This is the opener of a three-game series in Arizona between the Diamondbacks and visiting San Francisco Giants.
Kai-Wei Teng is scheduled to pitch for San Francisco, while Zac Gallen is slated to start for Arizona.
Giants at Diamondbacks prediction, preview
Kai-Wei Teng has appeared in six games this season and pitched 22.2 innings, starting five of those contests. The strikeout rate is good at 25.9% and the swinging strike rate is solid at 12.7%. He’s only allowed one home run with a 3.2% barrel rate and 28.6% hard hit rate. The walk rate, though, is 13% and the ERA is 7.54. He has been unlucky with a .403 BABIP and 52.9% strand rate, so the FIP is a respectable 3.5.
The strikeout rate against righties is an impressive 13.89 but the walk rate is a whopping 7.71. As a result, the K-BB% is only 2.2% higher than against lefties. Teng has been much better on the road, as the K-BB% is 19.2% compared to -3.3% at home.
Teng has allowed more than three earned runs three times. He has yet to go six innings in any contest, with only two having gone at least five innings. This will be his first time facing Arizona this season.
Against right-handed pitching, the Diamondbacks rank 13th in strikeout rate and second in ISO. Their wOBA ranks sixth in MLB.
Zac Gallen has posted a 4.84 ERA and 4.53 FIP through 174.2 innings. The strikeout rate is 21.2% while the walk rate is 8.1%. He’s allowed 28 home runs. The average exit velocity is 90.3 mph, barrel rate is 9.4% and the hard hit rate is 43.4%. The swinging strike rate is 9.2% while the chase rate is 29.2%. Most of the numbers are solid, but a far cry from what he was putting up only a few seasons ago.
Gallen has been much better against righties, as the K-BB% is 16.6% and 9.4% against lefties. He has been site neutral.
In 30 starts, Gallen has allowed more than three earned runs 15 times while going at least six innings 19 times. He has faced San Francisco twice. The first meeting was in July at home. He went seven innings, did not walk a batter and struck out 10 while allowing one earned run on five hits. In his most recent start, he got roughed up in San Francisco for five earned runs on five hits in 6.2 innings while walking three and striking out three.
Against right-handed pitching, the Giants have the 17th-highest strikeout rate, the 16th-best ISO, and rank 13th in MLB in wOBA.
As for the bullpens, since August 1, San Francisco ranks eighth in FIP, while Arizona ranks 21st.
Giants at Diamondbacks pick, best bet
My initial thought was to go with Teng despite the control issue because the stuff is good and he’s been unlucky. And Gallen always scares me, but the atmosphere should be intense in Arizona as these two teams are battling for a Wild Card spot, with half a game separating the two. I don’t like Teng in that scenario.
