Giants Looking to Pad NL West Lead

Nobody expected the San Francisco Giants to be where they are at this point in the season. The team is 73-41 and owns the best record in baseball in a division with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. The team is four games up on Los Angeles in the National League West heading into a four-game series with the Rockies that begins on Thursday.

The Rockies are 22 games out of first place with a 51-63 record. This was expected for the club in the best division in baseball. The first pitch for Thursday’s contest is scheduled for 9:45 p.m. ET from Oracle Park in San Francisco.

German Marquez will throw for Colorado against Logan Webb of the Giants. San Francisco is favored on the run line with a money line of -200. The Rockies are +170 to win, and the over/under has been set at 7 ½ runs. For more MLB odds and lines, please visit BetUS online sportsbook.

Offensive Explosion for Giants

The Giants have won in every phase of the game. The team was not expected to have a potent offense, but San Francisco has shined at the dish all season. The team has a cumulative slash line of .246/.326/.439 with 174 home runs.

The clutch power has sparked the Giants to many big wins over rivals like Los Angeles and San Diego. The pitching has been sensational, but this was more expected heading into the season.

BCraw 💣
410ft 🚀
105.9mph 🔥
23° 📐

(#SFGiants x @Xfinity) pic.twitter.com/3F6Jz3pIuB

— SFGiants (@SFGiants) August 12, 2021

In the Giants’ last matchup on Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, they hit the cover off the ball. San Francisco blasted four bombs in a 7-2 win. The star of the night was Buster Posey, who had two hits, including a homer.

Brandon Crawford, who also went yard in the win, spoke about the team’s offensive power in the win and throughout the year.

He said, “We definitely have taken a lot of good swings all year. Tonight was a matter of swinging at good pitches and putting good swings on the ball. We’re starting to get used to it.”

Even Arizona manager Torey Lovullo credited the opposition for their success. “The ball was flying out of this ballpark today in certain areas,” he said.

Pitching Matchup

The pitching matchup is going to be strong. Colorado will throw German Marquez on Thursday night. He is having a tremendous season, considering he pitches in Colorado, where balls fly out the yard.

Marquez is 10-8 with a 3.42 ERA over 136.2 innings, He has 141 strikeouts and 49 walks. His strikeout ability is strong, but he gives a lot of free passes. This has not been beneficial for his team.

Logan Webb will throw for the Giants. He has fewer innings than Marquez with 79, but he is 5-3 with a 3.19 ERA. Over 79 innings, Webb has fanned 82 batters. The pitching matchup favors San Francisco.

Who Wins?

It’s hard to argue with the Giants. They are the better team in all phases of the game and they are on a roll. San Francisco is riding a four-game winning streak.

Colorado has not been playing well. The Rockies dominated Miami but were outscored against Houston 10-1 in two straight losses. Colorado can beat San Francisco, but I do not think they will do too much in this series.

The Giants are a better club than the Rockies. The money line has no value in this contest, so you must bet the team on the run line to receive any benefit.

The over is also a strong online bet because San Francisco has been mauling strong pitching lately.

Pick: San Francisco Giants -1½ runs (+105)

The Series

This four-game series gives the Giants a great opportunity to bury the Dodgers. It’s tough to sweep any team over four games, but San Francisco has the team to make this happen. The hardest game will be the opener against Marquez.

Nevertheless, if the Giants win tonight, it should be smooth sailing for the remainder of the series. In game two, Austin Gomber will throw against Anthony DeSclafani, who has been one of the best pitchers in the game.

Game three will be headlined by Kyle Freeland for the Rockies. The Giants have not named a starter. Jon Gray will throw against Alex Wood in game four. If San Francisco continues to deliver at the plate, it will be in a great spot throughout the four games.