Playoff push comes down to the last day of the season; Giants lose to Padres 6-2

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The San Diego Padres Fernando Tatis Jr takes San Francisco Giants pitcher Johnny Cueto deep in the fourth inning Sat Sep 26, 2020 at Oracle Park in San Francisco

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO-It looks like the San Francisco Giants playoff push will come down to the final day of the season.

Fernando Tatis, Jr. hit a towering home run in the top of the fourth inning, as the San Diego Padres defeated the Giants 6-2 at Oracle Park.

All the runs that the Padres would need came in that fourth inning, as Mitch Moreland singled to right field that scored Manny Machado and then Austin Nola hit a sacrifice fly that scored Pham with the third run of the inning.

The playoff bound Padres sent Zach Davies, as he went the first three innings, allowing just three hits and struck out three before giving way to the Padres bullpen.

Craig Stammen came on to throw two innings of one-hit ball, and also struck out two on his way to his fourth win of the season.

Johnny Cueto went the first 6.1 innings for the Giants, who are trying to hold on to that eighth and final spot in the National League playoff race.

The Giants really could not muster anything against the Padres, and their first chance smacked them right in the face, when Mauricio Dubon attempted to steal third; however, he slid over the base and was tagged out by Machado for the second out in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Dubon singled with one out in the frame, went to second when Tyler Heineman was hit by a Stammen pitch. The rally ended when Mike Yastrzemski struck out to end the inning.

The Giants finally got on the board in the bottom of the eighth inning, as they loaded the bases with nobody out; however, Tim Hill pinch-hitter Austin Slater, then Yastrzemski hit an opposite field single to right and then Darin Ruf to load the bases with nobody out. Hill then got Donovan Solano to strikeout, and then it looked like he was going to escape the jam without allowing a run; however, Brandon Belt beat out the ground ball that looked like a sure double play that retired Ruf at second base.

That would be the end of the line for Hill, as Dan Altavilla came on to replace Hill and Wilmer Flores greeted him by singling to left field to score Yastrzemski. Altavilla ended the threat, as he got Evan Longoria to strikeout to the rally.

The Padres broke the game wide open in the top of the ninth inning, as on back-to-back pitches, Tony Watson gave up a two-run home run to Tommy Pham and then Mitch Moreland launched a solo blast over the 415 in right-center field.

NOTES: Prior to the game, the Giants made the following roster move today, as Jeff Samardzija has been designated for assignment and has been placed on unconditional release waivers. Also, the Giants have placed RHP Sam Coonrod on the 10-day IL with a right shoulder strain and have recalled RHP Rico Garcia (#39) from the Alternate Training Site.

Yastrzemski was named the winner of the Willie Mac Award winner, an annual honor bestowed upon the most inspirational player on the team, as voted upon by Giants players, coaches, training staff, clubhouse staff and the fans…this season marks the 40th anniversary of the award, which was established in 1980, in honor of legend and Hall of Famer Willie McCovey.

Former Giants outfielder Hunter Pence announced his retirement earlier, as he hung up his cleats after a stellar 14-year career that saw him win two World Series with the Giants in 2012 and 2014.

“Nothing can really prepare you for this part of your career, when you have say, ‘I am retiring from baseball,'” Pence said in a video on Twitter. “I’ve given it everything I possibly can, and the game has given back to me tenfold.”

Pence, 37, was designated for assignment in August by the Giants after hitting just .096 with two home runs and six RBIs in 52 at-bats this season.

PLAYOFF SCENARIOS: If the Giants win on Sunday, and the Milwaukee Brewers lose to the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium, they will clinch the wild card.

UP NEXT: Neither the Giants nor the Padres have announced their starter for the regular season finale on Sunday afternoon.

First game doubleheader A’s report: M’s Sheffield and bullpen shuts down A’s hitting for 5-1 win

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The Seattle Mariners starter Justus Sheffield delivers in the first inning against the Oakland A’s at the Coliseum on Sat Sep 26, 2020 (AP News photo)

Seattle. 5. 7. 0

Oakland. 1. 6. 1

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–Last night’s thrilling (and chilling) walk off victory of the A’s over the visiting Seattle Mariners may have seemed meaningless, but it wasn’t. Oakland already had clinched its berth in the wild card free for all; it even had a lock on home field advantage. But the question of who their opponent will be still was—and still is—an open one. Take a look at the records of the eight teams have qualified for the shoot out.

1) Tampa Bay (38-20, 6.55) 2) Oakland (34-22, .614) 3) Minnesota (35-23, 6.03) 4) Cleveland (34-24, 5.86) 5) New York (32-26, .553) 6) Houston (29-29, .500) 7) Chicago (34-24, .586) 8) Toronto (31-27, .534)

The top four will be the home teams, with the leading team, Tampa Bay, playing the team with the worst record of the eight, the second place team, the A’s, facing the team with the next worst record, the White Sox, and so on. Oakland, going into today’s games, had three more left to play, all against Seattle. Both Minnesota and Cleveland have two games left. That makes it mathematically possible for Oakland to be the fourth seed when tumult and the shouting have died down.

Regardless of who ends up coming to the East Bay for the best of three series scheduled to begin on Tuesday, the home field advantage, although reduced by the absence of paying fans, is real. The A’s know how to deal with the Coliseum’s spacious foul territory and treacherous wind currents. That counts for a lot.

Seattle sent Justus Sheffield to the mound to face the Athletics in the first of today’s two seven inning contests. The 24 year old southpaw is a formidable opponent. He was the Indians’ first round draft choice in 2014. He had gone 4-3, 3.75 this year with the M’s and has given up only five earned runs in his last 20 innings of work. He pitched a good game today.

Mike Minor was the A’s starter. The question was which Mike Minor would show up, the 2019 all-star or the 1-6, 5.92 version of 2020. Oakland’s share of that record was 1-1,6.61, which included a seven inning, two hit shutout against the Mariners at Safeco Field on September 14.

By the bottom of the second, the A’s were back to their tantalizing ways, loading the bases on back to back singles by Mark Canha and Matt Olson and a walk to Stephen Piscotty, with Khris Davis’s fly out to right interspersed. It was all for naught because Jake Lamb was called out on an infield fly to short and Jonah Heim flew out to right.

In the first three frames, La Stella erased Semien twice by grounding into DPs. They’re a good double play combination, but that’s not the type of twin killing the A’s are looking for in them.

Oakland finally broke through in the bottom of the fourth. Canha led off with a double to right. He moved on to third on Olson’s single to left and scored on Khris Davis’s sac fly to right. But the double play once more dashed Oakland’s hopes. Stephan Piscotty’s hard line drive went straight into first baseman Evan White’s glove. White whipped the pellet over to France, and that was it for Oakland in the fourth.

Number nine hitter Branden Bishop greeted Minor with a double to left to open the visitors’ sixth. Crawford’s single to left brought him home to tie the score. That was it for Minor, who finished his day’s work with a line of one run (earned) on four hits and no walks over five full innings. He struck out seven and 55 of his 80 pitches were strikes.

Minor’s replacement, Joakim Soria, had to deal with a hairy situation. Canha, the hero of last night’s fray, mishandled Crawford’s hit, an error that allowed him to advance to second. Sic transit gloria mundi.

France lined Soria’s first offering to the warning track in right center field, putting Crawford on third with only one out. But Soria kept barred the door to the Mariners by striking out Kyle Lewis and, after a declared walk to Kyle Seager, getting Luis Torrens to fly out to Laureano in center.

Liam Hendriks threw a 1,2,3 seventh, but couldn’t finish eighth. After Bishop sacrificed the emplaced pinch runner, Dee Strange-Gordon, Crawford drove him home with what proved to be the winning run by singling to center.

He then stole second and scored on France’s single to left. A rare losing performance by the mainstay of the Athletics’ bullpen. Lou Trivino came in to wipe up what was left of Seattle’s inning, but the wiper became the wipee when Kyle Seager took him deep to bring Crawford home, the Mariners’ fourth and fifth tallies.

Sheffield got the win. He’s now 5-3 with an ERA of 3.58. He gave up one run (earned) on five hits in five innings of work. He walked two and struck out one. His pitch count was 82, with 49 strikes.

It was a disappointing loss for the A’s. But they will have a chance to revenge it in about a half an hour in a make up of the game scheduled to have been played on the banks of the Puget Sound on September 3. Oakland, as the putative visitors, will bat first. And, as I mentioned at the start of this dispatch, there still is a lot to be decided in this short, action packed season.

 

Oakland A’s podcast with Jeremiah Salomonson: Dodgers show their one of MLB’s best in A’s series; A’s get win 3-1 in Mariners series

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The Los Angeles Dodgers Mookie Betts seen here against the Colorado Rockies on Sep 5, 2020 got his hacks in on the Oakland A’s during their series this past week at Dodgers Stadium winning two out of three games (AP News photo)

On the A’s podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 The Oakland A’s Mark Canha whose been instrumental all season long connected for a two run home run against the Seattle Mariners in the bottom half of the tenth inning as the A’s edged the Mariners in a 5-4 win on Friday night.

#2 Jeremiah, the A’s went down to Los Angeles earlier this week lost two out three to the Dodgers one of the best teams in MLB was this series reflective of who the Dodgers are and what a force they will be in post season.

#3 Here’s a team who has been denied the World Series trophy in the last few post season and the Dodgers really have been playing this short 60 game season like their on a mission,

#4 The A’s on Thursday night ran into some great pitching starting with Dodgers starter Walker Buehler who threw over four inning of work and the A’s just only one hit off of him?

#5 Also on Thursday night the Dodgers bullpen proved what they could do and what they could be when five of their relievers shut A’s hitting down for the rest of that game.

#6 The A’s are in Seattle tonight for a doubleheader at T-Mobile Field a 4:10 first pitch for the front game. That’s four games in the series total the Mariners are tenth in the seeding and will need the rest of these games to try to have a shot at a playoff spot.

Jeremiah does the A’s podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears Football podcast with Michael Duca: Is bringing back the Pac 12 all about health and safety or the big bucks?

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Cal Bears and Pac 12 Football will return on November 6th the first of a seven game schedule and will be headed up by Cal Bears head coach Justin Wilcox (USA Today file photo)

On the Cal Bears Football podcast with Michael Duca:

#1 There have been arguments already about the return of Pac 12 football namely that it is a mistake for them to return after it was originally postponed. The Cornavirus count has not gone down and could hit as many as 250,000 into January and February. Is the Pac 12 making the responsible decision in enacting a new season next month?

#2 The Pac 12 CEO and University of Oregon president Michael Schill said Thursday that health and safety is one of the Pac 12’s number one priority. Do you still see right through the real motive here that these universities are under immense pressure by the alumni donars, sponsors and parents of the student athletes because it’s really about the bottom line?

#3 The Mountain West also with the Pac 12 announced they will return in November and like the Pac 12 the MWC will tell you this is all about that the students and their academics come first, and as student athletes that their health and safety and following the safety protocols for the players and it’s team personnel and education come first before anything else.

#4 The Pac 12 has a seven game season starting Nov 6th and the MWC plans to have a eight game season starting October 24th. Did the conferences decide to play this fall because they feel it was better for more interest to than in the spring?

#5 Pac 12 men’s and women’s basketball is also set to return on Nov 25th which gives basketball just a month to prepare and get ready for regular season play other than the safety issues do you see this being like any other Pac 12 basketball season and being competitive and worry free?

Michael Duca does analysis on the Cal Bears at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Giants still working that last spot in the NL Wild Card race

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San Francisco Giants catcher Joey Bart who had been struggling at the plate had a productive series against the Colorado Rockies at Oracle Park in San Francisco Sep 21-24 (photo from the San Francisco Chronicle)

On the Giants podcast with Michael:

#1 Each loss for the Giants is like two steps back after winning a previous game trying to go one step forward which was the Colorado Rockies series for the Giants?

#2 In spite of the loss on Thursday to the Rockies the Giants are in the running for the last and final spot for post season in the NL Wild Card race.

#3 Taking a look at Giants pitcher Kevin Gausman he said he’s really open to staying with the Giants and is seventh among NL starters in strikeouts and fielding independent plays at 3.15.

#4 Michael talk about catcher Joey Bart’s improvement at the plate he had struggled earlier but in the Rockies series has been able to get on base and score some runs.

#5 Michael with the Giants vying for that last and final wild card spot facing the San Diego Padres for a three game series this weekend certainly doesn’t make that goal that easy.

Michael does the Giants podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL Stanley Cup Finals podcast with Matt Harrington: Lightning just get by Stars in OT 5-4 to take 3-1 series lead

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The Tampa Bay Lightning’s Kevin Shattenkirk (22) who scored the game winning goal in overtime at 6:34 against the Dallas Stars in game four at Rogers Centre in Edmonton (Canadian Press photo)

On Stanley Cup Finals podcast with Matt:

#1  Matt let’s go over the scoring in game 4 of the Finals on Friday night, John Klinberg scored his fourth goal of the playoffs to open the game in the first period at 7:17 Stars lead 1-0. Joe Pavelski (11) scores at 18:28 Stars take a 2-0 lead. The Bolts Brayden Point (12) scored at 19:27 cut the Starts lead to 2-1 to end the first period.

#2 Point (13) gets his second goal of the game to tie up the game 2-2 in the second period at 2:08, Corey Perry (3) gets the Stars the lead again 3-2 with a goal at 8:26 and the Lightning’s Yanni Gourde (7) scores at 18:54 to end the second period with a 3-3 tie.

#3 Alex Killorn scored for the Lightning to put them ahead once again at 6:41  to make it 4-3. The Stars Joe Pavelski(12) in the third period scores at 11:35 and once again the game is tied 4-4 forcing overtime.

#4 The game winner comes from the Lightning’s Kevin Shattenkirk (3) at 6:34 in overtime a power play goal for the 5-4 Tampa Bay win and the Lightning go up 3-1 in the series.

#5 Matt game 5 is on tonight the Lightning now have the momentum to win and end the series four games to one after getting a 3-1 series lead.

Matt Harrington does the NHL Stanley Cup Finals Saturdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Rich Perez: How Raiders stack up against mobile Newton and the Patriots this Sunday

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New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton (1) on the sidelines watch last Sun Sep 27, 2020 game against the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle will match up against the Las Vegas Raiders this Sunday in Foxborough (AP News photo)

Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Rich Perez:

#1 Rich, after taking a look at the Raiders these past two games how much credit do you have to give them for holding off such offenses like the Carolina Panthers in week one and the New Orleans Saints in week two?

#2 The win against the Saints no doubt has to be one of the big moments in the young season the Raiders opening up their new stadium and just about surprising everybody with they way they won that game on Monday Night Football.

#3 How do you stop a quarterback like Drew Brees the Raiders seemed to have figured him out in that third quarter shutting out the Saints and Brees who just has problems finding daylight and finding receivers.

#4 Rich, take a look at Raiders quarterback Derek Carr’s stats he went 28 for 38 for 284 yards for three touchdowns he was getting great protection and lots of time to throw against the Saints pass rush.

#5 The Raiders are in New England for week 3 against Patriots, quarterback Cam Newton, and general manager and head coach Bill Belichick will Raiders head coach Jon Gruden have a well prepared game plan to beat a 2-0 Patriots team?

Joining us each Saturday Rich Perez who hosts the Raiders podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s game wrap: A’s Canha belts two run blast for walk off win in 10 innings 3-1

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The Seattle Mariners Joseph Odom gave it a ride but Oakland A’s outfielder Robbie Grossman was ready to take a jump and reach up for the catch for the out in the eighth inning of Fri Sep 25 2020 game at the Oakland Coliseum (AP News photo)

Seattle 1 5 1

Oakland 3 9 0 (10 innings)

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–The Athletics’ poor showing at the plate last night in Los Angeles left a few people wondering whether Houston has a monopoly on sign stealing. That’s one means, and not, perhaps, the most fruitful— of coming to terms with what probably is the team’s most glaring weakness. Another way is to take the historical approach.

The 1906 Chicago White Sox, the fabled Hitless Wonders, had a team batting average of .230 and went on to win the World Series. Oakland’s collective BA going into tonight’s game against the Mariners was .222.

The original Hitless Wonders didn’t have the designated hitter rule to boost their numbers, so let’s just call the two squads even and, as WC Fields said, take the bull firmly by the tail and look the situation squarely in the face. . . and get on with the business at hand.

The first time Seattle’s Yüsei Kikuchi (菊池 雄星,2-4, 5.93) faced the .the Athletics was in the lefty’s major league debut, on March 21, 2019. It was the first time a player born in Japan began his MLB career in his native land, but that was not the big story of the day.

What garnered headlines over the entire world of baseball wasn’t an entry but an exit. That night, Kikuchi started a game, but Ichiro Suzuki ended a career that will put him in two Hall of Fame, in Tokyo and Cooperstown.

Kikuchi pitched well that evening, throwing 91 pitches over 4- 2/3 innings and giving up two runs, only one earned, while striking out three while walking only one. The rest of his season wasn’t that impressive.

His record for the year was 6-11,5.46 with a WHIP of 1.52. His record for tonight was very impressive. He went six innings without surrendering a run, allowing four hits, striking out five and walkling three. He threw 99 pitches, of which 40 were balls.

Opposing Kikuchi’s was the A’s most reliable hurler of 2020, Chris Bassitt (5-2,2.57). He went seven frames, in which he shut out Seattle on five hits while striking out six without issuing a single base on balls. Of his 81 offerings, 56 were strikes.

Tonight’s contest was, it goes without saying, a pitchers’ duel. But that doesn’t mean it was dull.

Oakland threatened in the bottom of the second when Matt Olson’s ground ball to to shallow right bounced off the glove of second baseman Ty France, playing in the shift, and Khris Davis followed with a slicing double off the right field wall that sent Olson to third.

But Stephen Piscotty struck out on a three and two pitch, and Jake Lamb popped out to short to end the threat. In the fourth, Marcus Semien’s double to right center again put a man in scoring position with one out. But he was thrown out trying to steal third. In fifth, Mark Canha led off with a two bagger to right center, only to be stranded on third after Olson walked and Davis hit into an around the horn double play. Then Piscotty grounded out to first.

In the sixth, it was Seattle’s turn to be frustrated. Joseph Odom’s sharp single to right and JP Crawford’s Texas League safety to left put runners on first and second with one down. Bassitt left them there by striking out Kyle Lewis and Kyle Seager.

Manager Scott Servais pulled Kikuchi after six frames. His line was.

After Kikuchi’s replacement, Yohan Ramírez, helped by another Oakland baserunning error (Robbie Grossman was picked off first), wriggled out of some trouble of his own, Yusmeiro Petit took over mound duties for the A’s in the top of the eighth. He set the Mariners down, 1,2,3.

Seattle brought in Anthony Misiewicz to pitch the bottom of the inning. He, too, tred a perilous path. After Tommy La Stella popped out, Ramón Laureano slammed a first pitch cutter to left for a double.

The ensuing intentional walk to Canha was a smart move, but it backfired when Misiewicz unleashed a wild pitch that moved both runners up a base. But Olson struck out, and Tony Kemp, pinch hitting for Davis, hit a hard liner to left that was snared in an excellent play by Tim Lopes.

Liam Hendricks (whom else did you expect?) struck out all three batters he faced in the Seattle ninth (what else did you expect), although he needed to come back from a 3-0 count on Seager to do so.

Erik Swanson set the A’sdown in order in the ninth, and so Jake Diekman started the tenth. Pinch runner Dee Strange-Gordon, emplaced on second by the 2020 extra inning rule, advanced to third when pinch hitter Luis Torres flew out to right and scored on a passed ball.

The A’s now found themselves pretty near where they wanted to be, one run behind in the bottom of the tenth. Joey Gerber was on the mound for Seattle, and he retired the first two men he faced, Semien and La Stella.

Now, with pinch runner Nate Orf on second, again thanks to this season’s extra inning rule, the Green and Gold were exacctly where they wanted to be, down to their last out. Laureano brought Orf home by blasting an 0-1, 91 mph slider to deep left. With Laureano on second, Canha took a ball, swung and missed on a four seam fast ball, and then socked a 93 mph sinker over the fence in right center field.

Diekman, who now is 2-0, got the win and lowered his ERA to a mind boggling 0.44. Gerber suffered his first loss of the season, balancing his record at one win, one loss, and one save. His ERA squirted up to 4.30.

Tomorrow at 1:10, the teams will once more take the field, with Mike Minor (1-6, 5.92) performing mound duties for the A’s and Justus Sheffeld (4-3, 3.75) hurling for the M’s. That seven inning contest will be followed by another, in which they will make up the postponed game of September 3. Paul Blackburn will make his season debut for Oakland and Justin Dunn ((3-1, 4.20) will be on the mound for Seattle.

I’ll be there, bleary eyed and bushed.

Second game: Coonrod gives up walk-off home run at Oracle Pads win 6-5

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The San Diego Padres were the home team at Oracle Park in San Francisco as the Padres Fernando Tatis belted a two run home run in the first inning of the second game of the doubleheader on Fri Sep 25, 2020 (AP News photo)

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN DIEGO-Sam Coonrod gave up a home run pitch that he would love to have back.

Trent Grisham hit a walk-off three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the San Diego Padres a dramatic 6-5 come-from-victory over the San Francisco Giants in a home game at Oracle Park.

This was considered a home game for the Padres; because, the September 12 game between the two teams was postponed at Petco Park.

With the victory by the Padres, Luis Patino, who made his major-league debut on August 5 picked up his first major league win.

Coonrod saw his record fall to 0-2 on the season and that was also his second blown save of the season.

This sucked. It was a gut punch loss, and we will bounce back like we have all season long, said Giants manager Gabe Kapler.

The Giants bullpen was cruising, as in the first five innings of work, Caleb Baragar, Jarlin Garcia, Shawn Anderson and Sam Selman gave up two hits, walking one and striking out four. In his 0.1 innings of work, Coonrod gave up three runs on two hits, walked one and struck out one.

“Coonrod was absolutely going to face Tatis,” said Kapler.

Jeff Samardzija made his first appearance in a major-league game since August 7, when he went four innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium, when he allowed six runs on seven hits before he was forced to leave the game with a right shoulder impingement.

Samardzija went three innings, allowing three runs on three hits, and striking out one, with one of those hits being a three-run home run by Fernando Tatis, Jr., that was measured at 458 feet that gave the Padres a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the first inning.

The Giants gave Samardzija an early 1-0 lead, as Evan Longoria grounded out to Mitch Moreland at first base that easily scored Brandon Belt from third base.

Belt led off the inning with a double down the left field line that beat the shift that Padres manager Jayce Tingler put on.

Trent Grisham tied up the game for the Padres in the bottom of the third inning, as he singled to centerfield to score Jason Castro, yes, the same player who made the last out in Matt Cains perfect game on June 13, 2012, when he grounded out to Joaquin Arias at third base, who in turn threw to Belt for the final out of the Giants only perfect game in their 138-year history.

Tatis then gave the Padres the lead on his towering two-run home run into the left-center field bleachers.

The Giants got within one run in the top of the fourth inning, as Flores grounded into a force play that allowed Alex Dickerson to score from third base. On the play, Belt was forced out at second and Flores reached when Greg Garcias throw got by Mitch Moreland at first base for an error.

Pomeranz, who was unhittable all year long and his earned run average was 0.00 entering the top of the sixth inning and after getting Mike Yastrzemski and Darin Ruf to strikeout swinging, things began to bleak for the visitors, from San Francisco; however, Donovan Solano was able to reach first base on hit after Manny Machado deflected the ball and Tatis, Jr., was unable to get the throw off. Austin Slater then walked on five pitches and then Flores hit his 11th home run of the season to give the Giants the lead.

Padres starter Dinelson Lamet, who underwent Tommy John Surgery and missed the 2018 season was forced to leave the game in the top of the fourth inning with tightness in his bicep, according to Tingler.

To add insult to injury, the Padres are already without newly acquired Mike Clevinger and Jurickson Profar replaced Wil Myers in the top of the fourth inning.

With the loss, the Giants are one game in the hunt for the Wild Card spot with the Cincinnati Reds and the Miami Marlins, who also have the same 30-28 record. The St. Louis Cardinals are one percentage point ahead of those two teams.

The Giants are trying to get back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season, while the Marlins, who lost 105 games during the 2019 season are in the playoffs for the first time since they won the World Series over the New York Yankees in 2003, a span of 17 years and the Reds are in the playoffs for the first time since the 2013 season.

UP NEXT: Neither the Giants nor the Padres have announced their starting pitching for Saturdays game.

First game: Tyler Anderson goes six to keep Giants in the playoff hunt; SF beats Pads 5-4

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The San Francisco Giants pitcher Tyler Anderson who pitched six innings and surrendered two runs in his start get picks up the win. Anderson seen here throwing in the second inning for the first game of the doubleheader (AP News Photo)

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO-With the playoffs on the horizon, the San Francisco Giants needed to see good pitching from their starter in the first game of a doubleheader.

Tyler Anderson went six innings, allowing just two runs on five hits, walking four and striking out and the Giants defeated the San Diego Padres 5-4 in the opener of the twin bill at Oracle Park.

Anderson got those runs from Brandon Crawford, who tied up the game in the bottom of the second inning, as he hit his seventh home run of the season.

Tommy Pham gave the Padres the lead in the top of the second inning, as he doubled off of Anderson to score Austin Nola to give the playoff bound Padres a 1-0 lead; however, that lead only lasted one-half inning until Crawfords home run to center field.

Wilmer Flores gave the Giants the lead for good in the bottom of the fourth inning, as he hit his 10th home run of the season. The 10 home runs by Flores are one more than he hit during the 2019 season.

The bottom of the fourth inning is where the Giants broke the game wide open, as Joey Bart continues to improve at the plate, as he hit an opposite field single that scored Evan Longoria.

Bart then scored on a two-run home run by Mike Yastrzemski, who joined Flores in the double figure club, as Yastrzemski hit his 10th home run.

That four-run inning in the bottom of the fourth inning was huge, as the Padres began to peck away at the Giants lead in the top of the seventh inning.

Jurickson Profar led off the inning with a ground-rule double and that brought Gabe Kapler out of the dugout, and it was the end of the line for Anderson.

Tony Watson, who replaced Anderson on the mound then walked Trent Grisham, and then Fernando Tatis, Jr., singled in Profar and Grisham went to third on the throw.

Manny Machado then hit a comebacker that Watson fielded cleanly; however, his throw to Brandon Belt went into right field for an error that allowed Grisham to score from third base and cut the Giants lead down to 5-3.

Watson then got the first out of the inning, as he got Eric Hosmer to flyout to Mauricio Dubon in center field; however, Tatis, Jr., scored from third base to bring the Padres within one run.

Following the Hosmer sacrifice fly, Wil Myers hit a broken bat flyout to Steven Duggar in right field for the second out of the inning.

With the final chance to tie up the game, Austin Nola was unable to tie it up, as he flew out to Dubon in centerfield and the Giants escaped within their 29th win of the shortened-season.

In his only inning of work, Watson gave up two runs on one hits and walked one, as the Giants are trying to lockdown one of the two wild card spots in the National League.

Chris Paddack took the loss for the Padres, as he went 3.2 innings, allowing five runs on eight hits, walking one and striking out three. With the loss, Paddack dropped to 4-5 on the season.

NOTES: There was one move, as he Giants made the following roster move prior to game one, as RHP Jeff
Samardzija reinstated from the 10-day IL and appointed as the 29th man for today’s doubleheader.

IF Brandon Belt’s game-tying solo home run in the 8th inning yesterday was the 1,000th hit of his career…according to Elias, Belt became the fifth Giant to homer for his 1,000th hit, joining Fred Merkle (July 4, 1916 G2), Freddie Lindstrom (August 1, 1930), Bobby Bonds (May 19, 1974) & Buster Posey (September 27, 2016).

Prior to their win in the first game of the doubleheader, the Giants were 0-4 in their two doubleheaders this season…it’s the first time the Giants have been swept in two doubleheaders in the same season since 1984, when they were swept in five of their eight…the last time the Giants swept a DH against San Diego was June 16, 1985…the last time SF was swept in a DH by San Diego was September 24, 1984.

UP NEXT: Samardzija will make his return to the rotation, as he will take the mound in the second game, which is the makeup game from the Saturday September 12 game that was postponed at Petco Park, while the Padres will send Dinelson Lamet to the hill.