A Ray Of Hope For Giants As They Close Out Against Diamondbacks

Giants vs. Diamondbacks, 9:40 ET

If you follow baseball at all, the National League West is one of those divisions that has been more interesting and wild than any other. If you know what is going on in this division, please let me know. There are four teams that are legitimate contenders to at least make the playoffs. I highly doubt they get all four in, but I suppose things could happen. There have been a lot of ups and downs with all teams (well, maybe not the Dodgers), but the Giants and Diamondbacks square off here today in another divisional battle.

The Giants are 46-41 for the season, and they sit in third place, very little separates them from being in fourth or second place. I suppose that is a simple thought that you probably would assume with any other third place team. However, the reality is that two games one way or another could put the Giants in a different standing. The Dodgers are really far ahead of everyone so let's just ignore them. San Francisco has struggled lately, though, dropping four of the past five games. They need a win here to get a series split with the Diamondbacks. Today they send out one of their best weapons in Robbie Ray. Ray has been very good for the year. Ray is 8-3 for the season with a 2.75 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. He has been slightly worse on the road than he has been at home this season, but it isnt' anything significant. He still has a sub-three ERA on the road. June was his worst month of the season, but he still had three quality starts in five outings, and the other two starts still saw him allow three or fewer earned runs. Diamondbacks hitters have done pretty well against him, going 13 for 44 against Ray.

Arizona Diamondbacks’ Brandon Pfaadt (32) pitches against the Seattle Mariners at Chase Field in Phoenix, on June 10, 2025.

The Diamondbacks, a few weeks ago, looked like they were trending towards dropping out of the playoff race. Most of the conversation around the team was that they were going to look at trading away at least one of their best pitchers, potentially two of them. Right now, they are a .500 club which won't get them into the playoffs. They need to win as many as they can against these divisional foes, but find a way to destroy anyone outside of the division. Arizona has still has a great offense, but the pitching has been really bad. The starters have been rough and the bullpen has been a little tough this year. Collectively, the team has a 4.70 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. Today they put out Brandon Pfaadt on the hill. He has a good record at 8-5, but he has a 5.38 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP, so those numbers aren't nearly as impressive. He has been better at home, but he still has a 4.02 ERA in Arizona. He actually has had a pretty decent season, but there are just some very bad starts mixed in. He has six starts of four or more earned runs allowed. He also has six quality starts. He faced the Giants once this season, allowing four earned runs in four innings. The Giants have hit Pfaddt well overall, going 11-for-30 against him. 

Yesterday, I wrote that I was going to not play any team totals, but I do have a strong lean to the over for the Giants team total. I'm not going to play it, but I do think that I will take the Giants in this game. With Robbie Ray on the mound, we should have a better chance for San Francisco to steal this last game. Pfaadt can be good, but one pitcher has been consistent, the other has been all over the place. Back the Giants at a reasonable -125 even if they are playing bad baseball.

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