Chris Heston (1-1, 0.69 ERA) and Rubby De La Rosa (2-0, 7.15 ERA) take the hill in the third of a four-game series between the San Francisco Giants (3-9) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (6-5) at AT&T Park. The Giants lost the last game 9-0, continuing an eight-game losing streak. Action begins at 9:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, Apr. 18 and can be seen on FSN-AZ and CSN-BAY.
Heston pitched 7.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering one, striking out five and walking two in a 2-0 defeat to the Rockies. Angel Pagan (.370, 4 Rs, 3 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 3 yesterday. De La Rosa is 1-0 with an 8.18 ERA when pitching against the Giants. He is up against a below-average San Francisco offense which is hitting just .224 this season. Jake Lamb (.440, 4 Rs, 1 HR, 9 RBIs, 1 SB) has been successful at the plate to the start the season for the Diamondbacks, going 2 for 3 yesterday with two RBIs.
San Francisco is a -132 favorite against Arizona and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at seven runs. The Giants have recorded an overall money line of -610 and have shown a weak performance as a favorite this season with a record of 1-4. San Francisco has had a discouraging season against division opponents, earning records of 1-4 and 3-8 as the favorite and SU respectively. San Francisco’s batters do not strike out very often, with only 7.3 per game.
In games where it is the underdog, Arizona has a 4-4 record and an overall money line of +166. They are 4-4 as the underdog against teams in their division, and 5-5 SU. The Diamondbacks are tough outs for opponents, ranking fifth in the NL with 8.1 hits per game.
The Diamondbacks lead the season series, 3-2. The Giants have a bad 0-3 record at home (3-7 overall) against right-handed starting pitchers, which is what they’ll be facing when De La Rosa takes the mound. Heston (RHP) will be on the hill against the Diamondbacks, who have a 2-4 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – ARI, O/U – Over
Notes
Arizona earned its second shutout of the season in its last game. San Francisco has been shut out three times this season.
When the Diamondbacks play into extra innings, they have a 2-0 record. The Giants are 1-1 when their games exceed nine innings.
The Arizona batters brought in a solid 18 hits last game. San Francisco has a record of 0-2 when their opponents get that many hits or more.
When they are outhit, the Giants are 1-5. The Diamondbacks have a 2-4 record when opponents outhit them.
San Francisco ranks near the bottom of the league at 23rd when it comes to home runs, hitting seven this season. Arizona ranks in the bottom half at 20th with eight.
Ranking seventh, San Francisco is in the top 10 of the league in hits, notching 7.80 per game. Arizona ranks in the top five at fifth with 8.11.
Ranking 22nd, San Francisco is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.628). Arizona ranks in the top 10 at 10th with an OPS of .716.
When the Diamondbacks allow at least one home run, they are 4-4. When the Giants allow one or more homers, they have a 0-4 record.
