Jeff Samardzija (10-9, 4.17 ERA) and the San Francisco Giants (69-58) go up against Joel De La Cruz (0-6, 4.47 ERA) and the Atlanta Braves (47-81) in the first of a three-game series at AT&T Park. The game gets underway at 10:15 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 26 and will air on KNTV and FSSO.
In his most recent outing, Samardzija pitched 7.0 innings, giving up two runs, striking out seven and walking one in a 2-0 loss to the Mets. Brandon Belt (.274, 60 Rs, 14 HRs, 63 RBIs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run and one RBI. The Braves were victorious the last time De La Cruz pitched. He did not do well, pitching 5.2 innings, allowing six runs, striking out four and walking two in a 7-6 victory over the Nationals. Freddie Freeman (.288, 76 Rs, 26 HRs, 62 RBIs, 4 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one RBI.
San Francisco is a considerable -190 favorite at home and the Over/Under (O/U) for this matchup is set at seven runs. The Giants perform well as a favorite with a 50-32 record, but haven’t fared as well with the overall money line (-500). They are 2-6 as the favorite over their last 10 games. They have been very patient at the plate, ranking third in the NL with an average of 3.6 walks per game. Turning to the pitching and defensive side, the San Francisco pitching staff and defense has been very good, only giving up 4.1 runs per game. The Giants don’t allow many hitters to get on base, ranking fifth in the league with a 1.229 WHIP.
On the other side, the Braves have a subpar record of 43-70 when they are the underdog and are -1,058 overall with the money line. They have played poorly as the underdog as of late. They managed a 2-7 record when playing as the underdog and a SU record of 2-8. Atlanta has been playing better lately, averaging 5.4 runs per game, more than their season average of 3.7. Opposing pitchers have routinely struggled to strike out the Atlanta batters, who rank second in the NL with 7.7 strikeouts per road game. Atlanta’s pitching staff has allowed an average of 7.8 runs per game during the last 10 games, higher than their season average of 4.9.
The Giants will take on a right-hander (De La Cruz) in this game and have a 44-42 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. The right-handed Samardzija will take the mound against the Braves, who have a 33-54 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – SF, O/U – Over
Notes
San Francisco is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 8 of San Francisco’s last 12 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Francisco’s last 5 games at home.
San Francisco is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games at home.
San Francisco is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Atlanta.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Francisco’s last 5 games when playing at home against Atlanta.
San Francisco is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Atlanta.
When leading after seven innings, San Francisco is 25-21, while Atlanta is 16-31.
The Braves are coming off of a weak pitching game where they recorded five strikeouts. The Giants have a record of 26-12 when opponents’ pitchers have five strikeouts or less.
When they outhit their opponents, the Braves are 35-19. The Giants have a 50-14 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 30th in runs, Atlanta has earned 478 this season. San Francisco ranks 17th with 565 runs.
Ranking 14th, Atlanta is in the top half of the league in walks, notching 388 this season. San Francisco ranks in the top five at fourth with 463.
The Giants are 45-27 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Braves are 26-32 when they hit at least one homer.
