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GIANTS   105-54                    "Late-Night LaMonte" does it again.

LA             103-56    2 GB       It could happen tonight.

Yesterday

Giants defeated Arizona, 5-4, a walk-off win in the bottom of the ninth, and swept the three-game series.

LA defeated San Diego, 8-3, and likewise swept their three-game series. The Giants and Dodgers are an identical 8-2 over the last ten games and each has won their last four. 

Today

Giants open the regular-season finale with San Diego; 6:45 PDT at the O. Anthony DeSclafani starts. The Padres have not named a starter yet. 

LA opens at home against Milwaukee, who have clinched the NL Central. Two fine lefthanders, Clayton Kershaw and Eric Lauer, square off at Chavez Ravine.

Last Night's Game

Only Gabe Kapler and the Giants do this. Austin Slater, 3-for-3 with three runs scored, was lifted for a pinch-hitter with one out in the seventh because Arizona brought in a right-hander. The pinch-hitter, LaMonte Wade, popped up and the game stayed a 4-4 tie, as it had since the fifth and would remain until the bottom of the ninth. The Giants had gotten off the mat after the Diamondbacks put three across in the first with two walks and three singles against Scott Kazmir, who then limped off with a pulled hamstring. Slater and Darin Ruf, fresh off the IL got one back right away with a leadoff single and RBI double in the home first. Slater and Ruf teamed up again in the third with back-to-back singles, and Buster Posey brought Slater home with a sacrifice fly. Brandon Crawford's 24th homer (and 90th RBI, both career bests) tied it in the fourth, and Slater's third run tied it again in the fifth after Arizona had scored again. He came around on a double down the left-field line by Posey off our old friend, Madison Bumgarner, who left after five.  That fifth inning also saw the return of Johnny Cueto from the IL. For now a long man in the bullpen, Cueto, in his first career relief stint, pitched two and a third, helping to settle things down in this unexpected bullpen game, though he did allow that fourth run.

Zack Littell, who replaced Cueto, also pitched two, and so did Tyler Rogers with an uneventful eighth and ninth for a change. And he got the win, deservedly so, thanks to the aforementioned La Monte Wade, whom you knew we'd be getting back to eventually. In the ninth, with one out, Wilmer Flores nearly won it with a line drive that hit the wall in left for a double. As he did the previous night, Kapler sent in Steven Duggar to run, but instead Duggar strolled, over to third, as lefty reliever Joe Mantiply intentionally walked Donovan Solano and then most unintentionally walked Curt Casali, batting for Rogers. Bases loaded and here's Wade, wearing a 0-for-19 collar and an almost legendary inability to hit left-handers. But Kapler was out of bench players, so Wade it was, and Wade it will ever be-- because Wade hit a sharp grounder that glanced off the glove of first baseman Pavin Smith in a drawn-in infield, and that was the ballgame, sports fans. Duggar came in on a light trot, touched the plate, and then charged toward the celebratory melee surrounding Brother Wade as the cheers rained down like sweet thunder.

Notes

Kazmir, sadly, may have pitched his last game as a Giant with the postseason just a week away. And Cueto's bullpen tenure may be short-lived if Kapler chooses a long rotation for the postseason... All that rest Buster Posey has enjoyed during the season may be paying off now. He started for the third straight game last night and looked remarkably fresh, driving in two runs and throwing out a runner at second... As everyone surely knows by now, the Giants' magic number is two, meaning any combination of a Giants win and a Dodgers loss clinches the division... Milwaukee is 4-6 over their last ten games. Whether Craig Counsell chooses to rest any of his fine starting pitchers this weekend is unknown, but taking a starter off his regular feed has been known to backfire in the postseason... Speaking of the postseason, we all know the Cardinals will be the second NL wild-card team. And the Atlanta Braves also put on a strong finishing kick to eliminate Philadelphia and win their fourth straight NL East title... It's time we caught up with the American League races. The divisions are all decided (Tampa, the White Sox, Houston), but good golly, looka here. Seattle, of all teams, has won 9 of 10 and is now tied with Boston for the second wild-card spot, and the Yankees, 8-2 over their last ten, have shot past everyone into the wild-card lead. Toronto is hanging on by a thread, and Oakland is out of it... The AL wild-card game is set for Tuesday and the NL game for Wednesday, with the division series opening on Thursday (AL) and Friday (NL). The World Series opens-- opens, mind you-- on October 26. Let's hope it's the Giants and Tampa. If nothing else, there won't be any games postponed due to ice and snow.