The Giants head into their series with the Padres carrying some momentum after finishing off a sweep of the Cardinals, and they did it the hard way. Each of the three wins came by one run, capped by Wednesday’s series-clinching victory. Now San Francisco gets a chance to do a little damage in the division against a San Diego club still fighting in the National League Wild-Card race.
The Giants are already out of postseason contention and are headed for a sub-.500 finish, but they can still complicate things for teams around them. That’s the backdrop for this weekend set, with the Dodgers again looking like the team to beat in the division.
San Francisco has also been playing better lately. Since Willy Adames went on the injured list, the Giants have posted a winning record.
Friday’s opener features Anthony Molina, who has quickly looked like a different pitcher since joining San Francisco. In his first three games with the Giants, he has a 1.88 ERA and a 3-0 record. Before arriving in San Francisco, Molina had a 5.40 ERA with the Atlanta Braves in five innings.
His last outing came against the New York Mets, when he worked five innings and gave up one hit, one walk, and two runs while striking out six. He’ll be opposed by former Giant Robbie Ray, who is back in San Francisco for the first time since the MLB Trade Deadline.
The Giants will go with Cesar Perdomo in the second game. It will be his third appearance of the year and second start, and he is still looking for his first win with San Francisco.
Perdomo has been sharp, carrying a 0.90 ERA in 10 innings with the club. He most recently faced the Mets and allowed three hits while striking out four.
The finale lands on Sunday Night Baseball, with Logan Webb set to take the mound for San Francisco. The Giants ace is coming off a strong start against the Mets, when he gave up one run on three hits over six innings and struck out eight.
Another outing like that would push Webb’s ERA back into the 3.00s, which is where he’ll want it. He’ll be matched up against Nick Pivetta, setting up a series ender that could stay tight and low-scoring.
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None of that means the picture is settled, of course, but it does give San Francisco something it has needed: a little clarity on which younger pieces are worth carrying forward. The next few weeks will still matter for each of them, and the Giants decisions could shift as they keep evaluating, but the organization is no longer guessing quite as much about who belongs in the long-term conversation. [Read more 🡒]