San Diego @ San Francisco preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 27, 2013 ) San Diego 3, San Francisco 7

The San Francisco Giants are nearing decision time on right fielder Hunter Pence, who heads into Saturday’s contest against the visiting San Diego Padres as the team’s leader in home runs, RBIs and runs scored. Pence, who along with Tim Lincecum and Javier Lopez will be a free agent at the end of the season, blasted his career-high 26th home run in Friday’s series opener. “He’s really amazing,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “The passion is there every day. He doesn’t back off.”

The Padres are 1-6 at AT&T Park this season, but rookie second baseman Jedd Gyorko continues to impress with three more hits in Friday’s 7-3 loss. San Diego began the weekend with a major league-best 2.75 ERA in September, and relievers Huston Street, Nick Vincent and Joe Thatcher have helped the team post a 70-70 mark since starting the season with just five wins in 20 contests. “We’ve been throwing the ball as good as we have all year,” manager Bud Black said.

TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, FSN (San Diego), CSN-BA (San Francisco)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Padres LH Eric Stults (10-13, 3.94 ERA) vs. Giants RH Yusmeiro Petit (4-0, 2.84)

Stults is 2-0 with a 2.60 ERA in his last three starts, and he reached 10 wins for the first time in his seven-year career on Monday against Arizona. “He has been a consistent guy, day in and day out, from the start of spring training,” Black said. “He’s a guy we don't have to worry about." Pence is 7-for-22 with two homers against Stults, who is 1-2 with a 6.43 ERA in five starts against the Giants this season.

Petit strengthened his case for a spot in next season’s rotation by allowing one run over 6 1/3 innings on Sunday against the New York Yankees. San Francisco has won each of his six starts. The 28-year-old, who came within one out of a perfect game against Arizona on Sept. 6, is 0-3 with a 5.40 ERA in seven career games against San Diego.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Giants announced that RHP Guillermo Moscoso will start Sunday’s season finale in place of RHP Matt Cain, who is being rested after throwing 184 1/3 innings.

2. San Diego is 53-6 when leading after six innings.

3. Giants OF Juan Perez, who came within a triple of hitting for the cycle on Friday, has nine hits in his last 20 at-bats.

PREDICTION: Padres 5, Giants 3