The San Francisco Giants host the Arizona Diamondbacks as the MLB betting favorites tonight at 10:15 PM (ET) at AT&T Park. The following are the odds for people who bet on baseball:
Diamondbacks +1½ (-160) 6½ (-125) +156
Giants -1½ (+140) 6½ (+105) -166
The Giants put the Atlanta Braves in the Panik Room on Sunday. Second baseman Joe Panik drove in four runs and slammed two homers in the 13-4 win over the Braves. However, Panik was only one of seven Giants players who had at least one RBI – Jarrett Parker, for example, had three RBIs and hit one of San Fran’s four triples. Giants starter Madison Bumgarner had his first quality start since August 13th against the Baltimore Orioles. San Francisco posted 11 extra-base hits for the first time since July 2nd, 2002. The Giants are a league worst 14-26 since the All Star break, but have won three of their last four games – as well as their first series win at AT&T Park in the second half, an MLB betting trend they hope to continue against the D-backs in a two game series to close the month of August.
Speaking of whom, the Diamondbacks scored four runs off Cincinnati Reds starter Homer Bailey – whose name sounds like it was taken straight from a William Faulkner short story – in the first inning on Sunday, while Yasmany Thomas hit a three RBI home run in the sixth to beat the Reds 11-2. Arizona starter Archie Bradley picked up the win, surrendering two runs on five hits in six innings – his first start of at least six innings in August and first win since July 27th. Meanwhile, center fielder A.J. Pollock – who had been recovering from a broken right elbow – seemed to be back in good form, going 3-for-5 with a couple of stolen bases, hitting a single to load the bases in the first (his first hit of the season), and another single in the third.
Johnny Cueto (14-4, 2.86 ERA) will start for the Giants tonight. San Francisco is 19-7 when Cueto takes the hill, but has lost five of his last eight starts. Cueto has a 2.63 ERA in 12 starts at AT&T Park this year, 1-1 with a 3.90 ERA in five August starts, and is 8-2 with a 2.93 ERA in 11 career starts versus Arizona (1-1 with a 3.55 ERA in two starts against them this season). The right-hander has surrendered only two runs in the last 13 innings he has pitched. The D-backs will start Zack Greinke (11-4, 4.29 ERA), who has a 7.84 ERA in four starts this month due in no small part to allowing nine runs in 1 2/3 innings against the Boston Red Sox on August 14th. However, he has a 4.15 ERA in two starts since then. The good news for Arizona MLB betting fans is that Greinke is 8-1 with a 2.41 ERA in 12 career starts versus the Giants, and 1-1 with a 3.55 ERA in two starts against the same this season.
