These Giants looked tough on Sunday, eh? Bob Melvin was complaining about ’em bashing his catcher and beaning Laureano (like the most hit guy in the league, btw). That’s rich. The A’s manager complaining about the Giants roughing ’em up! Bwahahahaaaahaaaa. The irony.

It was a great win over in Oakland that featured a Crawford Salami which was a thing of beauteous nostalgia for the Bochy Era crowd. Lovely it was. Brandon, you’ve got a job as a Giant as long as you want one, I say. You will be up on that wall of fame one day, for sure. Great Giant.

The long ball figured prominently as the Giants leapt out to an eight – nothing lead. But the whole order got into the act by the end of the day.

Kapler’s decision to hold Cueto has paid off. Tyler Anderson was great in substitution. Hopefully, it leads to a game one victory against the Rox tonight.

SO IT COMES TO AN EIGHT GAME HOMESTAND TO DECIDE EVERYTHING

Wow. I hoped we would be in this kind of a position and Kapler and his staff have achieved it: legitimacy as a playoff contender in the 60-game rock-n-roll baseball season of 2020. I am pretty satisfied with what we have accomplished this year …

BUT I WANT MORE

It’s crazy to think that if we were to win all eight of these games we’d be second in the NL with leverage in the playoffs. Lose all eight and we go home.

The Giants (26-26) are tied with Cincinnati (27-27) and Milwaukee (26-26) for the second wild card, all trailing Philadelphia (27-26) by a half-game. The Mets (24-29) and Rockies (23-29) are alive, but they need wins and help. The Rockies could get both and totally flip the script while visiting San Francisco. They rested Nolan Arenado on Sunday, and picked up Kevin Pillar – suddenly out of the blue, last week – with just that intention. Can’t let that happen.

If the Giants go four and four (4-4) at home on the last week, I fear it will not be enough to catch Philadelphia or the Reds, whom I see as our main competition for the wild card positions. Go five and three (5-3) or six and two (6-2),and I think we make the playoffs.

The trouble is four games against the Padres, who are still trying to seize first in the NL West from the Bums. And two of those are a 7-inning double header set, at which the Giants have utterly failed. If we can take two from the Padres and three or four from the Rox, we’re in.

My sole goal right now is to get that eighth slot and get to face the Bums. Ohhhhh to spoil the Nemesis’ run would be perfect for a rebuilding year.

Jhonny Cueto will be on the mound this evening at 6:45 at Oracle Park, and he’ll be facing right-hander German Marquez (2-6, 4.33).

It is also pretty great that we rested Yastrzemski’s sore calf. I wonder if Dickerson will join us against Colorado after the birth of his child? That’d make for a full squad in the last week of the season at Kapler’s disposal to move and shift according to the math and in-game circumstances. That’s amazing given the absurdity of this Covid-19, Wildfire-damaged season. Tremendous poise under extreme circumstances shown by Gabe Kapler in his first season.

For Zaidi, it’s the perfect opportunity to observe Kapler’s skills as a manager and players’ behavior when the chips are down. Kind of perfect going into winter whether we make the playoffs or not.

But I want more!

Let’s Go Giants!

Crush the Rocks!

Pound the Rocks!

Start the Sweep

Let’s goooooooooooooooooooooo!