San Francisco @ Arizona preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 30, 2018 ) San Francisco 7, Arizona 0

Shortstop Brandon Crawford always has been known for his glove, but he’ll likely be an All-Star starter in a few weeks due in part to his impressive numbers at the plate. Crawford is putting together his best offensive season for the San Francisco Giants, who aim for a sweep of their three-game series against the host Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday.

Crawford recorded a solo home run, two walks and two runs scored in Saturday’s 7-0 victory and begins the month of July with a .313 average, 10 blasts and 38 RBIs. Andrew McCutchen and Joe Panik also homered for San Francisco, which has won nine of its last 11 games to pull into a tie with the Los Angeles Dodgers for second in the National League West, 3 1/2 games behind first-place Arizona. Ketel Marte gave the Diamondbacks a scare Saturday, when he exited in the seventh inning with a right hamstring injury, but manager Torey Lovullo was optimistic about his prognosis after the game. The Diamondbacks have been outscored 9-1 in the first two games of the series but hope to have outfielders A.J. Pollock (thumb) and Steven Souza Jr. (strained pectoral) back as soon as next week.

TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, NBC Bay Area (San Francisco), FS Arizona

PITCHING MATCHUP: Giants LH Derek Holland (5-7, 4.24 ERA) vs. Diamondbacks RH Zack Godley (9-5, 4.58)

Holland turned in another strong outing on Tuesday, matching his season high with eight strikeouts while pitching a season-long 6 2/3 innings in a no-decision against Colorado. The 31-year-old native of Ohio has gone 3-1 with a 3.41 ERA over his last six starts covering 31 2/3 innings. Jeff Mathis is 3-for-15 with five strikeouts against Holland, who is 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA in two career starts versus Arizona.

Godley set a new career high with his ninth victory on Tuesday, when he allowed two runs over five innings against Miami. The 28-year-old began June with a 10-3 loss to San Francisco but has gone 4-0 with a 3.09 ERA over his last four starts covering 23 1/3 frames. Panik is 1-for-11 against Godley, who is 2-2 with a 6.97 ERA in six career games (four starts) against the Giants - including 1-1 with a 6.10 ERA in two outings this season.

WALK-OFFS

1. Arizona 1B Paul Goldschmidt is batting .425 with two homers and seven RBIs in 11 games against the Giants this season.

2. San Francisco LHP Tony Watson has tossed 14 1/3 straight scoreless innings over his last 15 appearances.

3. The Diamondbacks placed INF Deven Marrero on the 10-day disabled list with a strained left oblique and recalled RHP Jimmy Sherfy from Triple-A Reno.

PREDICTION: Diamondbacks 6, Giants 5