Padres at Giants
The San Francisco Giants dropped their first five games at AT&T Park this season, but they bring a six-game home winning streak into Monday’s series opener against the San Diego Padres. The Giants have won eight of their last 11 games overall, including a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Angels over the weekend.
San Diego completed a three-game sweep of Colorado on Sunday thanks to a rare contribution from Jedd Gyorko, who slugged a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the 8-6 win. Gyorko is hitting .161 and sharing time at second base with Yangervis Solarte, but he showed signs of breaking out of his lengthy slump against the Rockies. The Giants are hoping for similar results from Casey McGehee, who followed up his three-hit performance on Saturday with an 0-for-4 effort in Sunday’s 5-0 victory. McGehee is hitting .188 with three RBI for the Giants, who also are waiting for Brandon Belt (.217) to record his first home run.
TV: 10:15 p.m. ET, FSN San Diego, CSN Bay Area (San Francisco)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Padres RH Tyson Ross (1-2, 4.55 ERA) vs. Giants LH Madison Bumgarner (2-1, 3.73)
Ross set career highs in starts (31), strikeouts (195) and ERA (2.81) last year, but he’s failed to pitch past the sixth inning in his first five starts this season. The 28-year-old has issued 11 walks in his last three outings but struck out nine on Tuesday, when he allowed four runs over five frames in a 14-3 loss to Houston. Angel Pagan is 5-for-12 against Ross, who earned the win against the Giants on April 12 after yielding three runs over six innings.
Bumgarner outdueled Clayton Kershaw on Wednesday, when he allowed one run with a season-best nine strikeouts over eight innings in a 2-1 victory. The 25-year-old is looking to avenge a poor outing against the Padres on April 11, when he surrendered five runs and 10 hits in three frames. Bumgarner is 6-5 with a 3.80 ERA in 19 career games (18 starts) versus San Diego, while Justin Upton is 11-for-27 with a home run against last season’s World Series MVP.
WALK-OFFS
1. San Francisco SS Brandon Crawford is 9-for-25 with two home runs and seven RBI in his last eight home games.
2. San Diego RHP Joaquin Benoit (arm) made his first appearance since April 27 on Sunday and tossed a scoreless eighth inning.
3. The Giants are 7-2 in Bumgarner’s starts against the Padres at AT&T Park.