The San Diego Padres (36-35), surprise contenders in the National League West will take on the reigning World Series champion San Francisco Giants (36-34) in the rubber match of a three-game series that could end with the Padres pulling in front of the Giants in the NL West standings. The game can be live streamed here. Padres fans can hear the game on XPRS 1090, while Giants fans can do the same on KNBR 680.
The Padres will send Eric Stults (6-5, 3.28 ERA) to the hill to face the Pablo Sandoval-less Giants. Stults, who has been in the Major Leagues since 2006 is having the best season of his career in terms of WHIP (1.07) and has drawn rave reviews from manager Bud Black.
"The wide range of velocities keeps the hitters off-balance, disrupts their timing. He pitches. He truly pitches."
Stults will be facing a much more highly touted opponent in left-hander Madison Bumgarner (6-4, 3.30 ERA). Bumgarner has assumed the mantle of staff ace this season, in the wake of Tim Lincecum's demise and Matt Cain's bizarrely poor start to 2013.
Bumgarner's 3.30 ERA is the only one among San Francisco's regular starters that sits below 4.00, and he also leads the team in strikeouts with 89 (one ahead of Cain who has 88). His pitching has rescued the slumping rotation, as has San Francisco's traditionally light-hitting lineup.
The Giants are fourth in the National League in runs per game (4.37) despite ranking second to last in home runs (49). They have relied on a team .273 batting average as well as timely hitting of the highest order to earn the spot they sit in.
Today, Bumgarner will have to watch out for Padres' second baseman Logan Forsythe, who is 5-for-10 in this series with a home run.
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