The Padres and the Giants, both swept away by the Dodgers in recent series, now face each other in San Diego. The Giants, a sub .500 team on the road will start left-hander Alex Wood on Monday. Wood was hit very hard by the Dodgers in his last start, but was lights out in July with a 1.65 ERA over five appearances. He lost to the Padres back in May.

Wood will face another veteran lefty in Blake Snell. With 5 quality starts in his last 6 appearances, Snell appears to have re-found his form. He has allowed just 2 runs over 12 innings in his last 2 starts, and has cut opposing batters’ average to .200, down from .289 in June.He had good success vs. the Giants when he last faced them.

The Giants hit a little better in their last 2 games vs. the A’s, but they are down in the depths as far as recent offense goes. Much is expected of the new, improved Padres, and while they didn’t show it vs. LA, their lineup definitely has potential. Monday’s starters have very similar records over their last 6 games, both very effective with a just one hiccup each. The Padres’ bullpen has been superior to the Giants’ in recent games. Past success vs. Wood, better recent offense and relief pitching and a home field advantage spells win for the Padres. 9*