It’s a holiday … two holidays, really, for many Bay Area residents. But down in Southern California, it’s a different kind of day: rubber match day. The San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim will settle their series with a matinee today. For the Giants, it’s not only a chance to win a the series, but a chance to finish an extremely difficult three-city road trip with a winning record.
They’re sending right-hander Justin Verlander to the mound to get the job done. Verlander’s overall numbers in his debut Giants season haven’t been great, as he’s gone 0-1 in four starts, with a 6.75 ERA, a 4.74 FIP, and 17 strikeouts against nine walks in 18.2 innings. But he’s pitched better than the numbers would suggest, as it seems like each start he just has one inning where the other team — or a bunch of softly hit balls that somehow find the grass — gets to him. In his last outing, the three-time Cy Young winner gave up four runs in 5.2 innings against the Philadelphia Phillies.
On the other side is another veteran, lefty Yusei Kikuchi, who was one of LA’s biggest offseason acquisitions. Through four starts, the 33-year old is 0-3 with a 4.13 ERA, a 4.61 FIP, and 22 strikeouts against 10 walks in 24 innings. His last start was his best of the year, as he gave up just one run in six innings against the Texas Rangers. If I had to guess, Kikuchi will throw exactly six innings today, because that’s what he’s done in all four starts this year.
Enjoy the game! Go Giants!
Lineups
Giants
- Heliot Ramos (R) — LF
- Willy Adames (R) — SS
- Jung Hoo Lee (L) — CF
- Matt Chapman (R) — 3B
- Wilmer Flores (R) — DH
- Luis Matos (R) — RF
- Tyler Fitzgerald (R) — 2B
- David Villar (R) — 1B
- Sam Huff (R) — C
RHP. Justin Verlander
Angels
- Taylor Ward (R) — LF
- Luis Rengifo (S) — 3B
- Mike Trout (R) — RF
- Jorge Soler (R) — DH
- Nolan Schanuel (L) — 1B
- Logan O’Hoppe (R) — C
- Zach Neto (R) — SS
- Jo Adell (R) — CF
- Tim Anderson (R) — 2B
LHP. Yusei Kikuchi
Game #22
Who: San Francisco Giants (14-7) vs. Los Angeles Angels (10-10)
Where: Angel Stadium, Anaheim, California
When: 1:07 p.m. PT
Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area
National broadcast: MLB Network
Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM
