The forecast looks good for Thursday's Diamondbacks vs. Giants matchup, with the temperature sitting in the low 60s under a clear sky in San Francisco. The game is set to get started at 3:45 PM ET from Oracle Park. Arizona is 79-61, and they are 3rd in the NL West, while the Giants are 4th in the division at 68-72.
Blake Snell will start for the Giants, and he is facing off against Merrill Kelly for the Diamondbacks. San Francisco is the favorite on the money line, with the odds sitting at -153 compared to the Diamondbacks at +129. The over/under line is currently 7.5 runs.
Arizona vs. San Francisco Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Diamondbacks at Giants
- Where: Oracle Park San Francisco
- Date: Thursday, September 5th
- Betting Odds SF -153 | ARI +129 O/U 7.5
Diamondbacks vs Giants Last Game Recap
It was all Arizona in the last game of this series, as the Diamondbacks took down the Giants by a score of 6-4. The D-backs offense only had two more hits than the Giants and struck out eight times, but still picked up a convincing win. Heading into the game, they were favored at -134 on the money line.
This game featured a starting pitching matchup between Zac Gallen for the Diamondbacks and Hayden Birdsong for the Giants. Gallen only went six innings but didn't give up a hit or a run and finished with eight strikeouts. On the other side, Birdsong was tagged for two homers and two earned runs in just three innings of work.
San Francisco had a late rally in this game, scoring two runs in the 7th and another two in the 9th, but it wasn't enough. The Giants offense actually scored more runs in the game than the Diamondbacks, as they finished with just four hits and struck out 14 times.
Diamondbacks Preview
Arizona is 79-61 overall this season and 5 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West. The Diamondbacks have covered the run line in two straight games as the favorite, but their overall run line record is 30-41, failing to cover by an average of 0.6 runs per game. Their games have averaged 10.2 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 80-53.
As underdogs, the Diamondbacks are 27-21 straight up and 43-26 vs. the run line, covering by an average of 0.7 runs per game. Arizona is currently on a streak of six consecutive overs, and their games have had an average line of 9 runs. Today's O/U line is set at 7.5 runs, and their 7.5-run line record is 11-5.
Right-hander Merrill Kelly gets the start for the Diamondbacks today as he faces the Giants on the road. He has made eight starts this season and has a record of 4-0 with an ERA of 4.30. Kelly's WHIP for the season is 1.28. Looking back at his last outing, Kelly finished with a no-decision against the Dodgers, giving up four earned runs in 5 1/3 innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts. Kelly has allowed at least one homer in each of his last three outings. So far, he has three quality starts this year.
Arizona's offense has been the best in the league this season, averaging 5.4 runs per game. They have been even better at home, putting up 5.6 runs per contest. The Diamondbacks are also near the top of the league in team batting average (.263), on-base percentage (.336), and slugging percentage (.437). Arizona's offense has been especially good at avoiding strikeouts, as they are 7th in the league in this category.
Leading the Diamondbacks in home runs is Ketel Marte, who is also 2nd on the team in RBIs (81) and is batting .298 for the season. Eugenio Suarez has 24 homers this season and is batting .243. Over his last six games, Suarez has gone 8/22 with four homers. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has 17 homers and is batting .274.
Giants Preview
San Francisco is currently on a four-game losing streak and has dropped the first two games of this series against the Diamondbacks. They are 68-72 overall and trail the Dodgers by 16 games in the NL West. The Giants are 4th in the division and have a 21-21 record against NL West teams.
The Giants' games have averaged 8.7 runs per game this season, resulting in a 71-63 over/under record. When the over/under line has been set at 7.5 runs, they have a 29-23 O/U record. San Francisco's run line record is 69-71, and their games have gone over the total in three straight contests.
Left-hander Blake Snell gets the start for the Giants today as he faces the Diamondbacks at home. He has made 16 starts this year and has a record of 2-3 with an ERA of 3.56. Snell's WHIP for the season is currently 1.08. Looking back at his last outing, Snell finished with a no-decision against the Marlins, going seven innings and giving up one earned run on four hits. He pitched well in that outing, as he finished with eight strikeouts and didn't allow a homer. Snell has one complete game shutout this year.
So far this season, the Giants offense is averaging 4.3 runs per game, which is 17th in the league. This is also the 17th ranked home run hitting team in the league. As a team, the Giants are batting .240, which is 14th in the league. San Francisco has two players with over 20 homers, with Matt Chapman leading the team with 22 homers and 69 RBIs. Chapman is batting .247 for the season, while Heliot Ramos comes into the game with a batting average of .274.
Over the team's last five games, Mike Yastrzemski has gone 4/15 with two homers and six runs scored. Tyler Fitzgerald has also been swinging a hot bat, going 6/20 in his last five games. Both Fitzgerald and Jerar Encarnación come into the game on four-game hitting streaks.
Diamondbacks vs. Giants Prediction: Giants ML -153
Our pick for this Diamondbacks vs. Giants matchup is to take the Giants on the money line, with the payout sitting at -153. We actually have the Giants winning this one by a score of 6-5, meaning you could also look to take the over, as the line is currently at 7.5 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Blake Snell finishing with nine strikeouts compared to Merrill Kelly with just four. Snell is also projected to go deeper into the game, and we have him finishing with a line of 5.1 innings pitched, compared to Kelly at 4.2.
