Philadelphia @ San Francisco preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 15, 2014 ) Philadelphia 5, San Francisco 3

The San Francisco Giants have sold out their last 308 regular season home games, but they haven’t given their loyal fans much to cheer about lately. The Giants have gone 8-23 in their last 31 games at AT&T Park heading into Saturday’s contest against the Philadelphia Phillies, who snapped a three-game losing streak with Friday’s 5-3, 10-inning victory. San Francisco has lost six of its last seven and stands 5 1/2 games back of first-place Los Angeles in the National League West.

Giants rookie Adam Duvall went 0-for-3 on Friday while starting at first base in place of Brandon Belt, who remains out with post-concussion syndrome. Belt, who is on the disabled list for the second time since being injured July 19, will travel to Chicago next week to meet with a concussion specialist and is not expected to return this month. The Phillies are hoping Friday’s game marks the start of a hot streak for third baseman Cody Asche, who is hitting .245 with eight home runs following his two-run homer in the series opener.

TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, CSN (Philadelphia), CSN Bay Area (San Francisco)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies RH Kyle Kendrick (5-11, 4.88 ERA) vs. Giants RH Tim Hudson (8-9, 2.81)

After pitching seven innings of one-run ball against Houston, Kendrick followed by yielding six runs (five earned) on 10 hits over five frames against the Mets on Sunday. Opponents are batting .279 against the 29-year-old, who has allowed 163 hits in 149 1/3 innings. Kendrick is 2-2 with a 4.55 ERA in seven career games (four starts) against San Francisco while limiting Angel Pagan to five hits in 31 at-bats.

Hudson has allowed exactly three runs in three consecutive starts, including last Saturday when he tossed six-plus innings against Kansas City. The four-time All-Star boasted a 1.81 ERA on June 12, but he has gone 1-7 with a 4.28 ERA in his last 10 starts. Ryan Howard is batting .328 with seven homers against Hudson, who is 11-10 with a 3.60 ERA in 30 career starts against the Phillies, including six strong innings July 24.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Phillies are 16-11 against NL West opponents.

2. Pagan is 13-for-41 during his nine-game hitting streak.

3. Philadelphia OF Darin Ruf is 5-for-9 with a home run and two RBIs over his last three games.

PREDICTION: Giants 6, Phillies 2