Diamondbacks vs. Giants (August 16): Will San Francisco sizzle or fizzle against Kelly?

The San Francisco Giants have a lot of catching up to do in the NL wild-card race, but a win over the Arizona Diamondbacks last night extended their win streak to four games.

Tonight, San Francisco will look to make it five straight wins in and eight wins in their last ten games, with Jakob Junis on the mound for the home team and Merrill Kelly getting the ball for the D-backs.

The Giants are currently five and a half games back of the rival Padres for the third NL wild-card spot, and they got a little help last night with Miami’s Sandy Alcantara spinning his latest gem to see off the Padres.

More help from the Marlins tonight would no doubt be welcome, but at minimum, the Giants need to hold serve at home against the Diamondbacks.

To do that, they will need to find a way through Kelly, who has had their number thus far this season.

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. San Francisco Giants Matchup Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

• Matchup: Arizona Diamondbacks (53-62, 21-33 away, 4th in the NL West) vs. San Francisco Giants (58-57, 33-27 home, 3rd in the NL West)
• Venue & Location: Oracle Park (San Francisco, California)
• Date: Tuesday, August 16, 2022
• Game Time: 9:45 p.m. Eastern Time (6:45 p.m. local time)
• Diamondbacks vs. Giants TV Info: MLB Network

Diamondbacks vs. Giants Pitching Matchup

• Arizona Diamondbacks: Merrill Kelly (2022: 23 starts, 10-5, 2.95 ERA)
• San Francisco Giants: Jakob Junis (2022: 14 appearances – 11 starts, 4-3, 3.78 ERA)

Diamondbacks vs. Giants Odds

Game odds are via BetOnline. This article may also feature odds from other legal online sports betting sites that we have reviewed and recommend.

Moneyline

• Arizona Diamondbacks +110
• San Francisco Giants -130

Over/Under

• Over 8 (-106)
• Under 8 (-114)

Run Line

• Arizona Diamondbacks +1.5 (-205)
• San Francisco Giants -1.5 (+168)

Giants Yet to See Success Against Kelly in 2022

They don’t get the love that other pitchers do because of where they are, but the Diamondbacks have two of the better pitchers in the NL.

Zac Gallen, who is scheduled to get the start in Thursday’s series finale in San Francisco, is 8-2 with a 2.94 ERA in 22 starts this season. And just a shade behind Gallen in ERA is Kelly, who is tied for fourth among qualified starters in fewest homers allowed, with eight.

Kelly has been outstanding against the Giants thus far this season, going 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA in three starts.

Merrill Kelly vs. San Francisco in 2022

• vs. San Francisco (July 6): 6.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R (2 ER), 3 BB, 6 K – no-decision in a 7-5 loss
• at San Francisco (July 11): 7 IP, 5 H, 2 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 4 K – win in a 4-3 win
• vs. San Francisco (7/25): 8 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K – win in a 7-0 win

Those three starts are part of a strong stretch for Kelly since the start of July. Across his last eight starts, the 33-year-old righty is 4-0 with a 1.86 ERA.

For his career, Kelly is 5-3 with a 2.79 ERA in 13 starts against the Giants, though his win at Oracle Park last month was his first there in five starts.

Kelly has been better on the road this season than in any previous season, so that start is just one of a number of strong starts away from Chase Field.

In his first three seasons, he was 11-17 with a 5.36 ERA in 33 away starts. But this season, he is 7-1 with a 2.79 ERA and seven quality starts in 10 starts on the road.

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. San Francisco Giants Prediction and Picks

Diamondbacks vs. Giants Prediction: Diamondbacks to win

Diamondbacks vs. Giants Picks: Diamondbacks ML (Best Value: +110 at BetOnline & Bovada Sportsbook)

The Diamondbacks are 12-8 in Gallen (5-5) and Kelly’s (7-3) away starts but 9-25 in road games started by anyone else this season, so this clearly represents a good chance for them to pick up a road win.

The Giants have less success against right-handed starters (.234 batting average and 4.44 runs per game) than against left-handed starters (.240 batting average and 4.83 runs per game), so Kelly’s success is no bewildering surprise. Look for it to continue tonight for Kelly and for the Diamondbacks to come away with the win on the road.

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