Giants 2 - 4 Dodgers
Final
  for this game

Giants eye postseason spot in game two against Dodgers

Sep 23, 2014 - 4:30 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The San Francisco Giants are on the brink of clinching a playoff spot, but what is still up for debate is if they will go into the postseason as a wild card team or National League West champions.

The Giants can keep the latter scenario a possibility on Tuesday night when they resume a three-game series with the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Dodgers came into this series with a magic number of three to clinch the NL West title, and that number remained the same after the Giants claimed a 5-2 victory in 13 innings in last night's opener.

And for San Francisco, its magic number to secure a playoff spot is at two. The Giants are tied with the Pittsburgh Pirates for the league's two wild card positions, with both clubs five games up on the Milwaukee Brewers.

That means the Giants can secure a playoff spot tonight with a victory and a loss by the Brewers to the Cincinnati Reds.

San Francisco outlasted Los Angeles in the opener, plating three runs in the 13th frame. Andrew Susac's RBI pinch-hit single brought home Brandon Belt and Gregor Blanco added a two-run double for good measure.

"I wanted to hit something hard so we could go home, I was tired," said Susac. "I saw a curveball up and got enough of it."

Four Giants relievers combined to toss six no-hit innings behind starter Jake Peavy and help the club snap a three-game skid.

The Dodgers came in having won three of four over the Chicago Cubs and are 3 1/2 games ahead of the Giants for first place.

"We just didn't do enough to win," said Dodgers manager Don Mattingly.

Mattingly's team may struggle again tonight against Giants ace Madison Bumgarner, who beat the Dodgers on Sept. 12 with seven scoreless innings of three-hit ball that featured nine strikeouts. That improved the San Francisco lefty to 3-1 with a 1.75 earned run average in four starts versus L.A. this season.

The contest also marked Bumgarner's fifth straight winning start before he got a no-decision against Arizona on Wednesday. He allowed two runs on seven hits and two walks over six innings, striking out six as his club won 4-2.

Bumgarner avoided his first loss since Aug. 8 and is 18-9 with a 2.91 ERA on the year. His 18 victories are the most by a Giants hurler since Shawn Estes has 19 in 1997 and Bumgarner has set career highs this season with 210 innings and 214 strikeouts.

The Dodgers counter with a very capable pitcher in Zack Greinke, who is unbeaten in his career against the Giants. In six lifetime encounters, he is 4-0 with a 1.93 ERA, holding San Francisco to eight earned runs over 37 1/3 innings while striking out 41.

Greinke started an eventual 17-0 win over the Giants on Sept. 13, with the righty logging the first six scoreless innings while scattering four hits. That gave him a three-decision win streak going into a start versus the Cubs on Thursday, but the 30-year-old lasted only five innings and gave up four runs in a no-decision.

Still, Greinke has not lost since Aug. 9 and is 15-8 this year with a 2.76 ERA.

The Dodgers have won five of their past seven versus the Giants, but Monday's loss dropped them to 8-9 in the season series.






Related News