Giants’ Hot Bats Could Lead To OVER Against Atlanta Saturday

The San Francisco Giants are 10-2 over their last 12 games and have seen the title go OVER in nine of those 12 games. The Giants will look to keep their offense rolling this Saturday when they host the Atlanta Braves in the second game of their three-game series.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The Giants opened as -132 favorites in this matchup but have since been bet down to San Francisco -115. Atlanta is going off as a +105 road underdog and the total is set at eight runs. The Braves are 6-2 in their last eight road games against the Giants.

Starting Pitchers Analysis   

Charlie Morton pitched seven innings last Saturday and allowed three earned runs in a 6-4 loss to the Miami Marlins. Morton has pitched well all season with a 13-5 record, a 3.49 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP and 195 strikeouts in 165 innings. The right-hander has a 2.48 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP in 83.1 career innings against the Giants.

Alex Wood is set to return to the lineup for his first start since August 26 after missing the last three weeks on the injured list with COVID-19. Wood is 10-4 and has a 4.08 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP in 23 starts this season. The Giants are 9-2 in his last 11 trips to the mound.

Atlanta News & Notes

Atlanta erased a 4-2 Giants lead to take a 5-4 lead in the top of the ninth inning on a Travis d’Arnaud home run. But Will Smith blew the save in the bottom of the ninth inning to send the game to extra innings where the Giants locked up a 6-5 win. The loss was Atlanta’s third straight, dropping the team’s record to 76-69.

The Braves have cooled off considerably since putting together their impressive 16-2 run in August. Atlanta is 8-13 in its 21 games since then and has seen its lead over the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East shrink to just two games. A three-game home series against the Phillies at the end of the month could play a large role in deciding the fate of the NL East, but first the Braves have to finish this 10-game road trip that they started on Friday night.

San Francisco News & Notes

Kevin Gausman was the unlikely hero on Friday night. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, relief pitcher Camilo Doval was due to bat for the first time in his MLB career. Giants manager Gabe Kapler had no position players left to pinch-hit for Doval, so he used staff ace Gausman. Gausman hit an RBI sacrifice fly to drive in Brandon Crawford and win the game.

You know things are going well on offense when even the pitchers are chipping in with big plays. Over their current 10-2 streak, San Francisco is averaging 9.25 runs per game. The Giants are four wins away from 500 and are still two games ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers in their tight race for the top spot in the NL West.