Diamondbacks @ Giants – Series Preview (Aug 4-6): Pitching Matchups, Insights, TV/Game Info
After a big series win over the resurgent Chicago Cubs, the Diamondbacks head to San Fransisco to take on the Giants. At 42-68, this series looks like a slam dunk. That’s why they play the games. The Giants aren’t giving anything away in this one and there’s nothing they’d like more than to derail a division rival.
After this three-game series, the D-backs play three against the Dodgers, three against the Cubs and four against the Astros. So while you can’t really say this is a must-win series, you can certainly make a case that winning it would go a long way towards building confidence going into the D-backs toughest stretch of their remaining schedule.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Friday, Aug 4 at 7:15 MT on FS-AZ, 98.7 FM
- Saturday, Aug 5 at 6:05 MT on FS-AZ, 98.7 FM
- Sunday, Aug 6 at 1:05 MT on FS-AZ, 98.7 FM
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | W/L | ERA | FIP |
| 8/4 | Anthony Banda | 23 | L | 0-1 | 6.35 | 3.68 |
| Madison Bumgarner | 28 | L | 1-4 | 2.92 | 3.34 | |
| 8/5 | Taijuan Walker | 24 | R | 6-5 | 3.55 | 3.88 |
| Chris Stratton | 26 | R | 0-2 | 7.71 | 4.65 | |
| 8/6 | Patrick Corbin | 28 | L | 8-10 | 4.77 | 4.45 |
| Jeff Samardzjia | 32 | R | 6-11 | 4.77 | 3.54 |
What To Watch For
- The Diamondbacks have recalled LHP Anthony Banda to make a spot start while LHP Robbie Ray remains on the 7-day concussion DL. In Banda’s last outing, which was also his major-league debut, he pitched well for the most part, until the 6th inning. That’s when things went awry and the Nationals put up three runs. Torey Lovullo will keep a close eye on Banda on Friday and may need to go to the bullpen earlier than he’d prefer. If so, that could put a lot of pressure on the relievers given the heavy usage of them in Thursday’s marathon game against the Cubs that saw six different relievers used.
- The Giants offense has been atrocious this season. They rank 29th in the league with a 6.2 fWAR and a likewise terrible batting average of .246 with only 87 home runs. In fact, they’re the only team in major-league baseball that has less than 100 home runs. If the D-backs can score early and often in this series, they should be able to win fairly easily.
