18

 

GIANTS       94-50                      First to clinch a postseason spot! 

LA                 92-53     2.5   GB    Kershaw's back. Ay, caramba!

San Diego    74-69   19.5  GB     Loss drops them behind Reds.

Yesterday

Giants pounded San Diego, 9-1, and clinched the postseason berth in grand style.

LA defeated Arizona, 5-1, as Clayton Kershaw returned to action.

  

Today

Giants host San Diego again; 6:45 at Oracle Park. Anthony DeSclafani tries again to recapture his earlier-season mojo. Our old friend Jake Arrieta, whom the Giants faced the last time they made the postseason, starts for the Padres. He's 5-12 with a 7.04 ERA and 0-1 since coming over from the Cubs.

LA has Arizona again at Chavez Ravine, with Tony Gonsolin facing Luke Weaver.

Last Night's Game

The Giants drained the suspense early. Tommy LaStella led off with a home run, Darin Ruf walked with one out, LaMonte Wade tripled to right, scoring Ruf, Brandon Crawford walked, and Evan Longoria belted a three-run homer. That's five runs right there, and it was enough. The team that used to leave men on base and in scoring position was a model of efficiency, converting eight hits and four walks into nine runs. And only six pitchers were needed for this bullpen game. Dominic Leone, who seems to be Gabe Kapler's favorite opener, went two, Jarlin Garcia, Zack Littell, and Jose Alvarez worked rhe middle, and the youngsters-- Camilo Doval and Kervin Castro-- finished up. We don't want to say the Padres looked dispirited out there, but this one was never really contested. It had the look and feel of what it became-- a mere buildup to the on-field celebration that erupted once the final out was recorded. The Giants insist to a man that this isn't and hasn't been the goal; winning the division is the goal, and remains a daunting prospect. But this sure enough is a most satisfying in-your-face "block party" for a team that no one outside their own clubhouse believed in back in March. For one night, the Giants and fans have reason to celebrate. Now it's back to work.

And So...

Much has already been made about September 13 being the earliest day any Giants team, in San Francisco or in New York, has secured a spot in the postseason.  Historically, it's especially unusual for the San Francisco Giants. The pennants of 1962 and 1971 were won on the last day, by one thin game, and 1997's little miracle on the final weekend. 1987 and 1989 were a bit more inevitable than that, decided in the final week. It wasn't until 2000 that the Giants "ran away with it," going wire-to-wire and winning the West by 11, and 2003 holds the biggest margin, 15 games. (Fat lot of good those first-place walkovers did the team in the playoffs!) 2010 was just two games and while 2012 was eight, the last two wild-card finishes were  both nail-biters. 

And with 18 games to go there is no indication at all that this division race will be anything but another stress-fest to the very end. Clayton Kershaw went four innings yesterday after two months recovering from injury, slowly returning to form just in time for the stretch run and the playoffs-- and nobody's fool enough to think the Dodgers will be intimidated if they end up having to play a win-and-you're-in extra game. Not with Walker Buehler, Max Scherzer, and Julio Urias joining Kershaw in a rotation that seems almost comically unfair to the rest of baseball. But that's the challenge the San Francisco Giants face as they take their well-earned playoff berth, set it on a shelf, and go about the business of holding this lead with eighteen games yet to play.