San Francisco @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 10, 2015 ) San Francisco 8, NY Mets 5

With their bags packed with plenty of offense, the San Francisco Giants look to complete a successful road trip by claiming a sweep of their three-game series versus the host New York Mets on Thursday. The reigning World Series champion Giants lost five in a row heading into their ceremonial visit to the White House last week, but rebounded to score 29 runs en route to winning four of their last five.

Buster Posey improved to 5-for-10 with three doubles in the first two games of the series against New York after driving in three runs in San Francisco's 8-5 triumph on Wednesday. Posey is 15-for-32 in the last eight contests versus the Mets while batting a robust .368 against Thursday starter Jonathon Niese. New York native Joe Panik homered for the second straight contest and added a pair of singles to extend his hitting streak to 14 contests while reaching base in 22 straight. Michael Cuddyer has hit safely in 13 of 14 games - the lone exception being rookie Chris Heston's no-hitter in the series opener - and is batting .389 against Thursday's starter Tim Lincecum.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, CSBA (San Francisco), SNY (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Giants RH Tim Lincecum (6-3, 3.29 ERA) vs. Mets LH Jonathon Niese (3-6, 4.43)

Lincecum improved to 5-1 in his last seven trips to the mound despite yielding four earned runs in his third straight start. While the results have been impressive, the two-time NL Cy Young Award winner has yielded five homers in his last three outings after keeping the ball in the park in each of his previous six outings. Lincecum has feasted on the Mets in his career, posting a 6-1 mark with a 2.88 ERA.

Niese suffered his fourth straight loss on Friday after allowing three runs on six hits in as many innings of a 7-2 setback to Arizona. The 28-year-old showed promise by recording a season-high eight strikeouts, but he remains in search of his first win since May 9. Niese, who has posted a gaudy 7.96 ERA over his last five starts, owns a 1-3 career mark versus San Francisco despite posting a 2.98 ERA.

WALK-OFFS

1. San Francisco OF Nori Aoki, who had four singles on Wednesday, is 15-for-31 with seven runs scored during his seven-game hitting streak.

2. New York SS Wilmer Flores had a two-run single in the first inning Wednesday and has hit safely in nine of his last 10 contests.

3. The Giants have won nine of the last 10 meetings with the Mets.

PREDICTION: Giants 4, Mets 3