San Diego @ San Francisco preview

Last Meeting ( May 6, 2015 ) San Diego 9, San Francisco 1

San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner will attempt to avoid losing three consecutive starts for the first time in nearly a year when he takes the mound Tuesday night against the visiting San Diego Padres. It is the opener of a six-game homestand for San Francisco, which had a three-game winning streak snapped in Sunday's series finale versus the National League West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.

Bumgarner, the reigning World Series Most Valuable Player, had yielded a combined three runs in his back-to-back defeats but his teammates were blanked on both occasions. The Giants own the best road record in the NL but have dropped nine of their last 10 at AT&T Park. Division rival San Diego is 4-9 over its last 13 games after dropping two of three in Arizona over the weekend. Odrisamer Despaigne starts the series opener for the Padres, who have one four of seven meetings versus San Francisco this season.

TV: 10:15 p.m. ET, FSN San Diego, CSN Bay Area (San Francisco)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Padres RH Odrisamer Despaigne (3-5, 4.92 ERA) vs. Giants LH Madison Bumgarner (7-4, 3.09)

Despaigne gave up four first-inning runs and wound up being charged with six runs on eight hits over six-plus innings in a 16-2 loss at Oakland to stretch his winless string to three starts. He has permitted at least four runs in three of his last four road starts and is 1-3 with a bloated 6.00 ERA away from home. He tossed 4 2/3 hitless innings in relief his season debut versus the Giants and is 2-0 with a 0.36 ERA against them.

Bumgarner came out on the short end of a stirring duel with Seattle's Felix Hernandez on Wednesday, taking the loss despite limiting the Mariners to two runs on four hits while tossing his first complete game of the season. He also went eight innings in his previous outing but wound up a hard-luck loser in a 1-0 setback versus Arizona. Bumgarner has split a pair of decisions versus the Padres this season, including 7 1/3 scoreless innings of two-hit ball on May 4.

WALK-OFFS

1. Giants 1B Brandon Belt was 5-for-9 with three doubles and a triple in a three-game home series versus San Diego last month.

2. The Padres are 2-4 since manager Bud Black was fired and replaced by interim skipper Pat Murphy

3. Giants LF Nori Aoki sat out Sunday after being hit in the lower leg by a pitch the previous day.

PREDICTION: Giants 3, Padres 1