Awww, get ready as the San Francisco Giants go toe to toe with the San Diego Padres at the, oh-so pitcher friendly, Petco Park. I hope the boys have brought their big gloves, and not their big bats, to this one.
The Giants are lending the mound to Spencer Bivens, coming in with a pretty reasonable 3.02 ERA and 1.19 WHIP this season. Not exactly the belle of the ball, but he can still spin a decent waltz when he puts his mind to it.
The Padres, with their sun shining favorably on them this season, are fielding Joe Musgrove. Now Joe, the lad's got a rather concerning 4.09 ERA and 1.27 WHIP but remember, every cloud has a silver lining. Here it's his 8.5 K/9 ratio.
Let's not forget the clout the lads can hit with. Giants' boys Chapman and McCray have been making some noise with their batting averages and homers. However, it appears as though Yastrzemski's still looking for his swing. Similarly, on the Padres' side, Merrill and Machado have been hitting them out of the park left and right. Even Arraez has been making some sweet notes with that .336 batting average.
The recent head-to-head gives us a Cricket score. Three to two in favor of the Giants if my count's correct. But, don’t go painting the town red just yet, San Fran fans. The Padres have been showing some solid regular season form with their 81-62 record. A far cry better than the Giants' less than sterling 69-73.
Based on the recent games, both teams appear to be quite evenly matched, trading blows like two prizefighters in a title match. However, the Padres have that certain je ne sais quoi, a bit of extra pizzazz that lends them the edge. Is it Musgrove's strikeouts, or the timely hits from Merrill and Machado? Your guess is as good as mine.
Now, it's prediction o'clock. Remember, I've been wrong before, I could be wrong again.
Albert’s Prediction: San Diego Padres by 2