San Diego Padres vs San Francisco Giants Prediction & Match Preview - May 21st

Another marquee matchup will unravel when the San Diego Padres visit divisional foes the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park for the second game of their three-game series.

The Padres hold second place in the jampacked National League West with a 23-14 record, while the Giants are just one game behind in third place.

It will be a battle of star caliber pitchers as San Diego native Joe Musgrove battles the Giants' left ace Carlos Rodon. Musgrove carries a 4-0 record with a 2.20 ERA, while Rodon has a 4-2 record with a 3.49 ERA.

Match Details

Fixture: San Diego Padres vs San Francisco Giants.

Date & Time: Saturday, May 21, 4:05 PM EDT.

Venue: Oracle Park, San Diego, California.

San Diego Padres Preview

The San Diego Padres, despite their recent struggles, have brought the fight to NL West favorites the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants this season. Led by NL MVP early frontrunner Manny Machado, the Padres are just two games behind the Dodgers for the top spot in the division.

The Padres' offense has mostly been subpar, but their pitching has stepped up, finding itself in the top half of most team pitching categories this season. Against a top tier offense like San Francisco's, it will be interesting to see how the San Diego crew navigate through the game.

Key Player - Joe Musgrove

San Diego native Joe Musgrove gets the nod as the key player in this matchup with the San Francisco Giants. Musgrove is eighth best among all major league pitchers with an ERA of 2.20. He's also one of the few pitchers this season that still carries an immaculate record through at least seven starts as he has won four of his outings and has lost none.

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"Joe Musgrove has started 6 games this season. He has 6 quality starts (6+ IP, 3 ER or less). He is the only pitcher in baseball this year to record a quality start in every game (minimum 3 starts)." - @ Danny Vietti

With Musgrove in supreme form and the Giants on a respectable streak, it will be interesting to see how things pan out in this matchup.

San Diego Padres Projected Lineup

Starting Pitcher: Joe Musgrove.

Jake Cronenworth, 2B
Jurickson Profa, LF
Manny Machado, 3B
Eric Hosmer, 1B
Luke Voit, DH
Wil Myers, RF
Ha-Seong Kim, SS
Austin Nola, C
Trent Grisham, CF

San Francisco Giants Preview

The San Francisco Giants have the opposite issues that the Padres have experienced. While their batters have stepped up this campaign, their pitchers have slowly regressed and have tapered away.

In the early weeks of the season, it was their pitching that propelled them to victories while their batting offense was struggling, but that's the reverse case now. This is mainly due to the injury bug hitting their pitchers as of late.

The San Francisco Giants will rely heavily on their batting lineup in this game. However, it won't be as easy as the San Diego Padres and especially starter Joe Musgrove have proven to be very difficult to unlock this season.

Key Player - Thairo Estrada

San Francisco Giants infielder Thairo Estrada

Ex-New York Yankees infielder Thairo Estrada has flourished in the Bay Area. Estrada is batting .271 with two homers, nine doubles, and 20 RBIs on 36 base hits while also adding six stolen bases to his stat line.

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"Just your everyday 1-4-3 putout" - @ SF Giants on NBCS

The Venezuelan has not only been a stud on offense, but also on defense. You can expect him to produce gems like this against the San Diego Padres.

San Francisco Giants Projected Lineup

Starting Pitcher: Carlos Rodon.

Austin Slater, CF
Darin Ruf, LF
Brandon Belt, 1B
Wilmer Flores, DH
Evan Longoria, 3B
Brandon Crawford, SS
Thairo Estrada, 2B
Joey Bart, C
Mike Yastrzemski, RF