Padres@Giants July 20/23

[Giants666]

Thursday, July 20 AT&T Park | 7:15 PM PT

Chan Ho Park, RHP (6-5, 4.49)VS.Noah Lowry, LHP (4-6, 4.58)

Scouting Report:
Park gave up seven runs, five earned, in 5 1/3 innings against the Braves. He gave up eight hits, including two home runs. He has given up eight homers in his last four starts. In his previous start Park lasted seven innings against Philadelphia and picked up his sixth win of the year. He is 4-1 in starts away from PETCO Park.
Lowry struggled in his last outing, allowing six hits and six runs over only 3 2/3 innings, the start of a 14-6 rout by Philadelphia. Lowry admits his mechanics are off, as also displayed in his last victory on July 8 at Los Angeles, where he allowed nine hits and four runs over 5 1/3 frames in an 11-7 game.

Friday, July 21 AT&T Park | 7:15 PM PT

Jake Peavy, RHP (4-9, 4.78)VS.Matt Cain, RHP (6-6, 4.90)

Scouting Report:Peavy went six innings in his last start against the Braves. He gave up seven runs, with six of them coming in the fourth inning, including a two-run home run to Chipper Jones. He walked five and struck out seven, but said he felt as good as he has in recent weeks following a shoulder tendinitis problem. In his previous start, Peavy went seven innings against Philadelphia, getting a no-decision.
Cain is 0-1 with three consecutive no-decisions in his past four outings, but he allowed only one hit over six innings vs. the Phillies last Sunday. The game got out of control in a 6-2 loss, but the rookie was only dismayed by his 105 total pitches, as he kept getting deep into counts.

Saturday, July 22 AT&T Park | 6:05 PM PT

Woody Williams, RHP (4-1, 3.38)VS.Jason Schmidt, RHP (6-6, 3.06)

Scouting Report:
Williams looked like he was breezing through his last start, allowing one run through the first five innings. He ended up allowing three runs in the sixth and did not factor into the decision. The right-hander has made three starts since returning from a calf tear, posting a solid 3.63 ERA. He's walked just two batters since coming off the disabled list on July 1.
Schmidt is struggling, inexplicably. He had a terrific May, going 4-0 with a 1.17 ERA and then topping Florida, 2-1, on June 6, striking out 16. But he's been a different pitcher since then with a seven-game winless streak, including four losses. His July record is 0-3, 5.29, and he allowed a season-high 10 hits and eight runs (six earned) in a frightful 10-1 loss to Milwaukee last Monday.

Sunday, July 23 AT&T Park | 1:05 PM PT

Clay Hensley, RHP (6-7, 4.61)VS.Jamey Wright, RHP (6-8, 4.95)

Scouting Report:Hensley delivered six solid innings in a victory over the Phillies on Tuesday night, surrendering two earned runs on four hits and three walks while striking out five. The resourceful right-hander leaned heavily on his bread-and-butter sinker, getting eight ground-ball outs. In his first season in the rotation, the tenacious Texan has emerged as a solid No. 4 starter.
Wright stopped a personal five-loss skid in his last start, when he beat the Brewers, 4-3, at AT&T Park last Tuesday. The right-hander gave the Giants a six-inning, three-run outing. He said his performance was aided in large part to his success throwing sinkers in under the hands of Milwaukee batters. The three runs he allowed were the fewest he has given up in a game since surrendering two runs to Arizona on June 13.

[Giants666]

Lowry set to open NL West showdown

San Diego (50-44) at San Francisco (48-47), 7:15 p.m. PT

When the Giants played the Padres in San Diego three weeks ago, they split a four-game series with the National League West leader. Giants manager Felipe Alou hopes his team can either duplicate that, or win the series outright when it welcomes the Padres to AT&T Park on Thursday for the opener of another four-game set.
"It is big," Alou said. "You like to win the series, but in a worst-case scenario, you gotta split it so you can stay in the hunt."

The Giants will send Noah Lowry to the mound to pick up what they hope will be the first of four straight wins. The task may prove to be a challenge for the left-hander. Since his return from the disabled list on May 8, Lowry has had mixed results. After allowing six runs in his loss to the Phillies on Saturday, he said his recent outings are the result of problems with inconsistent mechanics. He even showed mechanical issues during his 11-7 win over the Dodgers three starts ago.

Squaring off with Lowry will be Chan Ho Park. The Padres starter beat the Giants in San Diego on June 30. In that 6-5 victory, he allowed three home runs, and he has given up 15 total this season. He is 7-7 with a 4.96 ERA in 19 career starts against San Francisco.

Pitching matchup
SF: LHP Noah Lowry (4-6, 4.58 ERA)
Lowry struggled in his last outing, allowing six hits and six runs over only 3 2/3 innings, the start of a 14-6 rout by Philadelphia.

SD: RHP Chan Ho Park (6-5, 4.49 ERA)
Park gave up seven runs in his last start, a 5 1/3-inning outing against the Braves. Two of his eight hits were home runs. He has allowed eight in his last four starts.

Player to watch
Pedro Feliz went 2-for-3 with a home run last time Park faced the Giants. The third baseman has hit safely in 14 of his last 19 games, batting .312 (23-for-74) in that stretch.

[love_that_reefer]

Lets hope Lowry does ten times better than his last outing. Huge series right here and the Giants have some momentum going after yesterday's come from behind win.

[Giants666]

This is our chance to make a push at the division.

[Giants666]

Great way to open the series....**** yeah!!!! 9-3 winners........Lowry had great bounce back game.....Santos hit his first blast. Back-to-back-to-back HR's Bonds, Durham, and Feliz.

Box Score

Homer-happy Giants take down Padres
Bonds' 722nd long ball, Santos' first back sharp Lowry

SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants left-hander Noah Lowry allowed seven hits over 8 1/3 innings, while Barry Bonds and rookie first baseman Chad Santos slugged two-run homers as San Francisco routed San Diego, 9-3, on Thursday night at AT&T Park.
The second-place Giants now trail the National League West-leading Padres by 1 1/2 games.

Lowry (5-6), who has won two of his last three decisions, blanked the Friars until the ninth when Adrian Gonzalez singled and eventually scored on Josh Barfield's base hit.

The Giants led 5-0 after seven, collecting five hits off losing pitcher Chan Ho Park (6-6), then Bonds, Ray Durham and Pedro Feliz hammered consecutive home runs in the four-run eighth off reliever Brian Sweeney.

[love_that_reefer]

Great game all around. Let's hope Cain can outpitch the struggling Peavy!

[love_that_reefer]

Well the struggling Peavy struggled and Cain pitched a beauty. Ray Durham remains on fire as he went 2-4 with 2 RBI. Vizquel went 3-5 getting his average back up to .300. Giants sit just a half game back and they just got Hillenbrand. Things are looking up! Where's Bear when you need him?

[Giants666]

First Place!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SAN FRANCISCO -- A slew of timely Giants hits and sharp pitching by Jason Schmidt combined to give San Francisco its fifth consecutive win Saturday night at AT&T Park, but most importantly, the 4-3 win over San Diego gave the Giants sole possession of first place in the division.
The now National League West-leading Giants got things started quickly, with newcomer Shea Hillenbrand doing some of the early damage. The right-handed hitter led off the bottom of the second with a sharply hit single under the glove of third baseman Geoff Blum. An error and a single later, Hillenbrand found himself being congratulated by his new teammates.

While San Francisco picked up the win, it lost one of its key players early in the game. Outfielder Moises Alou took himself out of the game in the fifth inning when he suffered a strained left hamstring as he was beating out an infield single. Trainers announced that he would be re-evaluated Sunday.

The Giants are alone at the top of the division for the first time since April 24. It is also the first time all season they have posted five consecutive wins.

[GiantsFanatic]

1st place baby!!!!!!!!!!

[love_that_reefer]

Great series to go ahead of the Pads for sole possession of first place. Schmidt pitched well but he walked five and had over 100 pitches in just 6 innings. Alfonzo had a good game going 2-4 with 2 RBI. Hillienbrand got a hit in his first AB and later scored. Alou left the game with a strained hamstring so that suvks but Finley has been playing well. Benitez got the save and looks happy to be in SF now.

[love_that_reefer]

Finley hits a RBI double in the 2nd to make it 1-0. Then with two men in scoring position and one out, Alfonzo strikes out and Wright grounds out.

[love_that_reefer]

The Giants lost it in 15 and lose the lead in the West. Good thing is the Giants get Monday off and then head to Washington. This will give the bullpen, Bonds and Alou a much needed rest. Alou strained his hamstring, Bonds fouled a pitch off his leg and the bullpen and I guess the hwole team had a rough one today.