Padres vs Giants Picks and Odds – Musgrove vs Gausman (May 8)
- The San Diego Padres are -143 road favorites over the San Francisco Giants on Saturday at Oracle Park
- Joe Musgrove (2-3, 2.38 ERA) will start for the Padres against Kevin Gausman (2-0, 2.04)
- A preview and prediction can be found below
The top two teams in the National League West square off when the San Diego Padres visit the San Francisco Giants at 4:05pm ET on Saturday at Oracle Park.
The Giants (19-13) lead the Padres (18-15) by 1.5 games after slipping past San Diego 5-4 on Friday night in the opener of the three-game series.
San Diego, though, is favored in the middle game of the series with Joe Musgrove (2-3, 2.38 ERA) on the mound against Kevin Gausman (2-0, 2.04). The Padres have alternated losses and wins in their last five games, while the Giants snapped a two-game losing streak Friday
Padres vs Giants Odds
| Team | Moneyline at DraftKings | Runline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego Padres | -143 | -1.5 (+128) | Over 7 (-114) |
| San Francisco Giants | +123 | +1.5 (-152) | Under 7 (-107) |
Odds as of May 8th
Musgrove Winless in Last Four Starts
Musgrove has struggled in his last two starts as he had allowed eight runs in eight innings. That comes after he permitted just three runs in 26 innings over his first four outings.
Since throwing the first no-hitter in franchise history against the Texas Rangers on April 9 to improve his record to 2-0 through two starts, Musgrove has slumped to 0-3 in his last four games.
HISTORY!
Relive the final out of Joe Musgrove giving the @Padres their first no-hitter in franchise history!
(via @MLB) pic.twitter.com/mg9dP1qSsw
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) April 10, 2021
Musgrove threw 112 pitches in the no-hitter and it is worth wondering if he is still feeling the after effects.
He lost to the Giants last Sunday in San Diego as he gave up six runs (five earned) on four hits in six innings with six strikeout and two walks. He is 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA in three overall starts against San Francisco but 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA in two outings at Oracle Park.
The big right-hander has pitched better away from home this season with a 1.13 ERA in three road starts as opposed to a 3.50 mark in three games at Petco Park.
Giants Career Stats vs Musgrove
| Player | AB | H | HR | RBI | K | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Tauchman | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | .333 |
| Mike Yastrzemski | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .333 |
| Brandon Belt | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .200 |
| Evan Longoria | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 |
| Brandon Crawford | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .500 |
| Wilmer Flores | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .000 |
| Steven Duggar | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .400 |
| Curt Casali | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .333 |
The Giants have had five hits or less in their last six games against the Padres. That is the longest streak in franchise history against an opponent since at least 1901.
Conversely, San Francisco has scored at least five runs in five straight games, totaling 35.
Gausman Consistently Good
Gausman matched up against Musgrove last Sunday and held the Padres to one run – on a solo homer by Fernando Tatis – in six innings to get the win. Gausman scattered six hits while striking out six and walking one.
Since that outing, Gausman spent two days on the COVID-19 injured list after feeling the effects of getting vaccinated. However, he is expected to be fine for this game.
Gausman has been consistent so far this season, pitching at least six innings in all six starts and allowing one run or less in five of them. Gausman is also 2-0 with a 0.90 ERA in his last three turns.
40 Seconds of Unfair Kevin Gausman Splitters from yesterday. 😳 pic.twitter.com/3QaVZzHqk7
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 25, 2021
Against the Padres, Gausman has a 1-0 lifetime record and 2.45 ERA in four games, including three starts.
Though Oracle Park favors pitchers, Gausman is 0-0 with a 3.86 ERA in two home starts this season and 2-0 with a 1.05 ERA in four games on the road.
Padres Career Stats vs Gausman
| AB | H | HR | RBI | K | AVG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trent Grisham | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .286 |
| Fernando Tatis Jr. | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .400 |
| Manny Machado | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .250 |
| Eric Hosmer | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .429 |
| Wil Myers | 12 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | .167 |
| Jake Crononwerth | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| Jurickson Profar | 11 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | .364 |
| Victor Caratini | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 |
Generating offense has been a problem for the Padres recently. They have scored 12 runs combined in their last five games and no more than four in any of them.
About Last Night
Austin Slater hit a tiebreaking homer in the seventh inning for the Giants on Friday night.
10/10 play:
Slater 💣
Fan catch 🔥#SFGiants pic.twitter.com/FUt0608IVK— SFGiants (@SFGiants) May 8, 2021
Slater led off the inning with an opposite-field drive to right against Keone Kela (2-2). Slater scored three runs despite entering the game on a 3-for-25 slide, including 11 straight hitless at-bats before the homer.
Buster Posey hit a two-run homer and Evan Longoria had a two-run single for the Giants, who improved to 11-3 at Oracle Park this season.
Look for the Giants to win again Saturday. They are an attractive underdog behind Gausman as one of MLB’s best pitchers this season faces a struggling offense.
The Pick: Giants (+123)
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John Perrotto has been covering and writing about sports for various outlets for over 40 years. His work has appeared in the likes of USA TODAY, ESPN.com, SI.com, Forbes.com, The Associated Press, Baseball Digest, and more. John is based out of Beaver Falls, PA.
