Thursday, October 14, 2021

THE San Francisco Giants face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the winner-take-all fifth game of the National League division series tonight at Oracle Park. Game time is slated for 6 PM local time (9 PM EDT).

It has to come down to this, right? The Giants and the Dodgers, as in 1951, as in 1962, playing one game for all the marbles and all the bragging rights associated with sports' greatest rivalry. It had to come down to this. And it has.

Logan Webb will start for the Giants against LA's Julio Urias, and little else needs to be said about these two aces. Both have won a game in this series already, both are among the game's finest young pitchers, and both are capable of shutting down the opposition and giving their team every chance to win. The Giants will have Kevin Gausman, fully rested, in reserve, in case a "Madison Bumgarner Game Seven" effort is needed. And while he hasn't said anything about it, Dave Roberts is unlikely to balk at using Max Scherzer if he needs him, even on two days' rest. 

Speaking of rest, we're here, at least in part, because Walker Buehler did not falter in his short-rest start on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium. He was not at his best, but he was good enough to make it into the fifth with only one run allowed, and his teammates took care of business behind him with bat and glove. The Dodgers' 7-2 win in game four was highlighted by Mookie Betts (2-for-4, home run, 3 RBI), Corey Seager (2 hits, 2 runs scored), Will Smith (2 hits, 2 RBI), and Gavin Lux, Trea Turner, and a resurgent Cody Bellinger, all with two hits each. Unlike Saturday's game, this was not a close one that burst open late. No, LA scored in four of the first five innings as the Giants hustled pitcher after pitcher in and out of the action like salesmen through a revolving door. Starting with Anthony DeSclafani, who just can't seem to figure out the Dodgers, it took six pitchers just to cover those five innings, and of the eight Gabe Kapler finally used, only Jose Alvarez (one batter) and Zack Littell (two fine innings, bless his heart) escaped unscathed. LA put so many men on base it seemed like they were up by twice the margin most of the night; overall the tally was twelve hits, five walks, and one error. They left 11 men on base and were 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Heaven knows how many runs they'd have scored had they hit the ball a little more effectively!

Well, none of that matters now. Short memories in this game, for the players, and decades of history, for us fans, have led us to this point. Never in 27 years of it has there been a division series game like this, with this much on the line, all things considered. The great rivalry. Two 100-win teams in the same division playing each other in a postseason series. A razor-thin margin between them: Giants have won 12, LA has won 11. The defending world champions, a genuine dynasty in their ninth consecutive postseason, against the archetypal Team From Nowhere. For once, the hype is real. We can't say any more. Not a blessed thing.

Except this:  GO GIANTS !    

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