Venue: Petco Park, San Diego, CA
First pitch 4:10 PM EDT / 1:10 PM PDT
TV / Radio: Padres.TV (presented by UC San Diego Health); NBCS Bay Area (Giants); KWFN 97.3 / XEMO 860 (Padres); KNBR 680 / 1510 (Giants)
Weather Update
Game-time conditions at Petco Park are expected to be partly cloudy with a high around 66–70 °F, humidity in the mid-70s, and a very low precipitation chance (~3%). Winds will be light-to-moderate out of the west at 10–11 mph (blowing left-to-right across the diamond). These are classic early-April San Diego conditions—comfortable for players and fans, with minimal wind impact on fly balls and no rain threat. Slight edge to hitters early but still largely neutral-to-pitcher-friendly by Petco standards.
Recent Form
Giants: 2-3 overall but red-hot in this series — they have taken the first two games in San Diego (3-2 on Mar 30 and 9-3 on Mar 31). Offense has woken up (9 runs in Game 2), while the bullpen and starters have kept games close.
Padres: 1-4 and struggling mightily — they have been outscored 25-12 and lost their last two games by a combined 12 runs. Early-season offense is anemic (.182 BA, .515 OPS), and the pitching staff has been inconsistent after a disastrous opening week.
Series History
2026 season series (so far): Giants lead 2-0.
2025 head-to-head: Padres dominated 10-3.
All-time: Giants lead 499-461, but the Padres have owned this rivalry lately at Petco.
Recent trends at Petco: Padres 7-6 vs. Giants in 2024; strong home dominance in 2025. This three-game set is a chance for San Diego to salvage some pride after dropping the first two.
Probable Pitchers & Key Matchups
Giants – RHP Adrian Houser (0-0, 0.00 ERA in 2026; 3.31 ERA in 2025)
Houser is making his first start of the season after a solid 2025 campaign. Career vs. Padres: 0-1, 3.18 ERA in 22⅔ IP. He keeps the ball on the ground and limits hard contact—exactly what the Giants need against a Padres lineup that is scuffling.
Padres – RHP Nick Pivetta (0-1, 18.00 ERA in 2026; 2.87 ERA in 2025)
Pivetta was shelled in his first outing (18.00 ERA). Career vs. Giants: 3-1, 4.18 ERA in last 5 starts. He has strikeout stuff (high K/9) but has been homer-prone early. The Giants’ right-handed bats (Adames, Chapman, Schmitt) have feasted on him historically.
Notable Player Matchups (career OPS vs. today’s starter):
Willy Adames vs. Pivetta: 1.171 OPS (19 PA) – Giants’ new slugger is locked in.
Jung-ho Lee vs. Pivetta: 1.667 OPS (12 PA) – Lee has crushed Pivetta.
Fernando Tatis Jr. vs. Houser: .476 OPS (9 PA) – Tatis has been quiet against Houser.
Manny Machado vs. Houser: .220 OPS (14 PA) – Machado has struggled mightily.
Luis Arráez vs. Pivetta: 1.000 OPS (9 PA).
Projected Lineups (subject to change):
Giants: Adames SS, Devers DH, Ramos LF, Arráez 2B, Chapman 3B, Lee RF, Bader CF, Bailey C, Schmitt 1B.
Padres: Tatis Jr. RF, Bogaerts SS, Merrill CF, Machado 3B, Laureano DH, Cronenworth 2B, Sheets 1B, Fermin C, Johnson LF.
Injury Report
Giants (pitching depth hit hard):
LHP Sam Hentges (15-day IL – shoulder surgery)
RHP Joel Peguero (15-day IL – Grade 2 hamstring)
RHP Reiver Sanmartin (60-day IL – hip flexor)
Others on 60-day IL (elbow/forearm issues).
Padres (multiple starters/relievers sidelined):
RHP Matt Waldron (15-day IL – lower body/medical)
IF Sung-Mun Song (10-day IL – oblique)
RHP Jason Adam (15-day IL – quadriceps)
RHP Griffin Canning (15-day IL – Achilles)
RHP Jhony Brito (60-day IL – elbow).
Both clubs are leaning on young arms and call-ups in the bullpen—late-inning leverage could be shaky.
Betting Trends
Under has hit in 4 of the last 5 Padres home games and in both of the first two games of this series.
Petco Park has been one of the tougher parks for overs early in 2026.
Giants are 2-0 as underdogs in this series; Pivetta’s poor first start and Houser’s ground-ball profile point to a lower-scoring affair.
Game Odds
San Francisco Giants 8
San Diego Padres – 149
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Tuesday, March 31, 2026
