San Francisco Giants left hand pitcher Sean Manaea will start to open a two game series in Mexico City against the San Diego Padres on Sat Apr 29, 2023 (San Francisco Chronicle file photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The San Francisco Giants are in Mexico City to play two games against the San Diego Padres this weekend. The Giants traveled to Mexico City Thursday night. The team spent the day getting acclimated to the altitude. The elevation of Mexico City is 7,349 feet, 2000 feet higher than Denver’s.

The game will be played at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu. It should be interesting to see if the thin affects the flight of the baseballs. Let’s hope a humidor is there to keep the baseball from entering the stratosphere.

The Giants, who had a five-game streak snapped on Thursday, want to return to winning. The Giants are in fourth place in the NL West with a record of 11-14. Their opponent, the San Diego Padres, is in third place in the NL West, with a record of 13-14.

Many baseball pundits have picked the Padres to win the NL West. The Padres have yet to play up to the level that they wanted. Former A’s manager Bob Melvin, in his second year as the Padres’ skipper, wants his team to start playing better. The Padres have spent much money acquiring players over the past several years.

Third baseman Manny Machado was recently signed to a long-term contract. Former Red Sox star shortstop Xander Bogaerts also signed a long-term deal. The Padres traded for Juan Soto. Soto was an All-Star with the Washington Nationals but has not played as well with the Padres.

The Padres know his potential and hope he can return to where he was. Outfielder Fernando Tatis, Jr. is back on the field after serving an 80-game suspension for using a performance-enhancing drug. Tatis was the shortstop, but with Bogaerts in the lineup, the Padres have moved him to the outfield.

Other players to watch this weekend are centerfielder Trent Grisham, first baseman Jake Cronenworth, second baseman Ha-Seong Kim, and designated hitters Matt Carpenter and Nelson Cruz.

The Padres use lefty Josh Hader as their closer. Nick Martinez is the setup guy. The Padres have five relievers on the IL. Two pitchers, Jose Castillo and Drew Pomeranz, will return this weekend. Other relievers are Luis Garcia, Steve Wilson, Tim Hill, Brent Honeywell, and Raymond Kerr.

The Giants have announced Sean Manaea will be their starting pitcher on Saturday. Manaea was with the Padres last year, and he would love nothing better than to beat his former team. Manaea is 0-1 and has 6.61 ERA. The Padres will counter with Joe Musgrove. Musgrove is 1-0, and his era is 5.40. The Sunday game will feature the Giants’ Alex Cobb (1-1, 1.91 ERA) going against Yu Darvish (1-2, 3.00 ERA).

The Giants welcomed back Mitch Hanger and Austin Slater from the IL. Slater may see some action as Mike Yastrzemski may not be available. DH Joc Pederson is back after a short stay on the IL. The Giants will have La Monte Wade, Thairo Estrada, Brandon Crawford, J.D. Davis, Michael Conforto, Haniger, and Joey Bart in the starting lineup this weekend. David Villar and Wilmer Flores can fill in if needed.

The Giants would love to sweep the Padres this weekend. The Giants finished a successful homestand and want to continue their winning ways. After the two-game set with the Padres, the Giants travel to Houston to play the World-Champion Astros.