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SF Giants and Braves meet on July 4

Theo

Two pitchers looking to build on strong starts will look to give their teams a win on Independence Day when the San Francisco Giants complete a three-game road series against the Atlanta Braves.

Atlanta’s Charlie Morton (5-4, 3.89 ERA) will face Logan Webb (6-6, 3.12 ERA) in Thursday night’s series finale after splitting the first two games.

Morton pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings Friday in his last outing, helping Atlanta beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-1. The win gave the 40-year-old right-hander a win over every major league club. In 16 career starts against San Francisco, Morton is 4-6 with a 2.77 ERA.

He has not faced the Giants since September 14, 2022, after a 4-1 loss.

Giants vs Braves Game Preview

For San Francisco, Webb, a right-hander, earned a no-decision after seven, two-run innings against the rival Los Angeles Dodgers last Friday. A National League Cy Young Award finalist last year, Webb has completed at least six innings in 10 straight outings dating back to May 10.

Thursday will mark Webb’s seventh career start against Atlanta, and he is 2-0 with a 3.05 ERA.

In Game 2 of the series on Wednesday, Atlanta won 3-1 behind six quality innings from starter Chris Sale. With 11 wins, Sale is tied for the major league lead with Seth Lugo of the Kansas City Royals.

Offensively, Austin Riley had two hits and two RBIs, and the Atlanta third baseman saw his batting average increase from .220 to .254 since June 13.

Riley hits the heart of an Atlanta lineup that is still trying to live up to last year’s historic campaign. After tying the major league record with 307 home runs in 2023, the Braves sit 14th in the major leagues with 91 home runs this year. Against all odds, the team has only 360 runs, ranking 18th.

“We need those middle-of-the-pack guys to be healthy,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. “We’ve struggled all year to get some consistency, but I know when they get it like they’ve done in the past, it’s going to be fun to watch. It’s been a tougher start this year, but they’re going to continue to work on it. I still think our best baseball is ahead of us.”

Along with Riley, designated hitter Marcell Ozuna is hitting .297 with 21 homers and 67 RBIs, while first baseman Matt Olson is hitting .240 with 12 homers and 41 RBIs.

A victory Thursday for the Giants would secure a third straight series victory for the club, which won three of four games against the Chicago Cubs and two of three against the Dodgers in its last home series.

The Braves evened the series Wednesday by scoring three runs on eight hits in five innings off starter Jordan Hicks. Hicks hasn’t won a game since May 19, but he has the support of manager Bob Melvin.

“When you give up three runs and you only get four hits and one run, it’s not a good look, but it’s not like he pitched badly,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said. “It turned out Sale wasn’t the only one who could solve it.”

–Field level media

San Francisco Giants Upcoming Schedule

  • Tuesday July 2 – Thursday July 4 – @ Atlanta Braves
  • Friday July 5 – Sunday July 7 – @Cleveland Guardians
  • Tuesday July 9 – Thursday July 11 – against the Toronto Blue Jays
  • Friday July 12 – Sunday July 14 – against the Minnesota Twins
  • From Monday July 15 to Thursday July 18 – MLB All-Star Break
  • Monday July 15 – The home run derby
  • Tuesday July 16 – MLB All-Star Game in Arlington, Texas

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