Astros vs. Giants prediction: San Francisco the pick

Astros vs. Giants prediction: San Francisco the pick

Zack Greinke and Alex Wood, former teammates with the Los Angeles Dodgers, will be the starters on Saturday when the Houston Astros visit the San Francisco Giants in a battle of the top two records in MLB entering Friday.

The Giants are 6-2 in Wood’s last eight starts and he has surrender three runs or fewer in each of his last five starts. He is backed by a bullpen that is third in the majors in ERA.

Greinke has been significantly better away from Houston than at home, going 5-0 in nine road starts with a 2.25 ERA and surrendering to opponents a .200 batting average and 0.9 home runs per nine innings. The Astros’ bullpen ERA ranks 15th.

Houston leads MLB in runs per game, entering the series averaging 5.46 overall and 5.78 on the road, but the Giants have hit more home runs, belting 1.48 per game, which leads the NL.

The Giants entered the series ranked third overall in ERA. Having allowed three runs or fewer in 12 of their previous 17 games and entering the series an MLB-best 33-16 at home, they will add another win to their record.

The play: Giants, even.