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Giants prep for postseason, close set versus Padres

Sep 28, 2014 - 1:39 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The San Francisco Giants will play their final game of the regular season and hope to enter the playoffs on a winning note Sunday in the finale of a four-game series with the San Diego Padres.

The Giants will play their wild card game on the road and can capture a series victory with a win over the Padres. The Giants posted a 3-1 win on Saturday and broke a 1-1 tie on Brandon Crawford's two-run single in the eighth.

"We needed it today; he's been swinging the bat as well as anybody," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said of Crawford. "He's shortened things up and is throwing out quality ABs, one after another."

Crawford plated Matt Duffy and Brandon Belt with two out to help San Francisco to its second win in three tries in this series. Duffy and Gary Brown both had two hits in the win. Hunter Strickland recorded the victory in relief and Santiago Casilla tossed the ninth for his 19th save.

Former Padre Jake Peavy allowed one run and four hits across five innings in the start for the Giants and was facing San Diego for the first time. Peavy won the 2007 NL Cy Young Award with the Friars.

Chris Heston will make his first major league start on the mound for Bochy's club Sunday and has appeared in relief twice this season. The right-hander went 12-9 with a 3.38 ERA in 28 starts at Triple-A Fresno this season.

"Good for this kid," Bochy said. "He's had a good year at Fresno, so we'll get a better look at him. I know it's been awhile since he's had a lot of time on the mound, but he'll get the start."

The Padres have missed the playoffs in each of the past seven seasons and had won seven of nine games until the recent defeat. Dale Thayer was responsible for the runs in the eighth to take the loss and San Diego starting pitcher Eric Stults pitched well in the no-decision, charged with only a run in seven innings with five strikeouts and no walks.

"The biggest thing was wanting to find some consistency," Stults said. "I picked up my tempo and made a mechanical fix. I tried to keep the mindset that I wanted to finish strong."

San Diego will try to finish strong with Robbie Erlin on the hill Sunday and he is 4-4 with a 4.53 earned run average. Erlin is 3-0 in his last six trips to the mound and did not factor in the outcome of a 3-2 loss to Colorado on Tuesday, as he allowed two runs in four innings.

Erlin, a left-hander, is winless (0-2) with a 4.50 ERA in three career starts against San Francisco.

The Padres are 10-8 against the Giants this season.