The San Francisco Giants eliminated the rival Los Angeles Dodgers from playoff contention Tuesday when the Giants won 4-3. The Dodgers were alive for the final wild card slot, but needed to win both of their final two games and have the St. Louis Cardinals lose their final game.
Barry Zito got the win for the Giants, allowing two runs over six innings. He also struck out six while walking just one, completing his strong close to the 2012 regular season. Zito allowed three earned runs or less in each of his final five starts of the season. Sergio Romo got the final three outs, recording his 14th save of the season.
Buster Posey got the Giants on the board first with a solo home run in the second inning, Posey's 24th home run of the season. After the Dodgers tied the game in the bottom of the second inning, Joaquin Arias put San Francisco back on top with a solo home run in the third inning. The Giants added two more runs on two-run double by Marco Scutaro in the fifth inning.
The win is the Giants 10th of the season against the Dodgers. The two teams will wrap up the regular season on Wednesday with first pitch scheduled for 4:15 p.m. PT.