta Braves in the National League East and into a half-game lead over the San Francisco Giants in the NL Wild Card race. Overall this season, the club is 31-32 on the road and hitting .254 with 46 home runs and 251 runs scored in 63 games away from Citizens Bank Park. Philadelphia is 8-6 as a road underdog of +100 to +125 this season (+300) and 36-24 in this situation the past three years (+1,660). The Phillies are also a solid 53-38 in 2010 against right-handed starters (+500) and the total is 44-45 O/U in those contests.
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 Diego picked up an exciting 5-4 win over the Florida Marlins on Sunday in the series finale at Petco Park. The Padres lead the division by 1.5 games over the second-place San Francisco Giants and their pitching staff leads the majors with a 3.25 ERA. “We’re a confident group,” said infielder Jerry Hairston Jr. “The last couple of days have been a little crazy.” The club has the best road record in the National League at 28-20 (+1,440), joining the Giants and Reds as the only teams playing over .500 away from their home ball parks. San Diego is an even 4-4 on the road when the total is 7 or less (+200) and the total is 2-5 O/U in those games. The team has posted a 4-3 record over the last seven games due to limiting opponents to 3.1 runs per game and a .181 combined average.
Florida took game one of this three-game series against the first-place Padres, 4-2, at Petco Park. The club had dropped five of its first six games against San Diego this season, but they have won 10 of 13 at today’s venue. Since going 2-7 against the Friars in 2000, the Fish have tallied a winning 32-29 mark against them. It marked the 12th win in their last 18 games, as they continue a seven-game road trip (3-2) tonight. The Marlins are 32-39 against right-handed starters (-630) compared to 20-12 versus lefties this season. On the season, Florida has gone 15-18 versus NL West clubs and have gone 205-318 against Western foes in their 18 years in the league. Playing on Saturdays has been a bit problematic for the young club, posting a 6-11 record this season (-690), but they are 34-32 over the last three years.
Los Angeles managed to win Tuesday’s opener despite being held to five hits and only collected four in Wednesday’s 6-1 loss to the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. “Unfortunately, when you are not scoring a lot of runs, you’re putting a great deal of stress on the pitching,” manager Joe Torre said. The Dodgers have still won five of seven contests and sit six games back of the Padres in the division. The club is a dominating 25-9 against NL West opponents (+1,630), which is by far the best intra-division mark in baseball. Los Angeles made a move just before last night’s game, acquiring outfielder Scott Podsednik from the Kansas City Royals. He’s among the major league leaders with 30 steals and batting .379 during a current 15-game hitting streak. The Dodgers are an even 13-13 in day games (-190) this season and the total is 10-14 O/U in those contests.
With news about George Steinbrenner passing away rocking the baseball world only two days after former Yankees’ public address announcer Bob Sheppard died, it seems almost wrong to look at the business side of the sport.
