In the second of a three-game series between the Philadelphia Phillies (21-35) and the San Francisco Giants (21-35) at Citizens Bank Park, Severino Gonzalez (2-1, 6.88 ERA) and Madison Bumgarner (6-2, 3.12 ERA) get the start. The Giants won the last game 5-4 and San Francisco leads the series 1-0. The game starts at 3:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jun. 6 and will air on CSN-BAY and CSN-PHI.
In his most recent outing, Gonzalez pitched 4.1 innings, giving up three runs and striking out eight in a 6-3 loss to the Mets. Ryan Howard (.239, 19 Rs, 11 HRs, 27 RBIs) played well again yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one run, one home run, and two RBIs. In his career against the Phillies, Bumgarner is 2-2 with a 2.57 ERA. He meets a struggling Philadelphia offense that’s batting just .236. Brandon Crawford (.293, 27 Rs, 8 HRs, 38 RBIs, 3 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one RBI.
Philadelphia is a heavy +176 underdog in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is seven runs. The Phillies perform poorly as an underdog with an 18-29 record and have an overall money line of -936. They are 1-5 as the underdog over their last 10 games. Don’t expect the Philadelphia hitters to swing wildly. They average only 7.1 strikeouts per game.
Switching to the opposing bench, the Giants come into this game with a win percentage of .483 when playing as the favorite (14-15) and an overall money line of +253. They sport the top-ranked offense in the NL, averaging five runs per game. San Francisco is one of the top hitting teams in the NL with an average of 9.4 hits per contest. The Giants average just 7.0 strikeouts per game, one of the lowest marks in the NL. The Giants are one of the top pitching staffs in the NL, essentially shutting down opponents to the tune of 4.0 runs allowed per game. They also allow just 2.7 walks per game, good for fifth in the NL.
So far this season, the Giants are 1-0 against the Phillies. The Phillies will take on a left-hander (Bumgarner) in this game and have a 4-6 record against left-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Giants will be the right-hander Gonzalez. They sport a 22-21 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – SF, O/U – Under
Notes
Philadelphia has won 33% (9-18) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, San Francisco has won 53% (8-7) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Phillies are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Giants have a 5-6 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Giants are 3-15. The Phillies have a 6-26 record when opponents outhit them.
Philadelphia ranks at the bottom of the league when it comes to home runs, hitting 32 this season. San Francisco ranks in the bottom half at 19th with 46.
Ranking 14th, Philadelphia is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 7.89 per game. San Francisco ranks in the top five at second with 9.38.
Ranking 30th, Philadelphia is at the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.636). San Francisco ranks in the top five at fourth with an OPS of .738.
When the Giants allow at least one home run, they are 15-18. When the Phillies allow one or more homers, they have a 7-25 record.
