Summer is officially over, and that means that a portion of the city’s football fans will give some deserved love to the Giants as they ramp up for the postseason. The baseball season is a long one, but as it winds down, the Giants look increasingly likely not only to maintain their lead for the wildcard, but maybe even take the division.
The importance of the games is magnified as we enter the final week of the regular season, including games against the first-place Dodgers. This matchup is very exciting. Besides us, the Dodgers only have to face the Cubs and the Rockies. But other than the Dodgers, we only have to defeat the Padres. The Dodgers and the Giants have played each other 16 times this year so far, with each team taking 8 wins.
What’s worrying for Bay Area fans is that Giants batters will be going up against Clayton Kershaw for the final game of the Dodgers series. A reliable left-handed pitcher, Kershaw is even better against the Giants. He currently boasts a 1.40 career ERA against San Francisco. The importance of the game may draw an even better performance.
The Giants have gained a lot of ground to be just a couple games behind first place, but the Dodgers can’t be underestimated. They’re potentially the best team in the league. And even with three losses against the Giants this week, they could still clinch the division by beating the Cubs and Rockies.
In the Central division, the Cardinals will run away with the title. No other team is close to matching their record, and their talent isn’t about to wane. Pittsburgh has been performing exceptionally, with eleven wins in their last 13 games. Not only that, but their upcoming schedule looks easy, with match ups against Cincinnati and Atlanta. Even still, they’ll most likely fall short of St. Louis.
This means that its likely that the Giants and the Cardinals will be the two wild card teams, going head to head for a chance at the playoffs. When is the National League Wild Card game? October 1st. Assuming the Giants don’t displace the Dodgers to take the division, I’ll be tuning in.