clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Post-game thread: One more win takes the division

By Grant Brisbee
I will shave my head, put on some Nikes, and live in a compound for you, Buster. I will wait to ascend on the comet with you, Buster. We will become pure energy together, Buster. Just tell us what to do, Buster, and we will do it.
I will shave my head, put on some Nikes, and live in a compound for you, Buster. I will wait to ascend on the comet with you, Buster. We will become pure energy together, Buster. Just tell us what to do, Buster, and we will do it.

One more win.

If the Giants had lost today, and the Padres had won today, the weekend series would have become a freaky best-of-three playoff series. The Giants would have home-field advantage. That wouldn’t have made me feel better. The Giants would have had to win two of three against the Padres. Certainly not impossible, but, cripes, if there was any way to avoid such a thing…

So today wasn’t a must-win game. But it wasn’t not a must-win game. A loss today, coupled with a Padres win, would have essentially tied the division up. Technically, the Giants would have been one game up, but that wouldn’t have meant a thing. It would have been liquid torture.

Oh, there’s still a chance for torture – especially if the Padres win today. The Giants still need to win one game. But the torture meteorologists have downgraded the forecast to "moderate chance of torture." If the Giants had lost a game in the standings today, anything that might have gone wrong in tomorrow’s game would have been magnified. Give up a first-inning run?

Ohmanthat’sitthePadresareupandthenthey’regoingtoputinGregLukersonandhe’sgoingtostrikeoutsixstraight
hittersandthey’regoingtowinonetonothingandnowwehavetowinthelasttwogamesorwemisstheplayoffsDAMMIT
howdidthishappen?

And if we would have felt like that, you’d best be sure the players would have felt like that. Tomorrow’s game would have felt like an elimination game.

Instead, it will feel like a game that the Giants should really, really, really win if they want to avoid torturing us. Which in turn is kind of torturous. Oh, man. There’s no escaping the torture, is there? Even if the Padres lose today, all that guarantees is a one-game playoff in the worst-case scenario. It’s still worth rooting for the Padres to lose, though. Because, come on, how likely is it that the Padres can beat the Giants four games in a row?

 

Date Tm   Opp RS RA W L Inn Win Loss Save
2010-04-19 standings San Francisco Giants @ San Diego Padres L 2 3 0 1 10 T. Stauffer J. Affeldt
2010-04-20 standings San Francisco Giants @ San Diego Padres L 0 1 0 2 M. Latos J. Sanchez H. Bell
2010-04-21 standings San Francisco Giants @ San Diego Padres L 2 5 0 3 J. Garland T. Wellemeyer
2010-05-11 standings San Francisco Giants San Diego Padres L 2 3 0 4 R. Webb B. Zito H. Bell
2010-05-12 standings San Francisco Giants San Diego Padres L 2 5 0 5 C. Richard M. Cain H. Bell
2010-05-13 standings San Francisco Giants San Diego Padres L 0 1 0 6 M. Latos J. Sanchez
2010-05-17 standings San Francisco Giants @ San Diego Padres L 1 3 0 7 C. Richard M. Cain H. Bell
2010-05-18 standings San Francisco Giants @ San Diego Padres W 7 6 1 7 12 D. Runzler C. Ramos B. Wilson
2010-08-13 standings San Francisco Giants San Diego Padres L 2 3 1 8 C. Richard J. Sanchez H. Bell
2010-08-14 standings San Francisco Giants San Diego Padres W 3 2 2 8 11 S. Casilla T. Stauffer
2010-08-15 standings San Francisco Giants San Diego Padres L 2 8 2 9 W. LeBlanc T. Lincecum
2010-09-09 standings San Francisco Giants @ San Diego Padres W 7 3 3 9 M. Cain J. Garland
2010-09-10 standings San Francisco Giants @ San Diego Padres W 1 0 4 9 S. Casilla C. Richard B. Wilson
2010-09-11 standings San Francisco Giants @ San Diego Padres L 0 1 4 10 T. Stauffer M. Bumgarner H. Bell
2010-09-12 standings San Francisco Giants @ San Diego Padres W 6 1 5 10 T. Lincecum M. Latos
For 2010, SFG won 5, SDP won 10.
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 9/30/2010.

Yeah. Let’s not get too cocky. It’s better to be the Giants right now than to not be the Giants. That’s all the standings mean.

I’m nauseous now just thinking about this weekend. One win. That’s all the Giants need.

One win.

Please.

More From McCovey Chronicles