San Francisco @ San Diego preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 4, 2014 ) San Francisco 0, San Diego 2

The San Diego Padres bring a season-high five-game winning streak into Saturday’s contest against the visiting San Francisco Giants, whose swoon continued with Friday’s series opener. The Giants, who were shut out for the third time in their last five games in the 2-0 loss, have dropped 18 of their past 23 games to fall 1 1/2 games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West. First baseman Brandon Belt returned Friday after missing eight weeks with a broken left thumb and batted second as part of manager Bruce Bochy’s effort to jump-start his team’s struggling offense.

The Padres’ surprising surge has been led by their starting rotation, which has posted a 1.92 ERA over the last 15 games. San Diego is missing second baseman Jedd Gyorko (plantar fasciitis) and shortstop Everth Cabrera (hamstring), which means more playing time for Brooks Conrad and Alexi Amarista, who belted his second homer of the season on Friday. Giants center fielder Angel Pagan remains out with a lower back injury, and Bochy does not expect him to return before the All-Star break.

TV: 7:15 p.m. ET, FOX

PITCHING MATCHUP: Giants RH Tim Hudson (7-5, 2.59 ERA) vs. Padres RH Odrisamer Despaigne (2-0, 0.66)

Hudson bounced back from two shaky outings by holding Cincinnati to two runs over eight innings in a 4-0 loss last Sunday. “My delivery felt a lot better and my timing was good,” Hudson told reporters. “They had one or two opportunities to score and took advantage.” Cameron Maybin is 9-for-22 with a home run against the three-time All-Star, who is 7-3 with a 2.93 ERA in 16 career games (15 starts) against San Diego, including 1-2 with a 3.38 ERA in three starts this season.

Despaigne, a 27-year-old Cuban who signed a minor league contract with the Padres on May 2, has won his first two starts while allowing one earned run over his first 13 2/3 innings. “He doesn’t get fazed,” manager Bud Black told reporters. “He’s pretty composed and clear-thinking. This guy knows how to pitch.” Despaigne made his major-league debut against the Giants on June 23, when he tossed seven shutout innings while yielding four hits in the Padres’ 6-0 victory.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Padres are 27-4 when scoring four or more runs.

2. San Francisco has homered only three times in its last 15 games.

3. San Diego has won eight of its last 10 games against the Giants at Petco Park.

PREDICTION: Giants 4, Padres 2