Through three innings, the Giants positioned themselves to at least salvage a series split. Verlander retired the first nine batters he faced, and rare shoddy defense from right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. paved the way for San Francisco to take a 2-0 lead.

A young fan is tackled by security after running onto the field during the eighth inning of a game between the San Francisco Giants and the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Aug. 19, 2025, in San Diego, Calif.

Preview the Aug. 20 matchup between the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants with odds over/under, game spread, betting lines and more.

The San Diego Padres (71-56) and San Francisco Giants (61-66) will meet on Thursday at PETCO Park, with first pitch at 4:10 p.m. ET. The Padres are the home favorite (-139) versus the Giants (+118). The Padres will start Dylan Cease (5-11) against the Giants and Justin Verlander (1-9).

The San Diego Padres took the series over the San Francisco Giants on Thursday, winning three of four games despite playing the entire set without star centerfielder Jackson Merrill. The 22-year-old exited Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers early with a bone bruise in his left ankle, after initially tweaking it a couple of games prior.

San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. made a sensational leaping catch to rob San Francisco’s Rafael Devers of a home run.

A good sign for the Padres beyond their 8-4 victory Thursday was how manager Mike Shildt used his bullpen with his team up four runs against a subpar Giants offense. Shildt deployed only high-leverage arms over the final four innings. This was a public show of good late-season health among four key pitchers.