Series Preview: San Francisco Giants open season in San Diego

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It almost seems like eons ago that the San Francisco Giants were capping off another underwhelming season.

Now we’re back in action, and the San Francisco Giants begin their regular season against their division foe, the San Diego Padres. The Padres made a big splash this off-season, signing the notoriously touted infielder Manny Machado. Although last season the experts had the Padres pegged as one of the most improved teams, they still fell short in the NL West along with the Giants.

This series will be the first of many between the two clubs this season, and as luck would have it, it’s a four-game series. There is nothing quite like a momentum builder than the first series of the season, and although I’d favor the Giants a little more in this one, nothing is really guaranteed. The Padres have always been a thorn in the side of the Giants, especially on the road. But if this is anything like the previous series, this should be an exciting start to the 2019 season.

Game One: Bumgarner (Career vs. SDP: 12-9, 3.19 ERA, 1.04 WHIP) vs. Lauer (Career vs. SFG: 0-0, 3.94 ERA, 1.50 WHIP)

After missing last year’s Opening Day with a broken hand, the San Francisco Giants are sending Madison Bumgarner out for the first game of the season. Bumgarner did not have the best Spring, but the Giants still believe is the ace of this rotation and can handle his business. There are two guys in particular in the Padre’s lineup that present him with issues. Hunter Renfroe is a career 5-for-13 against Bumgarner, with two doubles and two home runs, although he likely won’t be in the starting lineup. His positional neighbor Manuel Margot has four doubles in 13 at-bats against the southpaw. Outside of that, the career numbers against the Padres pretty much speak for themselves, this should be a good matchup for Bumgarner.

This is the sixth time the Giants are seeing Eric Lauer. After a stellar Spring Training, the Padres have chosen him to be their frontman in the rotation for now. His biggest challenges come in the form of the Giants two veteran infield staples. Buster Posey, coming off hip surgery, is a career 4-for-8 against Lauer with two doubles. Evan Longoria, who had a decent spring, has two hits in five at-bats against Lauer. As you can see from above, Lauer has yet to get a decision against the Giants. However, all games Lauer started against them last season resulted in losses. In his only home appearance against the Orange and Black in 2018, he went five innings, giving up three runs on seven hits while striking out three and walking two.

Game Two: Holland (Career vs. SDP: 1-2, 6.23 ERA, 1.65 WHIP) vs. Lucchesi (Career vs. SFG: 1-0, 3.27 ERA, 1.18 WHIP)

After last season’s performances and his chemistry around the team, Derek Holland seems to be the best suitor for the second spot in the rotation. His history at Petco Park is not the best, even though the Giants went 2-1 in Holland starts at AT&T Park South last season. Outfielders Jose Pirela and Franmil Reyes present problems for Holland, but neither are likely to be in the starting lineup, let alone on the 25 man roster. Eric Hosmer and the ever-so-familiar Manny Machado also have solid career numbers against Holland. However, if history repeats itself, he is perfectly capable of providing at least five quality innings for the Giants on Friday night.

Starting Friday night’s game is Joey Lucchesi, the second year pitcher who hails from Newark, California. Although his WHIP totals were high last season, he turned out to be a decent piece in the Padre’s shaky rotation, going 8-9 on the season with a 4.08 ERA. His two starts against the Giants were at Petco Park, and with some help from the offense, he was able to dominate them in his third career MLB start on April 15th. He did not get a decision in his second start against the Giants, giving up three earned run on seven hits over five innings…sounds familiar doesn’t it? The only Giant currently in the lineup to have a hit against Lucchesi is Longoria. Righties will favor the left-handed starter, with increased power numbers and a slightly better batting average.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – SEPTEMBER 29: Dereck Rodriguez #57 of the San Francisco Giants pitches in the top of the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at AT&T Park on September 29, 2018 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

Game Three: Rodriguez (Career vs. SDP: 0-0, 1.29 ERA, 0.79 WHIP) vs. Margevicius (Spring Training: 1-0, 4.50 ERA, 0.86 WHIP)

After a hell of a rookie year, Dereck Rodriguez will take over at the #3 spot in the rotation. He will be one of two right-handed starters for the foreseeable future and looks to build on last season. Rodriguez will have a good starting block with the Padres. In his last start at Petco Park, he went seven strong, giving up only one run on three hits. There is not much history against the Padres, but that should bode well for him.

Although it hasn’t been officially announced, Nick Margevicius will get the nod for Saturday. This will be his first MLB start, after only two years in the minors. The seventh-round draft pick features a precision fastball that varies between 88-93 MPH, a curveball which is effective against righties and a changeup. He has apparently been one of the best starters in the minor league system, and for a team that is desperate for good starters, he fits that mold. The rookie lefty might present a challenge to the Giants, who seem to always have issues against the Padres young arms.

Game Four: Samardzija (Career vs. SDP: 4-2, 2.68 ERA, 0.89 WHIP) vs. Paddack (Spring Training: 2-1, 2.13 ERA, 1.18 ERA)

Returning from an injury-ridden season, Jeff Samardzija will be given the nod for the last game of the series. The right-handed innings eater is definitely familiar with the Padres, and lest we forget he threw a complete game shutout in his last start at Petco Park. He only saw the Padres once last season and that was at home. Machado can give Samardzija a run for his money, as he is a career 5-for-8 with 2 home runs and 3 RBI. This will be a good challenge for Samardzija to see where he is at health-wise and where his arm is at. The Giants need guys to go deep into games, and Samardzija is certainly a good candidate for that.

Rookie right-hander Chris Paddack will also be making his major league debut against the Giants this weekend. With that being said, he has no real splits against any Giants players, especially since he has been called up so quickly through the minors. Paddack was drafted by the Marlins in 2015 and traded to the Padres in 2016 for Fernando Rodney. According to scouting reports, Paddack has a good fastball which averages low 90s (tops out at 95-96) and a devastating changeup with good movement. He also has a curveball which is a work in progress. Again, given how the Giants are against rookie Padre starters, this might be a bit of a challenge for them.

Next. Injuries oddly absent this spring

Turning off the Friars

The Giants did alright at Petco Park last season, finishing with a 5-4 record. This was after a rocky four-game series where they only won one of those games. Needless to say, not much has changed for the Giants since last year, except a couple of outfield spots. Last season the Giants started with a four-game series against the Dodgers, and took two out of two. The Padres aren’t on the same level as the Dodgers, but they do have some newer faces on the squad that might present issues for the Giants pitching.

The biggest shortfall last year was hitting with runners in scoring position. The Giants are going to need to figure out a way to solve that. Combine that with good pitching, and they have a pretty good chance at taking three out of four in the series. Still, I expect the Giants to leave San Diego with a split before they head to Los Angeles to take on the Dodgers for a three-game set.

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