MLB Standings: Giants, Athletics Remain Firmly In Playoff Picture With Weekend Series Wins

Both the Giants and the Athletics had key victories in two important series this past weekend.

Giants Vs. Diamondbacks Game Recap: Ryan Vogelsong Struggles In 10-2 Loss

The San Francisco Giants were denied a sweep on Sunday afternoon, falling to Arizona Diamondbacks by a score of 10-2. The Giants took an early lead in the first inning, but a five-run fourth inning was the difference as Ryan Vogelsong continued to struggle.

Vogelsong worked just 3 1/3 innings, giving up seven runs (six earned) on five hits and four walks. He struck out six. On the other hand, D-backs starter Patrick Corbin was dominant over eight innings of work. The young lefty scattered eight hits and a walk, striking out five on the afternoon.

Buster Posey singled home the first run of the game in the first inning. Justin Upton quickly gave Arizona the lead in the third inning though, doubling home two runners to deep center field. Brandon Belt then tied the game at 2-2 with an RBI double.

Things fell apart for Vogelsong in the fourth. Corbin tripled with the bases loaded, making it 5-2. Aaron Hill then doubled to plate two more runs. Upton homered in the sixth to make it 8-2, and then Corbin singled home another run with a soft fly ball to center. The final run of the game came home on a wild pitch to make it 10-2.

The Giants will now return to AT&T Park to begin a series with the last-place Rockies.

For more on the club, be sure to check out McCovey Chronicles.

Giants Vs. Diamondbacks: Vogelsong Heads To The Mound As San Francisco Aims For Sweep

Looking for a sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks, the San Francisco Giants send Ryan Vogelsong, who is looking to rebound from a tough start, to the mound Sunday at Chase Field in Arizona at 1:10 p.m. PST.

Vogelsong has lost three of his last six starts and has a 9.37 ERA over those appearances, but will look to quiet the Diamondbacks bats on Sunday. The Giants' pitching has been able to do that thus far in this late-season series, giving up just two runs in each of the series' first two games.

The Diamondbacks send Patrick Corbin to the mound looking to salvage the final game of the three game series. The two teams have split their first 14 meetings of the season, and will meet three more times before the season is up.

Giants catch Buster Posey hit a key homerun in last night's contest to send the Giants, who now stand 7.5 games up on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West, to the victory.

For more Giants coverage, check out McCovey Chronicles.

Giants Beat D-Backs 3-2, Zito Gets 12th Win

The San Francisco Giants increased their NL West lead to 7.5 games over the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight with help from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Despite an attempted late rally by the D-Backs, the Giants went on to win 3-2.

San Francisco starting pitcher Barry Zito has had a tumultuous season. Tonight he showed shades of his former self, going 6.2 innings with four strikeouts and giving up only one earned run. He improved his record to 12-8 on the season.

Zito can buy dinner for Buster Posey who provided the offense for the Giants. Posey went 3-for-4 on the night, with what later became the game-winning two-run homerun in the fifth. Posey leads the Giants in hitting at .333.

The Giants maintain their comfortable lead over division rivals LA, and look to gain even more ground Sunday in the final game of the series with Arizona.

For more on the San Francisco Giants, slide on over to McCovey Chronicles and stick with SB Nation Bay Area.

Santiago Casilla Gets A Hit, And Nobody Expected It

Giants Vs. Diamondbacks Final Score: Hunter Pence Grand Slam Drives 6-2 Giants Win

Hunter Pence hit his third career grand slam as the San Francisco Giants topped the Arizona Diamondbacks, 6-2. Pence has 34 RBI since being acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies, more than anyone else on the Giants in that time frame. His homer put the Giants up 5-0 in the third, and they were able to hold on from there for the win. With the victory, the Giants improve to 82-62 and consolidate their hold on the NL West lead.

Matt Cain picked up his 14th win of the year, giving up one run on five hits over five innings. Six different pitchers came out of the bullpen for the Giants, with only Javier Lopez giving up a run. In addition to Pence's grand slam, Buster Posey and Santiago Castilla picked up an RBI each.

Game 2 of the three game series is scheduled for Saturday at 5:10 p.m. PT.

Stick with this StoryStream for scores, updates and more from the Giants vs. Diamondbacks series. For more insight and analysis, head over to Giants blog McCovey Chronicles. For the Arizona perspective, check out Diamondbacks blog AZ Snakepit.

Giants vs. Diamondbacks Lineup: Pablo Sandoval Returns In Series Opener

The San Francisco Giants are looking to put even more distance between themselves and their foes in the National League West. With a little more than two weeks remaining in the 2012 season, the Giants hold a 7.5 game lead over the second-place Dodgers and are looking at a playoff bid for the second time in three years.

On Friday night the club will begin a three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The lineups for both teams have been released. After missing Wednesday's game, third baseman Pablo Sandoval has returned to third base and is batting third.

Giants:

Angel Pagan - CF
Marco Scutaro - 2B
Pablo Sandoval - 4B
Buster Posey - C
Hunter Pence RF
Joaquin Arias - SS
Brandon Belt - 1B
Gregor Blanco - LF
Matt Cain - P

Diamondbacks:

Adam Eaton - CF
Aaron Hill - 2B
Jason Kubel - LF
Paul Goldschmidt - 1B
Miguel Montero - C
Justin Upton - RF
Ryan Wheeler - 1B
John McDonald - SS
Tyler Skaggs - P

First pitch from Chase Field is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. PT.

For more on the Giants, be sure to check out McCovey Chronicles.

MLB Standings: Giants, Athletics Looking To Hang On Down The Stretch

Marco Scutaro Would 'Love' To Resign With San Francisco Giants

Veteran infielder Marco Scutaro has been one of the main reasons the the San Francisco Giants have been one of the best teams in baseball since the All-Star break. And with the Black and Orange having limited options with infield depth, CSN Bay Area's Andrew Baggarly is reporting that Scutaro would "love" to return to the team next year.

"I would love to come back here," he told me. "I really love it here. There are great fans, it's a great place to play. More important, it's a place where you have a chance to win every year."

The 37-year old has a major-league best 94 percent contact rate on strikes this season, and has become a perfect fit in the No. 2 spot in the Giants lineup. He's batting .341 with a .808 OPS and 30 RBIs in just 44 games for San Francisco this season, and is able to play second base, shortstop or third base, giving the Giants more flexibility with their defense as well.

San Francisco is the eighth MLB team that Scutaro has played for in his ten year career.

For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles.

Giants Vs. Diamondbacks: Matt Cain Looks To Continue Success On The Road

The San Francisco Giants haven't lost a series on the road since the All-Star break, and are looking to continue that streak against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field this Friday.

Matt Cain (13-5, 2.96 ERA) looks for his career-high 14th victory of the season this evening. He's 3-0 over his last six starts, though has won none of his last three outings. Cain is 7-1 over his last 13 starts away from AT&T Park, and has a 1-1 record against the Diamondbacks this season, though both of those starts were before the All-Star break.

Arizona will counter with 21-year old Tyler Skaggs (1-1, 4.43), looking for just his second major league win. He won his debut back on July 22, but the D-backs have lost his last three starts. Skaggs gave up five runs in just three innings of work en route to a 6-5 loss to San Diego last Friday. This will be the first time any of the Giants have faced Skaggs.

San Francisco owns the National League's best record on the road since the break at 21-7, averaging 6.5 runs a contest. They've won 10 of their last 12 away from AT&T.

First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. PT with coverage on NBC Bay Area and KNBR 680 AM.

For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles. For the D-backs side of the street, check out AZ Snake Pit. For more on the league in general, head on over to Baseball Nation.

Giants Vs. Diamondbacks, Series Preview: Giants Head To Arizona For Key Series

For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles.