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The San Francisco Giants take on the Arizona Diamondbacks. Check out our MLB odds series for our Giants Diamondbacks prediction and pick.
Jakob Junis gets the start for San Francisco, while Tyler Gilbert takes the rubber for Arizona.
Jakob Junis missed more than a month due to injury. He did not pitch for the Giants from June 11 through July 16. He returned to the team on July 17 and got shredded by the Brewers in a brief two-inning appearance. He had a 2.63 ERA through June 10, so he performed well for the Giants before the injury. This game is an important determinant of how quickly Junis can get back on the beam. A San Francisco team reeling from a four-game sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers is only one game above .500 and in dire need of a boost. The Giants badly need Junis to answer the call in this game.
Tyler Gilbert has a 5.34 ERA, but you shouldn't pay too much attention to that number. Gilbert has not pitched on a regular basis this season, logging only 30 1/3 innings in 2022. When he pitched on July 16 against the Padres, it marked the first time Gilbert had made three regular starts in the rotation in consecutive turns. He had not previously made three straight starts in a normal 12- or 13-day time frame. He made two consecutive starts in late April before pitching once in May and once in June. In his three recent starts, Gilbert has delivered a 2.51 ERA: 14 1/3 innings pitched, four earned runs allowed, no home runs allowed, and only three walks. That's a good pitcher, not the man who allowed a 7.88 ERA through June 7. He has retooled his approach and has become a solid addition to the D-Backs' rotation.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Giants-Diamondbacks MLB odds.
MLB Odds: Giants-Diamondbacks Odds
San Francisco Giants: -1.5 (+126)
Arizona Diamondbacks: +1.5 (-152)
Over: 9.5 (-104)
Under: 9.5 (-118)
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Why The Giants Could Cover the Spread
The Giants just got hammered by the Dodgers in four straight losses. They badly need to win. They're a better team than the Diamondbacks. There is a lot of professional pride in the San Francisco clubhouse. Plenty of the players on this year's team were part of last year's magical ride, in which the Giants outdueled the Dodgers for the National League West Division championship in an epic race. This team is not going to give up the fight very easily, and after scoring four runs against Clayton Kershaw on Sunday in Los Angeles, Tyler Gilbert should be comparatively easier to handle.
Why The Diamondbacks Could Cover the Spread
After losing to the Washington Nationals on Sunday by blowing a 3-1 lead and then squandering a bases-loaded, no-out opportunity in the bottom of the eighth, the Diamondbacks are going to come to the ballpark motivated to turn the page. The Diamondbacks are playing hard. They just haven't handled late-game situations very well this year. So many close games have slipped through their fingers. They are probably a better team than their record suggests, whereas some teams win a ton of close games and are probably not as good as their record might indicate. Jakob Junis is a total mystery for the Giants right now. The Diamondbacks should feel confident that they can rough him up and score a big number.
Final Giants-Diamondbacks Prediction & Pick
We don't know what to expect from Jakob Junis. The Giants are the better team but are in the midst of another downward spiral. This game screams for a stay-away. If you insist on a pick, though, the total seems high, given how good a pitcher Tyler Gilbert has been in recent weeks.
Final Giants-Diamondbacks Prediction & Pick: Under 9.5
