Now that we've got the somewhat tedious All-Star game out of the way, it's time to get back to some tangible baseball. The Giants are coming off a three-game set with the New York Mets, and will now make the trip to San Diego to take on the Padres in a set of four games. Everybody is rested, everybody (who isn't injured) is good to go, and the fans are rabid.
As it stands, the Giants hold a three-game lead in the National League West, while the Padres sit in last place - twelve games back of San Francisco. They need this four-game set to make up ground, and the Giants can use it to bury them. Most recently, the Giants took on the Mets and won the final two games of their three-game set.
The Padres, on the other hand, have lost five straight games dating back to their last four-game set against the Giants, which ended in a split, with San Diego losing the final two games. They went on to get swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the battle for fourth place in the division. They need something to happen fast.
Madison Bumgarner, Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito and Matt Cain will take the mound for the defending World Champions. They'll be up against Aaron Harang, Dustin Moseley, Cory Luebke and Mat Latos. Game one is set for Thursday night at 7:05 p.m.