This weekend, we’ve got an excellent old-fashioned three-game series against the San Diego Padres, the National League West Division rival. The local Giants fans will fill Oracle Park once again as the team plays on their home field for the first time in 2024.
Matchups
For game 1, on Friday night, we are lined up to get another pitcher’s duel between Dylan Cease and Jordan Hicks. The two starters faced off last weekend in what ended up being an excellent game from start to finish, with the Giants coming out on top with a 9-6 victory despite a late push from the Padres. Cease (0-1, 3.86 ERA, .86 WHIP) will get the call at Oracle for just the second time in his career, where he went five innings, allowing four hits, one earned run on a solo shot to Lamonte Wade Jr, and struck out 4, back on July 2nd, 2022.
For the Giants, they’ll turn to Jordan Hicks for the second time this season. Hicks threw the ball very well in his first start with the Giants last weekend against these same Padres, who did not get a run across while Hicks was on the mound. Until last weekend, Hicks had not thrown more than two innings in an outing since early in the 2022 season when he was still with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he got his career started. During that early stretch of the 2022 season, Hicks did have a start against his current team at his current home stadium, where he pitched 4.1 innings, giving up three hits, two earned runs, and two walks while striking out five in a no-decision.
In Game Two of the series, we will see another Padres starter for the second time this season. That will be Michael King. King, acquired by the Padres from the New York Yankees in the offseason in the Juan Soto trade, was very erratic in his first start of the season against the Giants last weekend. King only went four innings, allowing only two hits and two earned runs, but he walked seven Giants batters. He also struck out 6. King has never made a start against San Francisco and has never pitched in Oracle Park.
King’s expected opposition is Keaton Winn. Winn is a second-year pitcher for the Giants with a mere ten career MLB games under his belt. We haven’t seen much from Keaton regarding his big-league stuff, but he has shown some pretty decent stuff throughout his development in the minors and college. Fans have plenty of reason to get excited every time Winn takes the ball, and Saturday’s game will be no exception.
In the rubber match, the Padres will look to Matt Waldron, who was knocked around quite a bit in his first start of the season against the St. Louis Cardinals. Waldron went four innings, allowing nine hits, one walk, and four earned runs, taking the loss. Waldron faced the Giants two times in 2023, once at each team’s home ballpark, throwing a total of 11 innings and allowing eight hits, two walks, and three earned runs while striking out six and getting a no-decision in each outing. Waldron is the last of a dying breed. During his rookie season in 2023, Waldron was the first pitcher to have a knuckleball as a full-time part of his arsenal since 2019, with a few others having thrown the pitch on occasion as well.
The Giants will send the Webb Slinger, and Logan Webb, to the mound to finish the series against the Padres. Webb is getting his third turn through the rotation already, as he was the opening-day starter for the Giants. Webb carries a 6.52 ERA after his first two starts and a 1.66 WHIP, both well above his career averages. However, he will look to right the ship that is his young season against the Padres, against whom he fared well in his first start, going six innings, allowing just two earned runs on five hits and two walks, while striking out five Fathers.
Weather
We’ve got some beautiful springtime Bay weather rolling in for this series. On Friday, the temps will be in the mid-to-lower fifties with some of that breeze coming in off the Bay, so bring an extra layer or two if you plan on joining the team for the home opener. First pitch is at 4:35ET/1:35PT.
Game two will see similar weather to Friday night, with the temps being in the mid-50s around game time and dipping closer towards that 50-degree mark by the game’s end. The wind will be blowing in from the west/northwest so that the real feel will be much cooler. Bring an extra layer or two if you’re heading to Oracle Park for the game. First pitch is at 9:05ET/6:05PT
The series’ final game will see slightly higher temps and a slightly earlier start time than Friday’s home opener. Temps will be pushing 60 at first pitch, which is a 4:05ET/1:05PT, with the usual wind cooling things down just a bit.
Baseball is back in the Bay!!!
