The slate of Sunday baseball games concludes when the San Francisco Giants (52-30, 26-19 away) battle the Arizona Diamondbacks (23-62, 13-26 home) in National League action. San Francisco has won two of the first three games in the four-game set.
Sunday’s first pitch is at 9:10 p.m. EST at Chase Field in Phoenix, AZ. The Giants are a heavy moneyline favorite (-175), and oddsmakers have the run total at 9.
What to Know – San Francisco Giants
San Francisco nears the end of the first half with one of the best records in major league baseball. The Giants, who were initially picked to finish third in the NL West, sit atop the standings with a half-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers. San Francisco is 6-4 over its last ten contests.
Right-hander Anthony DeSclafani (8-3, 2.91 ERA, 1.03 WHIP) takes the mound for the visitors. DeSclafani was untouchable in June, sporting a 1.69 and 4-1 record over five starts. The 31-year old took his lone loss of the month in his last start, surrendering three earned runs over 5.0 innings against the Dodgers.
Catcher Buster Posey was voted as a starter for the 2021 All-Star Game. The veteran backstop is batting .327 this season with 12 home runs and 27 RBIs in 57 games played. The Giants sit in fourth in the NL with a team batting average of .243.
What to Know – Arizona Diamondbacks
Owners of the worst record in baseball, it hasn’t been the start the Diamondbacks wanted to see over the first four months of action. The Diamondbacks have established themselves at the bottom of the NL West standings. Arizona is 2-8 in its last games ten games and won just four games in June.
Caleb Smith (2-4, 3.08 ERA, 1.27 WHIP) gets the start on the bump for Arizona. The 29-year old started in the bullpen this season but has transitioned to a starting role over the last month. Smith made six starts in June, going 0-3 with a 2.87 ERA over 31.1 innings of work.
This season the Diamondbacks have a -123 run differential, the worst in major league baseball, and a .232 team batting average. Third baseman Eduardo Escobar leads the D-backs with 18 home runs and 54 RBIs, both numbers on pace to match or exceed his career-highs set in 2019. Arizona is second-to-last in the MLB, with only 76 home runs as a team this year.
The Pick is In
Arizona got its first win against the Giants on Thursday, but San Fran still has an 8-1 record against the D-backs this season. The Giants have owned the Diamondbacks, and we don’t see that changing Sunday night.
Both hurlers have had success on the mound over their last starts and should keep these offenses in check through the early innings. If you want to side with a team, the Giants on the run line offers better value than taking them straight up. We feel the play here is the run total, and we like the under.
Prediction: Giants/Diamondbacks UNDER 9
