Barry Zito not giving Giants a choice on postseason roster

Pitcher's recent play could earn him a spot in San Francisco's playoff rotation.

Giants Vs. Diamondbacks, Final Score: San Francisco wins regular season home finale

The San Francisco Giants defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks, 7-3, on Thursday behind a six-run second inning in their final home game of the year. Hector Sanchez, second baseman Marco Scutaro and right fielder Hunter Pence each had two RBI on the day.

Arizona pitcher Patrick Corbin got the start and found himself getting knocked around in the second inning. After San Francisco's Buster Posey led off the inning with a single, Pence took Corbin deep to score two. The Giants singled again, and a Sanchez double scored another run, putting San Francisco ahead 3-0. Pitcher Barry Zito added another single to push Sanchez to third, and a passed ball scored Sanchez and advanced Zito to second before Scutaro homered to clear the bases.

Zito went six innings and got the win, giving up three runs off six hits. He had three strikeouts.

Corbin took the loss and was pulled after the third inning, ending the day with the Giants nabbing seven hits and six earned runs off him as Arizona trailed 6-0. Diamondbacks pitcher Bryan Shaw went two innings and gave up a hit, and Arizona used three more pitchers to finish the game.

Arizona would score two runs in the fourth inning to put a little pressure on the Giants. The Diamondbacks loaded the bases with two outs, and a Chris Young single plated two runners. In the top of the sixth, Arizona's Cody Ransom hit a two-out double and Jacob Elmore followed it up with a ground-rule double to score another run for the Diamondbacks, cutting their deficit to 6-3.

But Sanchez knocked a solo home run over the left field fence in the bottom of the eighth inning to pad the lead by four runs.

With the division locked up, Bruce Bochy's team has a three-game series with the San Diego Padres and another against the Los Angeles Dodgers remaining on the schedule.

Giants' Buster Posey reaches RBI milestone

The San Francisco Giants' Buster Posey knows the 100-RBI milestone is difficult to reach, especially for a catcher.

Giants vs. Diamondbacks, Game Preview: Giants turn to Barry Zito to snag series win

The San Francisco Giants will look to snag a series win in their final meeting with the Arizona Diamondbacks as the two teams square off on Thursday afternoon at Chase Field.

San Francisco is coming off an impressive 6-0 win in game two of the three-game set on Wednesday night. Ace Matt Cain threw seven innings of shutout ball while helping his own cause by driving in a run, and Buster Posey continued to make a case for himself as a potential NL MVP candidate by notching his 100th RBI of the year.

Thursday afternoon, the Giants will send left-hander Barry Zito to the mound. Zito (13-8, 4.18), has been surprisingly solid of late, posting a 3-0 record and 3.46 ERA in his last five starts.

Arizona will counter with rookie southpaw Patrick Corbin (6-7, 4.36). The 23-year-old has been spotty in his last five starts with a 1-2 record and a 5.46 ERA.

First pitch is scheduled for 12:45 p.m. PT at Chase Field. The game will be televised on CSN-Bay Area and the radio broadcast can be heard on 680 KNBR

Giants vs. Diamondbacks, final score: Matt Cain shuts down Arizona in 6-0 victory

Matt Cain pitched seven shutout innings and drove in a run, Buster Posey notched his 100th RBI of the season, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-0.

Giants vs. Diamondbacks, starting lineups: Scutaro on a hot streak

The San Francisco Giants' Marco Scutaro will look to extend his hitting streak to 14 games against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night. The second baseman is hitting .409 during the month of September and has 18 RBI this month.

Scutaro's hot hitting in the second slot is not helping Pablo Sandoval, who is 0-for-7 in his last three games despite a previous stellar month at the plate. Sandoval was hitting over .400 in the past seven days, before suddenly cooling off.

Arizona aims to keep Paul Goldschmidt's bat hot, but the Diamondbacks will have to do so against Matt Cain. The Diamondbacks' first baseman has a hitting streak of eight games coming into Wednesday's outing.

Wade Miley (16-10) will be the starting pitcher for Arizona.

Arizona Diamondbacks

1. Adam Eaton, CF
2. Aaron Hill, 2B
3. Justin Upton, RF
4. Miguel Montero, C
5. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
6. Gerardo Parra, LF
7. Cody Ransom, 3B
8. John McDonald, SS
9. Wade Miley, P

San Francisco Giants

1. Angel Pagan, CF
2. Marco Scutaro, 2B
3. Pablo Sandoval, 3B
4. Buster Posey, C
5. Hunter Pence, RF
6. Xavier Nady, LF
7. Brandon Belt,1B
8. Brandon Crawford, SS
9. Matt Cain, P

Giants vs. Diamondbacks preview: Matt Cain looks to stay hot against Arizona

The San Francisco Giants couldn't overcome their early deficit on Tuesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, but turn to Matt Cain to get back on track on Wednesday at AT&T Park.

Cain (15-5, 2.86 ERA) hasn't taken a loss in his last nine starts, allowing more than two runs only once while posting a 2.45 ERA over that span. He threw eight innings of one-run ball against Colorado in his last start, while he is 4-1 with a 2.26 ERA over his last eight starts at home against Arizona.

As for the D-backs, they'll send out Wade Miley (16-10, 3.25), who has gone 2-2 with a 5.34 ERA in his last five starts. He gave up five runs on 10 hits on Friday against Colorado, but still picked up the win by the score of 15-5. Arizona remains 5 1/2 games back of St. Louis for the last wild card spot in the NL.

First pitch is set for 7:15 p.m. PT with coverage on CSN Bay Area and KNBR 680 AM.

2012 MLB Playoff Standings: Oakland A's gain ground in AL West, Braves clinch postseason spot

The National League already knew who two of their three division winners were as of Tuesday: the Giants in the West and the Reds in the Central. The Nationals have clinched a playoff spot, although they are yet to secure the top spot in the East.

Two wild card spots were open as of yesterday, but that changed as Freddie Freeman's walk-off homer propelled the Braves to a 4-3 win and a playoff birth. Atlanta sits four games back of the Nationals in the NL East with eight games to play.

As for the second wild card spot, a look at Sports Illustrated's updated standings show the St. Louis Cardinals hold a 4 1/2 game lead over the Dodgers and Brewers. The Cardinals won their game on Tuesday, but both L.A. and Milwaukee lost and dropped yet another game back. Barring a collapse from St. Louis it appears they will be one of the two wild card teams.

In the American League, the Yankees hold a 1 1/2 game lead over the Orioles and a five-game lead over the Rays. The White Sox and Tigers are tied for the Central division lead with 82-72 records. The Rangers hold a four-game lead over the Athletics and a six-game lead over the Angels in the West.

Here is a complete look at the AL wild card standings:

Giants Vs. Diamondbacks, Final Score: Tim Lincecum struggles in 7-2 loss

The San Francisco Giants do not exactly have a lot to play for right now. The team clinched the National League West title over the weekend, and it's unlikely they catch Washington or Cincinnati for the best record in the league to gain home-field advantage in the postseason. With Tim Lincecum on the mound against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night, the Giants fell by a score of 7-2.

Lincecum lasted just four innings, surrendering seven runs on five hits and four walks. He struck out just three batters and saw his ERA rise to 5.15 this season. For the D-backs, Josh Collmenter made the start and worked five innings of one-run ball. He gave up just two hits and two walks to San Francisco, striking out four as he improved his record to 5-3 this year.

Arizona held a 2-0 lead in the third inning when Paul Goldschmidt came to the plate. Goldschmidt has crushed Lincecum throughout his short career, and that was the case once again at AT&T Park as he hit a three-run homer to give the D-backs a five-run lead. Goldschmidt ended up driving in five runs for his club.

Buster Posey plated one of San Francisco's two runs with an RBI-double in the fourth inning. The other run came in the eighth on a double from Ryan Theriot that plated Xavier Nady. The team managed just four hits tonight and appeared uninterested in the later innings.

The Giants are now 89-65 this season. Just eight games remain before the postseason arrives.

Melky Cabrera to be left off Giants playoff roster, according to report

San Francisco is not including suspended outfielder in postseason plans, according to a report.

Bruce Bochy not sure who will catch Tim Lincecum during playoffs

Bruce Bochy hasn't made a decision yet as to whether Hector Sanchez or Buster Posey will catch Tim Lincecum during the playoffs.

Diamondbacks vs. Giants lineups: Lincecum goes for three straight

San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum eyes his third straight victory on Tuesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks in San Francisco. With the division locked up, Bruce Bochy is giving the former ace a chance to earn his first such streak of this season, one that's gone poorly with a 10-14 record.

Arizona will put Josh Collmenter (4-3) on the mound to open the series, and it will be his first start since July.

The Diamondbacks stand 5½ games back of the second Wild Card spot in the National League, but with 10 games remaining in the regular season, manager Kirk Gibson's team is riding on mathematical hope that is quickly dwindling.

The lineups for tonight:

Arizona Diamondbacks

1. Adam Eaton, CF
2. Aaron Hill, 2B
3. Justin Upton, RF
4. Miguel Montero, C
5. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
6. Jason Kubel, LF
7. Ryan Wheeler, 3B
8. John McDonald, SS
9. Josh Collmenter, P

San Francisco Giants

1. Angel Pagan, CF
2. Marco Scutaro, 2B
3. Pablo Sandoval, 3B
4. Buster Posey, 1B
5. Hunter Pence, RF
6. Hector Sanchez, C
7. Gregor Blanco, LF
8. Brandon Crawford, SS
9. Tim Lincecum, P

N.L. batting title race: Buster Posey still trails Andrew McCutchen

The race for the National League batting title has become a two-man sprint to the finish between Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen and San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey. And with two weeks left in the season there is still time for Posey to make up ground, or for McCutchen to pull away.

McCutchen went 1-3 in the Pirates 6-2 loss to the New York Mets on Monday, pushing his batting average to .336 for the season. He is batting .248 (7-29) over the last seven days with nine games left on the Pirates schedule.

As for Posey, he got the day off on Sunday after the Giants clinched the NL West Saturday night, then had an off day Monday. He currently has a .332 average, batting .278 (5-18) over the last seven days. He and the Giants also have nine games left in the regular season, though Buster may see more off days with the division title already wrapped up.

Both men were trailing suspended Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera and his .346 average until he asked the league to be removed from the running late last week.

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

Giants vs. Diamondbacks, Game Preview: NL West Champs begin preparations for postseason

The Giants' rest is over and the regulars are back in action on Tuesday as San Francisco looks to get into postseason form against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the final series of the year between the divisional foes.

The NL West champions will start fresh with ace Tim Lincecum on the mound against the Diamondbacks. Lincecum has looked like his old self in the last two months, which bodes well for the Giants in the postseason as they'll lean on Lincecum at the top of the rotation. Lincecum has a 3.01 ERA with 54 strikeouts and 28 walks in 59⅔ innings since July 31.

Lincecum will face Josh Collmenter, whose last start was July 27 against the Mets. Collmenter is 4-3 with a 3.92 ERA in 26 appearances this season, nine being starts.

Game Time: 7:15 p.m. PT

Television Coverage: CSN-Bay Area

Radio Coverage: KNBR 680, KTRB 860

For more on the Giants, make sure to check out McCovey Chronicles and SB Nation Bay Area.

Giants vs. Diamondbacks, series preview: G-Men look to clinch season series with Arizona

The San Francisco Giants are looking to give the Arizona Diamondbacks what for, in the form of a couple losses to close out their season series.