SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS +115 - I know that these clubs are heading in opposite directions, but I will take the contrarian route here and back the Giants as an underdog with their ace on the hill. Schmidt has the stuff to be the best pitcher in the National League when he is on, and he has now recorded 4 consecutive Quality Starts since getting hit hard by San Diego in his second start of the year. Remember that Schmidt is coming back for an injury, so that bad outing back in April may very well be due to muscle soreness. The fact that he has followed up that effort with 4 good outings in a row is certainly a sign that he is nearly back to his old self. Offensively, San Francisco is expected to have Bonds back in the lineup, which needless to say is a major boost. Now take nothing away from Matt Clement, who is 5-2 with a sparkling 2.78 ERA and 1.13 ratio. However, he has not had much success vs. the Giants, posting a 5.69 ERA in 8 career starts against them.
