MLB Game Preview - San Diego at San Francisco
Thu Jul 30, 2020 9:45 PM EDT

WSH
6
TOR
4
F
NYY
8
BAL
6
F
BOS
4
NYM
2
F
CLE
2
MIN
0
F
TB
1
ATL
2
F
KC
5
DET
3
F
LAD
6
ARI
3
F
SEA
8
LAA
5
F
SD
12
SF
7
F(10)
CHC
CIN
PPD
Padres-Giants Preview
Thu Jul 30, 2020 9:06 AM

The San Diego Padres will be shooting for their second straight series win when they visit the San Francisco Giants in the finale of a three-game set between California rivals on Thursday night.

The Padres appeared to have overpowered the Giants for a second consecutive time Wednesday, using home runs from Manny Machado and Trent Grisham as the foundation for a 6-2 lead.

However, the Giants, held to just two homers in their first five games, fired back, eventually taking a 7-6, walk-off win when Mike Yastrzemski led off the bottom of the ninth with his second homer of the game.

Alex Dickerson and Donovan Solano also homered for the Giants, who have a chance Thursday to record their first series win of the season, having split their season-opening four-game set in Los Angeles against the Dodgers.

San Diego's Dinelson Lamet will start Thursday against Kevin Gausman in a battle of right-handers.

Lamet (1-0, 1.80 ERA) pitched well in his season debut Saturday at home, limiting the Arizona Diamondbacks to one run and five hits in five innings. He struck out eight and walked one.

The 28-year-old is 1-1 with a 3.09 ERA against the Giants in two career appearances -- both starts in San Francisco.

Lamet displayed a 100 mph fastball in the Arizona game and averaged 97.8 mph on his four-seamers. He pitched in 14 games (all starts) last season as he came back from Tommy John surgery the year before. He struck out 105 batters in 73 innings, going 3-5 with a 4.07 ERA. He struck out 139 batters in 114 1/3 innings in 2017 before sustaining his elbow injury.

Who will follow Lamet to the mound is anybody's guess. The Padres have used 11 different relievers in their first six games, closing with Drew Pomeranz on Tuesday after Kirby Yates had been their finisher previously.

"Some teams you only have a few guys you can trust in those situations," Pomeranz said when asked if he was surprised to get the late call Tuesday. "The depth that we have gives guys a break when they need it and it can keep us fresh and balance everything out. You've got this big group of guys that are quality arms, and that can go a long way."

Gausman (0-0, 4.50 ERA) will be making his first start as a Giant after allowing three runs, two earned, in four innings Friday against the Dodgers. Pitching for the Atlanta Braves and the Cincinnati Reds last year, he made 17 starts in his 31 appearances, finishing 3-8 with a 6.37 ERA as a starter.

Gausman has never faced the Padres in his eight-year major league career.

He will hope for offensive support from Yastrzemski, who continued his fast start Wednesday with a single and his first two homers of the season, including the game-winner.

The multi-hit performance was his fourth in six games this season.

Giants manager Gabe Kapler took time after the game to praise his players not only for rallying but also for exercising social distancing in their postgame celebration.

"We're tightening things up a little bit," he said, noting that the club's medical staff had addressed the team before the game. "To see our players kinda in a moment when it could have been really easy to jump all over each other, to kinda respect (the message to make healthy choices) ... that was really encouraging and does really speak to their character."

--Field Level Media

Team Record Comparison

Team Standings GB W-L Aw/Hm Stk L10
San Diego            
San Francisco            

Scheduled Starting Pitchers

Dinelson Lamet - LAD
Matchup
Season
vs. Opp Has not pitched vs. San Francisco
Kevin Gausman - TOR
Matchup
Season
vs. Opp Has not pitched vs. San Diego

Hot Batters (Last 10 team games)

Injury Report

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