GIANTS      89-63   ...           * GIANTS WIN IT *
Los Angeles 78-74   11 GB

Yesterday
Giants defeated San Diego, 8-4, to clinch their eighth National League West division pennant.
LA lost at Cincinnati, 6-0.

Today
Giants finish up the San Diego series with a 1:05 PDT start at the 'Bell in something of a 'victory lap' for the home fans. Tim Lincecum is the scheduled starter, but we'll see.

Last Night's Game
It's fitting that a guy who wasn't even on the team at mid-season provided most of the oomph that built this pennant-clinching win. Marco Scutaro drove in three runs with another 3-for-5 game as the Giants scored early and often. It was plenty for Madison Bumgarner, who struck out six in five-plus and was pulled at the first hint of trouble, and who won his team-leading 16th game. Both Brandon Belt (three runs scored on two hits and a walk) and Angel Pagan (two runs scored on a hit and a walk) ensured there'd be enough baserunners for Scutaro as well as for Hunter Pence and Buster Posey, each of whom hit a sacrifice fly early on. With LA already having been blanked earlier on the day, there was a feeling of inevitability about this one, and when Pagan recorded the final out on a fly ball to center, the 42,418 on hand were treated to a high-fiving victory lap around the perimeter after the obligatory on-field group hug.

And so it will be the San Francisco Giants against either the Washington Nationals or the Cincinnati Reds when post-season play opens October 5. Where and when have yet to be determined. The Reds clinched their own division with the win over LA, while Washington still has to eliminate Atlanta, who will certainly be the home team in the one-game wild-card showdown.

As for us, we'll post a few representative photos and then take about ten days off, returning in time to wrap up the regular season and such, a day or so before the division series commence.

Credit to sfgiants.com for the above image.