It’s a moment we’ve been waiting for: a game where the San Francisco Giants can clinch the NL West. Technically that was the case last night as well, but it required some help from the Milwaukee Brewers, who weren’t feeling generous.
Now it’s a game the Giants can clinch all their own. They don’t need help. They don’t need to scoreboard watch (though if they lose, scoreboard watching can still allow them to clinch).
Beat the San Diego Padres and the division is theirs. All theirs.
It’s fitting that Kevin Gausman, who started the season opener and represented the Giants at the All-Star Game, is on the mound. He carries a 2.87 ERA and 3.03 FIP into his final start of the regular season, with 222 strikeouts to 49 walks in 185 innings.
The Padres are turning to righty Joe Musgrove, who has a 3.22 ERA and 3.74 FIP, with 199 strikeouts to 54 walks in 176.1 innings. He also has a no-hitter which would be a really rude thing to double down on today.
Game #161
Who: San Francisco Giants (106-54) vs. San Diego Padres (78-82)
Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California
When: 1:05 p.m. PT
Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area (available on fuboTV)
National broadcast: MLB Network, out of market only (available on fuboTV)
Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM
Enjoy the baseball, friends.