The San Francisco Giants wrap up their three-game series with the San Diego Padres on Wednesday in San Diego. The Giants sit in third place, well out of the race for the division but still within striking distance for a wildcard berth. The second-place Padres, meanwhile, have struggled after loading up their roster looking for that ever elusive championship. The pitching matchup for Wednesday afternoon's game will be Jakob Junis (4-3, 3.05) of the Giants taking on lefty Sean Manaea (6-6, 4.74) of the Padres. Game time is set for 4:10pm EST.
The Giants have put themselves in a position that they have very little room for error down the stretch if they hope to return to the playoffs for a second straight season. After a strong start to the season, the Giants floundered over the latter stages of the first half and limped into the break in third place in the NL West Division. By the time the trade deadline rolled around, the Giants decided to lay low and didn't become major sellers or major buyers. After getting swept by the Dodgers at the trade deadline, the Giants came back to win three straight games, including the series opener vs. the Padres. On Tuesday night, the Giants rallied for three runs in the top of the 9th inning only to watch Manny Machado launch a three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth to fall 7-4 to the Padres in game two of the series.
The boys on the bump were NOT messing around tonight ??
(#SFGiants x @NationalPro) pic.twitter.com/0qxYdLLhFF
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) August 9, 2022
The Giants have struggled to gain any traction this season and the main culprit has been the team's pitching. The Giants have struggled through injuries to the back end of their rotation and inconsistencies with their top three pitchers. Carlos Rodon was brought in to replace 16-game winner Kevin Gausman and, while he made the all-star team, he has been a bit too inconsistent. Overall, the Giants rank 14th in quality starts this season with 40 as a team, led by a combined 27 by Logan Webb and Rodon. They are also just 14th in team ERA this season. Taking the mound on Wednesday afternoon will be right-hander Jakob Junis. Junis recently returned from the IL on July 17th. He has made four starts since returning and is 0-2 with an ERA of 5.42 in that span. He has faced the Giants once this season, getting a no-decision after going six innings and allowing seven hits and four runs.