San Francisco Giants vs. San Diego Padres

No one should pay close attention to the San Francisco Giants-San Diego Padres series this weekend since the home team has won all nine games this season, including the first game of a four-game series in AT&T Park, won by the Giants on 5-1.

But then on the other hand, the road team is due-aren’t they?

That will remain to be seen as the NL West rivals finish out the first-half with a series against each other in San Francisco.

In addition to winning the first three home games against the Padres (35-50), the San Francisco Giants (47-38) have won eight of the last 10 home games, but are just 3-6 against the last-place Padres, having lost all six of the games in Petco Park this year.

San Diego will look for their first win in San Francisco since May 31, 2008 after being nearly no-hit by reigning Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum, who did not allow one until the seventh inning when Tony Gwynn Jr. ruined the effort with a leadoff single.

Jonathan Sanchez (2-8, 5.30) will have the unenviable task of following Lincecum’s sparkling effort as he returns to the rotation for the first time since a bad outing against the Oakland Athletics on June 22 when he allowed four runs in 5 1/3 innings and took the loss 5-1.

After that game, Sanchez was demoted to the bullpen where he has thrown three scoreless innings in two appearances and is starting in place of Randy Johnson, who was placed on the disabled list with a strained left shoulder.

The San Diego Padres look to break the home team dominance in the series when they throw Josh Banks (1-0, 5.60) to the mound, the last winning Padre pitcher in San Francisco when he threw a complete game shutout in the last game won by San Diego there.

Banks has not had much success against teams not named San Francisco as he has posted a 7.15 ERA in this two starts, including allowing six runs in 4 1/3 innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 7-6 loss in 13 innings.

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