Things got dicey in the middle innings on Thursday, but both bullpens closed strong to keep it under in Arizona and run our winning streak to three. The Giants have won the first two games on the road and now the onus falls on the Diamondbacks to stop the bleeding at Chase Field.
Patrick Corbin takes the ball for the home team on Saturday evening, looking to press onward in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery in 2015. He’s not the same guy he was in 2014 when he made the NL All-Star team and struck out 178 batters with an explosive fastball and wipeout slider. But he’s making progress with each outing and is limiting opponents to a .265 batting average this year, which is somewhere between what opponents his against him last year and in 2014. He’s always had great control and manages to keep his WHIP down with a low walk rate (he’s only thrown ball four a dozen times this season). The Giants can certainly swing the bat and both Posey and Pence 
come into this one with lots of career success against the young lefty. But things get significantly tougher for pitchers who can’t locate against such a disciplined lineup and if Corbin doesn’t give the Giants anything for free the Diamondbacks should be able to outhit them.
I say that because opponents are hitting .351 against San Francisco starter Jake Peavy this season. Compare that with a .239 career BAA and you might attribute it to a tough start to the season for the veteran. The reality is that hitters won’t finish the year above .350 against Peavy this season, but the guy is becoming considerably more hittable as the wear and tear on his arm mounts. He’s thrown nearly 2300 innings in his career plus some postseason work. He still has value to the Giants as a leader and an experienced professional who can eat innings. But Peavy walked five his last time out and has really only had one good outing this season (7 IP, 2 ER vs. Miami). Don’t expect Arizona to show any mercy tonight. So we’ll play them for a half.
Free Pick: Diamondbacks -130
YTD: 10-6-1 +2.79
2015: 31-25-5 +1.09
2014: 45-28-3 +9.02
arizona diamondbacks • dbacks • giants • jake peavy • patrick corbin • san francisco