This Friday the (65-70) San Francisco Giants and the (57-79) Chicago Cubs will play game one of this three-game series. The first pitch will be thrown out at 4:05 PM EST inside Wrigley Field. The last time these two teams matched up the Giants ended up taking three of four games.
The San Francisco Giants are coming into this one after a grueling doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers. They also lost their previous series to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Brewers struggled on the mound against Los Angeles, as they will need to be better if they want to challenge the Cubs.
The Chicago Cubs are entering this one after a long series with the Cincinnati Reds. The Cubs were able to split the first two games, as they looked great in game one. They showed up at the dish, as they scored nine runs.
This game was written/published before last night's results.
The San Francisco Giants are currently 4-6 in their last 10 games, as their poor play has kept them out of the third and final NL Wild Card spot. They are currently 9.5 games back from the San Diego Padres for that last spot. The Giants are also in third place in the NL West, as they are still 27.5 games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers.
At the plate, the Giants are scoring 4.56 runs per game and they are hitting .234 as a team. This is the 10th most runs scored per game, but only the 23rd highest overall team batting average. They have struggled to consistently reach base this season, as their power has saved them. They are hitting 1.17 bombs per game, which is the 13th highest average in the MLB. San Francisco has struggled to string together hits in order to create a big inning, but they have multiple guys that can change the game with one swing of the bat. I'm also expecting the Giants to stay fairly conservative once they have reached base safely. The Giants have only stolen 57 bases, which is the 21st most. They can't risk losing these base runners, as they allow their bats to move runners into scoring position.
According to MLB.com, the Giants will be starting Carlos Rodon on the mound. He is currently 12-7 with a 2.92 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. It has been extremely difficult for his opponents to consistently reach base against him. He also looked great in his last start. He pitched for 6.0 innings and he didn't give up an earned run. He shut down the Phillies, but he hasn't been great on the road this season. He is 4-4 with a 3.52 ERA when he is playing away from his home ballpark. The San Francisco bullpen has been up and down this season, as well. They are allowing 4.31 runs per game which is the 23rd highest overall team bullpen ERA. As a team, the Giants are allowing 4.51 runs per game, which is the 19th most in the MLB.