The Giants have now caught the Padres for the division lead thanks to some great pitching this month, including Madison Bumgarner and his 7.1 scoreless innings last out. Go G-Men.
Nobody's team in baseball is pitching is as hot as the San Francisco Giants right now.
They posted a team ERA in the month of August of 4.55, which was 13th in the National League. But we are one-third of the way through September and this team's staff has become almost un-hittable, with a league-best 2.25 ERA, a full 0.80 points below the next-best team in the league. Not surprisingly, the Giants are surging and have now tied today’s opponent, the San Diego Padres for the division lead.
The Giants are currently listed as small +104 underdogs to take sole possession of the division lead today.
A big reason the team ERA is the best in the league right now is obviously the performance of the starters and none has any more clutch than rookie lefthander Madison Bumgarner, who started the month off with a bang, shutting down the Diamondbacks with a 7.1 inning, five-hit, shutout performance in one of the toughest places to pitch (Arizona's Chase Field).
This will be his first career start at Petco and don't be surprised if he finds the pitcher-friendly Padres home to his liking.
The Padres are only hitting around .256 vs. lefties this year, and even worse, they've struggled at home recently, winning just three of their last 12 games played there. With the recent struggles of Wade LeBlanc and Kevin Correia, the Padres are expected to start right-hander Tim Stauffer this afternoon for only the third time this season.
Stauffer's much more valuable as a late-inning reliever capable of going two or three innings, a roll he's flourished in this season, and no doubt the Padres would rather have him there than starting but their hand has been forced.
Take the Giants.
Free Pick: Giants +104