San Francisco Giants pitcher Anthony DeSclafani delivers against the San Diego Padres in the second inning of Tue Sep 14, 2021 game at Oracle Park in San Francisco (AP News photo)

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO-Even though they have clinched a berth in the playoffs, the San Francisco Giants are still playing for seeding in the upcoming playoffs.

Buster Posey hit a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning, helping the Giants to a 6-1 victory over the San Diego Padres before a crowd of 22,192 at Oracle Park. With the victory, the Giants have won nine games in a row.

Once again, the Giants put up six or more runs in a game for the ninth game in a row, matching the longest streak since moving to California in 1958 and the team record in 15 that was set in 1929.

The Posey home run would have been a two-run home run; however, Tommy La Stella, who led off the inning with a single was thrown out on a double play after Jurickson Profar made a great catch and throw to Manny Machado, who in turn, threw to Eric Hosmer on the fly ball hit by Brandon Belt.

Anthony DeSclafani pitched a fantastic game, as he went the first 6.2 innings for the Giants, as he allowed just one run on three hits, walking one and striking out and he raised his record to 12-6 on the record.

The Padres tied the game up in the top of the third inning, when Profar doubled, went to third on a perfect sacrifice bunt by starting pitcher Jake Arrieta and then scored when Trent Grisham grounded out to La Stella, who in turn, threw to Posey and after he was unable to get Profar, Posey threw to Belt to get Grisham.

Posey scored the eventual winning run in the bottom of the third inning, as he scored on a throwing error by Arrieta on a pickoff attempt to get LaMonte Wade, Jr., at first base with Brandon Crawford at the plate. After Belt made the first out of the inning, Posey singled for his second hit in as many at-bats, then Wade, Jr., followed him by singling Posey to third.

La Stella got some redemption for his base running snafu in the bottom of the first, as he singled in the bottom of the fourth inning that scored Steven Duggar.

Kris Bryant doubled off of Arrieta with one out in the bottom of the second inning with one out, it was the 200th double of his major-league career.

The Giants bullpen trio of Tony Watson, Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval was outstanding, as they closed the game for the Giants without allowing a baserunner to reach base.

Darin Ruf hit a pinch-hit double in the bottom of the seventh inning to score Crawford, who doubled with one out in the inning.

Belt doubled in the bottom of the eighth inning that La Stella, who walked with one out in the inning and was then pinch ran for by Thairo Estrada, who scored in on the Belt double.

Posey then hit a ground ball to Manny Machado, who threw wildly to Hosmer at first for an error and Belt stopped at third; however, after a lengthy review, the review showed that the ball went on the netting and Belt was awarded home plate and Posey went to second.

NOTES: By clinching the playoff berth on Monday night, it was the earliest that the Giants have clinched a playoff berth in franchise history by one game over the 1912 New York Giants, this according to Elias Sports Bureau.

The 94 wins by the Giants are the third most by a team thru 144 games since 1969, trailing the 1975 Cincinnati Reds (won the World Series), who won 96 and the 2004 St. Louis Cardinals (lost the World Series, who won 95 (STATS, LLC). Both the Reds and Cardinals opponents in the World Series was the Boston Red Sox.

This is the first nine-game winning streak by the Giants since they won 10 in a row from May 20-31, 2004.

The nine-game winning streak by the Giants is the longest in the month of September since they won 14 in a row from September 4 thru September 16.

The streak began with a victory over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field and ended on September 17 with a loss to the Milwaukee Braves at County Stadium.

When La Stella hit a home run to lead off the bottom of the first inning, it was the fifth home run of the season for La Stella and he is the 17th player on the Giants to have at least five home runs, breaking the record of 16 different players set by the 2019 Seattle Mariners.

Also, in their City Connect uniforms, the Giants are now 7-1.

UP NEXT: Joe Musgrove will take the mound for the Padres on Wednesday night, as he searches for his 11th win of the season, while the Giants will send Dominic Leone to the mound.