With the Offense in Full Swing, Barry Zito Takes the Ball in Game 2 of the Series: Preview and Lineup

Fresh off a 10-run outburst last night, the Giants will look to keep their National League best road offense in full swing against southpaw Eric Stults.

To be exact, the Giants (65-54) now average 5.19 runs per game on the road. If they finish on top, it would be the first time that they've led the N.L in runs on the road since 1993. 

The Giants, who are 7-3 against San Diego this season, need players to step up in the wake of Melky Cabrera's 50-game suspension. They got just that in Friday night's 10-1 beating of the Padres as seven of the nine starters including the pitcher Matt Cain all recorded at least one RBI in the game. 

Angel Pagan and Marco Scutaro both collected a pair of RBIs. Hunter Pence drove in a run on two hits, including a scorching line drive double in an eight-run third inning.

Tonight, Stults will look to dampen the Giants' lively road offense. In his last start against the Braves he allowed just one run over 7.2 innings resulting in his third win of the season. The 32 year-old lefty has yielded just three runs in his last six appearances (2 starts), good enough for a sparkly 1.37 ERA. 

The Giants, who have won 13 of their last 18 games in San Diego, will turn to southpaw Barry Zito to keep that streak alive. 

 Zito, though, is just merely hoping to rebound after getting roughed up by the Rockies last Saturday, allowing four runs in a loss. Perhaps Petco Park will bolster his chances at a quality starts, though that may be a false assumption as Zito is 0-3 with a 7.01 ERA in his last five outings at Petco. 

To make matters worse, Zito is 2-3 in his last five starts, and during that span he’s posted a 6.28 ERA. Although, the beef of the Padres’ lineup in Carlos Quentin and Chase Headley are a combined 8-33 off Zito with no home runs and only four RBIs. 

Brandon Belt has quietly stepped his game up in August. He has a .432 batting average in 14 August games, and he will be key as the Giants attempt to make a push at the postseason without their best hitter in Cabrera. 

Here's the rest of the Giants lineup:

Pagan CF
Scutaro 2B
Sandoval 3B
Posey C
Pence RF
Arias SS
Belt 1B
Christian LF
Zito LHP

Posted in: San Diego Padres,San Francisco Giants