A few bits 'n' bytes as we wind down a long and not-altogether-fruitless season by the Bay...
Since being eliminated from the "Playoffs?!?", the Giants have won five straight games and looked positively unbeatable doing it, outscoring two "playoff" -bound teams by 30-4 and putting a major hurt on each one. Both the Kansas City Royals and Arizona Diamondbacks, who appeared certain to reach the postseason (that's better, right?) are now clinging desperately to the last wild-card spot in their respective leagues, having been passed by the Detroit Tigers and New York Mets. They may still make it, but they sure won't give any thanks to the San Francisco Giants.
Last night's 11-0 blowout of Arizona-- on their home field, yet-- left the Giants at plus-7 in runs scored/runs allowed . It's the first time they've been on the positive side since-- wait for it-- March 30, the third game of the season, when they were plus-6. A long time coming. And at 79-79, they're at .500 for the first time in a solid month.
Logan Webb, who won his 13th game yesterday as his teammates blasted five home runs, is the hardest-working man in baseball. Webb has started more games, faced more batters, thrown more pitches, and completed more innings (well, he's tied with the Royals' Seth Lugo there) than any pitcher in the major leagues.
The only remaining pennant race is right here in the NL West. The San Diego Padres have won 9 of their last 10, gained 3 games on the LA Dodgers, and trail by only two with four games left. They just beat LA in Dodger Stadium last night and have two more shots to even the race before the final weekend. If they Padres keep winning, they can possibly blow the Diamondbacks right out of the postseason by Sunday, and they may need to because the Dodgers finish at woeful Colorado. Yes, there's some excitement left in the season.
The wild-card derby is more of an enduro than a real race. The Mets, the Diamondbacks, and the mystifying Atlanta Braves (who should have already clinched it; they're three games behind their Pythagorean expectation) are scrambling for the two remaining NL spots not taken by LA and San Diego. In the American League, Baltimore is in, with the Tigers and Royals just ahead of Minnesota, Seattle, and longshot Boston. The upcoming final weekend promises to be nutso: in addition to the San Diego-Arizona tiff, the Braves and Royals close out the season in Atlanta, a series guaranteed to hurt somebody real bad. Watch out for the Braves and their pitching if they do get in.
As for the Giants and their new-found successmobile, they wrap up in Arizona tonight, then finish the season at home against the St Louis Cardinals, a team that, like the Giants, saw their postseason hopes fade away earlier this month.
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