Giants-Diamondbacks: Complete Series Preview (8/2-8/5)

On August 2nd, 2018, the San Francisco Giants will come to Chase Field for a four-game series against the Diamondbacks.

At this point in the 2018 MLB season, it’s truly a beautiful time to be in Arizona’s corner. They’re tied for first place in the NL West with Los Angeles, winners in four of their last five games, and freshly re-stocked with talent.

Now, they’ll continue their home stand at Chase Field in Phoenix. First up is four games against the San Francisco Giants (55-54), with the first-place Philadelphia Phillies (59-48) coming to town immediately after for three games.

In-Depth Series Preview:

Who: San Francisco Giants (55-54) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (60-49)

When: Thursday, August 2nd through Sunday, August 5th

Where: Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ

Head to Head: Arizona is 5-7 vs. San Francisco this year.

World Series Odds: Arizona (+2000); San Francisco (+8000)

Local TV: Giants (NBC Bay Area 11); Diamondbacks (Fox Sports Arizona)

Local Radio: Giants (KNBR 680 AM); Diamondbacks (KMVP 98.7 FM)

PHOENIX, AZ – JULY 01: Infielder Joe Panik #12 of the San Francisco Giants throws over the sliding David Peralta #6 of the Arizona Diamondbacks to complete a double play during the third inning of the MLB game at Chase Field on July 1, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

National TV:

All four games are available to MLB.tv subscribers, each offering both local broadcasts. Fortunately, Sunday’s game will be the featured MLB game on ESPN’s new monthly service, ESPN+. While MLB.tv can be pricey, ESPN+ is less than $5 per month and besides all the original television, they feature at least one MLB game every day. Here is the service’s upcoming MLB schedule.

National Radio:

All four games are available to MLB.tv or MLB Gameday Audio subscribers. Right now, MLB.tv is just $49.99 for the remainder of the season. MLB Gameday Audio is included with MLB.tv but you can also subscribe separately for $19.99/mo.

Series Schedule:

Thu, August 2nd: SF at ARI, 9:40 ET
Fri, August 3rd: SF at ARI, 9:40 ET
Sat, August 4th: SF at ARI, 8:10 ET
Sun, August 5th: SF at ARI, 4:00 ET

Projected Starters:

Thu, August 2nd: Bumgarner (3-4) vs Greinke (12-5)
Fri, August 3rd: Stratton (8-6) vs. Corbin (7-4)
Sat, August 4th: Suarez (4-6) vs. Buchholz (4-1)
Sun, August 5th: Holland (5-8) vs. Ray (3-2)

Betting Odds:

Game 1: Bumgarner (+150) vs Greinke (-175); O/U (7.5)

(Odds for remaining games will be available after previous game ends.)

Expert Scoop on San Francisco:

“They’re only 6 games out. But the problem is that almost nobody ahead of them stood pat. Everyone else got better, and widened the gap between them and the Giants. This Giants team is a bat and another starter away from being a legitimate contender.” –Daniel Sperry, Site Expert at Around The Foghorn

(Excerpt from “Giants Stand Pat At Deadline“.)

Key Injuries:

San Francisco: SP, Johnny Cueto (OUT); 1B/3B, Pablo Sandoval (OUT); 1B, Brandon Belt (OUT)
Arizona: OF, Jarrod Dyson (OUT); 3B, Jake Lamb (OUT); OF, David Peralta (DTD); RP, Andrew Chafin (PAT)

Old Friends:

Gregory Blanco: Last year, Blanco played 90 games with the D-Backs before starting his second tour of duty with the Giants this year. He’s played 42 games with the big club this year but unfortunately, he’s currently in Triple-A Sacramento. He’s the only current player to have suited up for both teams, per Baseball-Reference.
Steve Finley: Will be on hand for the team’s 20th Anniversary celebration. He played 849 games with Arizona and was a key member of the 2001 World Series team. Finley also played 139 games with San Francisco.
Randy Johnson: Will be on hand for the team’s 20th Anniversary celebration. A Hall-of-Famer, The Big Unit won 118 games for Arizona before spending his final season (2009) with San Francisco. Johnson was also a member of the 2001 World Series team.
Matt Williams: Will be on hand for the team’s 20th Anniversary celebration. He played 595 games with Arizona, winning the World Series in 2001, and 1,120 with San Francisco. In his 17-year career, he spent 16 with the D-Backs and Giants. His only season outside the division was in 1997 with Cleveland.

Stat Nerds:

Paul Goldshmidt is one home run shy of 200 going into this series.
If Robbie Ray gets a hit on Sunday he won’t be worst-hitting pitcher in baseball anymore (minimum 21 AB). He is currently 0-for-23 on the year, making him the only pitcher with more than 21 at-bats and zero hits.

Fun Stuff:

Newly-acquired reliever Jake Diekman will likely make his first-ever appearance with Arizona during this series.
On Saturday, August 4th, the D-Backs are honoring their 20th Anniversary team with a ceremony, a jam-packed alumni game, and a very cool t-shirt giveaway.

ATLANTA – OCTOBER 21: Starting Pitcher Randy Johnson #51 of the Arizona Diamondbacks throws a pitch against the Atlanta Braves during game five of the National League Championship Series on October 21, 2001 at Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia. The Diamondbacks defeated the Braves 3-2 to advance to the World Series. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) /

(All odds courtesy of Bovada)

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