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Giants-Diamondbacks Preview

Jul 24, 2010 - 6:56 AM By MATT BEARDMORE STATS Writer

San Francisco (54-43) at Arizona (37-60), 8:10 p.m. EDT

Atop the NL wild-card standings, the San Francisco Giants are looking to continue their winning ways on the road this month. Another game against the Arizona Diamondbacks could help them do that.

San Francisco looks to win its fourth straight road series for the first time since 2004 on Saturday night when it goes for its sixth consecutive victory over Arizona.

Trailing NL West-leading San Diego by 6 1/2 games following a season-high seven-game slide, the Giants (54-43) have won 14 of 18 since July 2 to move into second place in the division, three games behind the Padres. San Francisco leads Cincinnati by one-half game in the wild-card race after defeating Arizona 7-4 on Friday.

Looking to win his fourth consecutive start, rookie Madison Bumgarner (3-2, 2.41 ERA) takes the ball for San Francisco, which has won 10 of 12 on the road and will look to win four consecutive series outside the Bay Area for the first time since Sept. 10-Oct. 3, 2004.

After going 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA in his previous two outings, the 20-year-old left-hander allowed six hits in a season-low 5 2-3 innings of Monday's 5-2 victory at the Dodgers.

"He wasn't as sharp tonight. But that's a good sign," catcher Buster Posey told the Giants' official website of Bumgarner, who will make his second career appearance, and first start, versus Arizona.

Posey will likely be behind the plate Saturday after manager Bruce Bochy gave him Friday off. The rookie is batting .438 with six homers and 20 RBIs during a 16-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in 20 straight games.

Posey has a good chance to extend both streaks. He is 3 for 3 with two doubles lifetime against Saturday's scheduled starter Ian Kennedy (5-7, 4.02).

The Diamondbacks right-hander is 2-0 with a 2.61 ERA in his last two starts after losing his previous four outings.

Kennedy, who is trying to win three straight starts for the first time, is 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA in two starts versus San Francisco. In a 13-1 victory over the visiting Giants on May 19, he threw eight innings of three-hit ball.

Arizona (37-60), which is looking to avoid a third consecutive defeat following its first three-game sweep of the season, has scored 18 runs in Kennedy's last two starts. The Diamondbacks starter could get plenty of support Saturday if second baseman Kelly Johnson continues to swing a hot bat. Johnson became the fourth player in franchise history to hit for the cycle when he lined a single to right in the eighth inning Friday.

"It's a pretty cool thing to say you did that," Johnson said, "but unfortunately we lost."

Johnson is batting .407 (11 for 27) with two homers and five RBIs versus San Francisco this season.

Giants first baseman Aubrey Huff has also performed well in this matchup in 2010, batting .524 with three homers and seven RBIs after hitting two solo shots Friday - his third multihomer game of the season - and adding an RBI single. Huff's .425 career batting average versus the Diamondbacks in the best of any active player with at least 100 plate appearances.

The Giants are batting .313 and averaging 6.6 runs against Arizona since losing the first two matchups this season.