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GIANTS       97-53                      "Walkin' on a thin line..." 

LA                 96-54   1   GB        Kershaw got way more help than he needed.

Yesterday

Giants lost to Atlanta, 3-0.

LA defeated Cincinnati, 8-5. 

Today

Both teams are idle.

Giants head off to San Diego to begin the season's final road trip, which ends in Colorado next weekend.  LA is on their way to Colorado now, and thence to Arizona. The Giants and Dodgers will each be playing their final six games at home. LA gets Milwaukee on the final weekend, which may not be that much of a help since the Brewers have salted away their division and have no real chance at the top seed. 

Yesterday's Game

Max Fried put up the best opponents' starting pitching performance the Giants have seen since Frankie Montas of the Oakland A's a month ago. The young lefty allowed only three singles and one walk, and the Giants never really threatened. For six innings Fried and Anthony DeSclafani worked a scoreless pitcher's duel, until it all came undone in the seventh. Austin Riley opened with a double and Adam Duvall, the former Giant, followed with his 36th homer. That was all for "Des," but Edwin Rosario then hit Zack Littell's first pitch for an utterly superfluous but nonetheless discouraging home run. The Giants' offense was so quiet they only left two men in scoring position, grounded into two double plays, and totaled 28 at-bats, one more than the minimum. 

Road Trip

Today's win gives the Giants, in theory, the chance to use a four-man rotation this week. Kevin Gausman is already scheduled for tomorrow's start, and it logically follows that Logan Webb would start Wednesday. By Thursday Alex Wood will have had four days' full rest after going just three innings Saturday, and we'd think Gabe Kapler would prefer to start him in San Diego, and not in the high altitude of Denver the following night. Friday would give Anthony DeSclafani four days' rest as well, though a procession of (ideally) fresh arms in a bullpen game at 5200 feet might be an option, and would give "Des" and the rest of the group an extra day's rest. There's also Johnny Cueto, who's been playing long-toss and could be ready by the weekend, possibly to "front" a bullpen game.