San Francisco Giants vs Arizona Diamondbacks Picks and Predictions September 5th 2024

Thursday’s matchup between the Diamondbacks and Giants is set to get started at 3:45 PM ET from Oracle Park in San Francisco, CA. The Diamondbacks are 79-61 and they will be looking to extend their two-game winning streak. The Giants have lost four straight and are 4th in the NL West with an overall record of 68-72.

Blake Snell will be starting for the Giants, while the Diamondbacks are sending Merrill Kelly to the mound. San Francisco is favored on the money line, with the odds sitting at -153, while the Diamondbacks are +129. The over/under line is currently at 7.5 runs.

Right-hander Merrill Kelly gets the start for the Diamondbacks today as he faces the Giants on the road. He has made eight starts this year and has a record of 4-0 with an ERA of 4.30. Kelly’s WHIP for the season is 1.28. Looking back at his last outing, Kelly finished with a no-decision against the Dodgers, giving up four earned runs in 5 1/3 innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts. Opponents are batting .250 off Kelly this year, and his BB/9 figure is 2.74 compared to 6.46 strikeouts per nine innings.

Arizona has the league’s top offense, averaging 5.4 runs per game, and they are also the top home run hitting team in the league. Overall, they are batting .263, which is the second-best mark in the MLB. The Diamondbacks are also the league’s top on-base percentage team and are 3rd in slugging percentage. As a team, they are averaging 7 strikeouts per game and are 5th in walks.

Over his last six games, Eugenio Suarez has gone 8/22 with four homers and eight RBIs. For the season, he is batting just .243, but his 24 homers are the 2nd most on the team. Ketel Marte and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. are also having strong seasons, with Marte leading the team with a .298 average and Gurriel Jr. batting .274 with 17 homers.

Blake Snell gets the start for the Giants today and is coming off a strong outing vs. the Marlins. In that start, he went seven innings, giving up just one earned run on four hits. Snell finished with eight strikeouts in the outing. He has made 16 starts this season and has a record of 2-3 with a 3.56 ERA. This year, opponents are batting .170 off Snell, and he has one shutout and complete game to his name. Snell has made eight quality starts this year and is averaging 11.93 strikeouts per nine innings.

San Francisco’s offense has been pretty consistent this season, as they are averaging 4.3 runs per game both at home and on the road. Overall, this has them ranked 17th in the league. They are also 17th in home runs and have the 14th best team batting average in the MLB. The Giants have been pretty good at putting the ball in play this season, as they are 10th in the league in strikeout rate.

Leading the Giants in home runs this season is Matt Chapman, who is batting .247 overall and has gone deep 22 times. Heliot Ramos is right behind him with 20 homers and is batting .274 for the season. Over his last five games, Mike Yastrzemski has gone 4/15 with two homers, and Tyler Fitzgerald has gone 6/20.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are on the verge of sweeping the San Francisco Giants as they head into Thursday’s series finale. With solid pitching and timely hitting, Arizona has won the first two games and is looking to maintain momentum. Merrill Kelly, a seasoned right-hander, takes the mound for Arizona, hoping to fuel their playoff push, while Blake Snell will try to help the Giants salvage the last game and end their skid.

Diamondbacks Build Early Leads, Hold Off Giants’ Rallies

Arizona’s recipe for success in this series has been pretty straightforward: jump ahead early, thanks to strong performances from their starting pitchers, and then fend off the Giants’ late-game surges. The Diamondbacks secured narrow wins in the first two games, taking them 8-7 and 6-4. Starting pitchers Ryne Nelson and Zac Gallen played key roles in those victories.

These wins have kept Arizona (79-61) right in the thick of the National League wild-card race, currently holding onto the No. 2 spot. On the flip side, things aren’t looking as bright for San Francisco (68-72). The Giants have seen their playoff chances continue to slip, now sitting 8.5 games behind the final wild-card spot with just 22 games left in the season.

Merrill Kelly Aims to Keep His Perfect Record Intact

Merrill Kelly (4-0, 4.30 ERA) is set to start for the Diamondbacks, and he’s aiming to extend his unbeaten streak since coming back from a shoulder injury. Although Kelly’s ERA in August wasn’t stellar at 6.75, the Diamondbacks’ offense has had his back, giving him 32 runs of support in his last four starts. This cushion has helped Kelly stay perfect in his recent outings.

Historically, Kelly has performed well against the Giants, holding a 7-5 record with a 3.34 ERA across 18 career starts. Arizona’s offense has been on fire lately, scoring 40 runs over their last five games, even while missing star second baseman Ketel Marte, who’s out with a sprained ankle. Marte made the trip to San Francisco, and manager Torey Lovullo is optimistic that he’ll be back in action soon—though it’s unlikely we’ll see him in Thursday’s game.

Blake Snell Faces Arizona After Stellar August

On the mound for the Giants will be Blake Snell (2-3, 3.56 ERA), fresh off an incredible August. Snell has been in great form, allowing just four runs over his last 23 1/3 innings, although San Francisco’s offense has let him down by not providing enough run support. In his last four starts, the Giants scored just 11 runs total, with most of them coming after Snell had left the game.

Snell’s August was so good that he earned National League Pitcher of the Month honors, posting a sparkling 1.64 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 38 1/3 innings. However, he’ll be hoping for a better result than his last outing against Arizona back in April, when he gave up five runs on nine hits in a 17-1 blowout loss.

Despite that rough start, Snell generally pitches well against the Diamondbacks, boasting a 5-2 record and a 1.86 ERA in nine career starts against them. Still, with Arizona’s offense surging, he’ll need his best stuff—and a little help from the Giants’ bats—to avoid the sweep.

Giants’ Offensive Struggles Continue

The Giants’ offense has been a weak spot all season, especially when it comes to scoring early in games. So far in this series, most of their runs have come late, with nine of their 11 total runs scored in the seventh inning or later. This habit of playing catch-up has put a lot of pressure on their bullpen to pull off late-game comebacks, which hasn’t been sustainable.

Giants manager Bob Melvin acknowledged this issue, saying, “We talk about it a lot. We try to prepare the best we can for a starter, and it’s really been all year that we’ve struggled with that.” San Francisco’s hitters need to find a way to break through early, especially with Blake Snell pitching, if they want to avoid getting swept.

Final Thoughts: Can Arizona Complete the Sweep?

As the Arizona Diamondbacks continue their march toward the playoffs, the San Francisco Giants find themselves with their postseason hopes hanging by a thread. Arizona’s offense has been firing on all cylinders, even without Ketel Marte, and they’ll look to Merrill Kelly for a strong start to seal the sweep.

Meanwhile, Blake Snell is hoping to build on his stellar August and give the Giants a shot at salvaging a win in this series. It’s a high-stakes game for both teams, with Arizona aiming to extend their wild-card lead and San Francisco fighting to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.

Will the Diamondbacks complete the sweep and keep their playoff momentum going, or can the Giants avoid a series sweep at home? We’ll find out Thursday in what’s sure to be an exciting conclusion to this three-game series.

Our lean for a money-line pick would be to take the Giants to come out on top at home vs. the Diamondbacks. And with our projections pointing to this being the 3rd highest-scoring game of the day, we would be leaning towards taking the over. Looking at today’s starters, we have Blake Snell as our highest projected strikeout pitcher in the league today.