The San Francisco Giants guaranteed that the San Diego Padres

would finish in last place in the National League West by rallying to victory in the second contest of their three-game series. The Giants (72-80) look to add more salt in the wound as they aim to complete the sweep on Wednesday when the division rivals reconvene at Petco Park.Hunter Pence homered and drove in three runs while rookie Chris Shaw hit a go-ahead Ken Griffey Jersey , two-run bloop single in the eighth inning as San Francisco posted a 5-4 win on Tuesday to improve to 10-5 against San Diego (60-92) this season.Article continues below ...Shaw is 6-for-10 over his last three games on the heels of going 1-for-22 in his previous 11 contests.The Giants will send right-hander Chris Stratton (10-9, 4.66 ERA) to the mound against left-hander Robbie Erlin (3-7, 4.27) in the series finale.Stratton enters the contest with some momentum after collecting his first career shutout after a 114-pitch performance in Friday’s 2-0 triumph over the Colorado Rockies. He retired the final 12 batters he faced to record the first Giants’ shutout since Jeff Samardzija accomplished the feat versus the Padres on Aug. 28, 2017.The 28-year-old Stratton has excelled since returning from the minors to rejoin the rotation on Aug. 21, posting a 2-2 record with a 2.10 ERA in five starts.“If you don’t believe in yourself, then who can believe in you? I appreciate them sending me down and giving me some guidance and letting me work through some things,” Stratton told SFGate.com. “Hopefully, I can continue to build on this, going into next year as well.”Stratton permitted one hit over seven sterling innings in a 7-0 win over the Padres at Petco Park on April 12. He owns a 2-2 mark with a 3.15 ERA in four career appearances against San Diego.Stratton will need to keep a keen eye on Franmil Reyes, who enters Wednesday’s game with a 10-game hitting streak. The Padres rookie homered and drove in three runs on Tuesday to improve to 14-for-36 during the 10-game stretch, but the power display couldn’t prevent his team from falling to 1-4 on its six-game homestand.“We’re thrilled we got Franmil,” Padres manager Andy Green told reporters. “He looks so good. He’s become one of the success stories. Drafted by us, developed by us.“We’ve got a couple rookies this year doing extraordinary things in the National League, which you typically don’t see. Where he is right now Tony Perez Jersey , he’d be in a lot of conversations for Rookie of the Year. He’s played that well. Numbers just trending up every day. He’s had so many big hits for us. We’re definitely pleased he’s in a Padres uniform.”Reyes will be receiving his first look at Stratton on Wednesday.Stratton will be opposed by the 27-year-old Erlin, who matched a career high by dropping his fourth straight start on Friday despite yielding two runs — one earned — and six hits over 5 1/3 innings against Texas.“I thought he was as good as he’s been all year as a starter,” Green said of Erlin, who was undone by some shoddy defense versus the Rangers.Erlin owns an 0-3 mark with a 5.68 ERA in seven career appearances against San Francisco — including a 4.76 ERA in three relief appearances this season.Brandon Crawford is 4-for-8 and Brandon Belt is 3-for-10 in their respective careers against Erlin, although the left-hander has handcuffed Pence (1-for-9). Arte finds a button to push in his talks with Anaheim"The worst thing in the world when you are trying to negotiate any kind of deal with another party, is when that other party knows full well that you have zero alternatives other than to take the deal they are offering.Arte needs to negotiate with Anaheim. He needs Anaheim to know that he has other options. Anaheim knows that Tustin is not another option. Anaheim knows that Irvine is not another option. Anaheim knows that downtown LA, the Inland Empire, Las Vegas, or even Portland are not serious options. He has waited out the city government that was stuffing him into a corner. He now needs to start talking to the new government. Which is why Arte needs an option. The best option he has dug up is the oldest one. Long Beach. See Jessica. The Angels were supposed to start there, but Long Beach said no back then and Anaheim said yes. (Actually, Long Beach almost got the Los Angeles Angels back in the early 40’s. But then Pearl Harbor happened. Look it up.) Arte has a thing to take into his talks withe Anaheim. Long Beach is now the willing victim in the age-old maneuver of pro sports franchises to get a better deal back home. Scott Boras would be pleased.Let’s move on with Back-To-Spring-Training-HaloLinks:A Little Bit Of Angels NewsJustin Bour simply has one of those names built for baseball and punnage...........Monster Jam is over. The rains are (mostly) now falling in the plains. We are 4 weeks away from moving ST to Angel Stadium. So it’s that time of year again, when they have to completely rebuild the baseball field..........Felix Pena had himself a decent birthday yesterday. 3 innings, 1 hit, 3 K’s. Good for early Spring.............Zack Cozart http://www.redsfanproshop.com/authentic-cliff-pennington-jersey , though. Blech. His left shoulder is not fine and he is day to day. This is the same shoulder that underwent surgery last year. He thinks he can play through it this year...........Unsurprisingly, Luc Roy is delighted that MLB is stepping in and making his job easier............Everywhere In BaseballFiveThirtyEight takes a look at the game time problem, fixating on the parade of relievers from the 6th inning on, and realizes that the crux of this issue is that there is a never-ending supply of One-inning, Max-effort, guys (“OMGs”). And their belief is that the best way to curtail this parade is to limit the number roster spots that can be used on pitching staff. Immediately, being as I am an Angel fan, I see a problem. They do allow for position payers to still pitch, but (and this is a BIG but): “...they wouldn’t be allowed to pitch to a greater number of batters than the number of plate appearances they’d recorded so far on the season as hitters.”. Sorry, guys, but this wages war on the potential rise of two-way players such as Shohei Ohtani. (And look at me, an American League DH guy advocating for the development of pitchers who can hit for themselves! I’ll bet nobody has thought about that curve ball yet.)...........Welcome to The Law Of Unintended Consequences. Pitch clocking baseball creates the opportunity for somebody to think about hos to turn that to their advantage. The first such idea comes to us from reddit. Very, very clever. If I were a manager, I would wait until a game where Rob Manfred was in attendance and this is how I would work in every reliever............Clayton Kershaw is getting shut back down. This is ungood for baseball...........The Rockies like their Coors Light David Ross Jersey , and their Bud Black..........I always get a little giddy when an issue within MLB falls outside into the real world, and beyond the control of the Commissioner’s Office and franchise lawyers to dictate all terms and conditions. it’s probably just me, but I have long felt as though MLB chooses to behave as their own legal mini nation state. Too long living under the umbrella of a Congressional antitrust exemption. So when I readthis update on the Dexter Fowler lawsuit against the White Sox and MLB, where Fowler’s career was ruined the very day it began and all because of a hidden electrical box, I giggle. The real-world judge pretty much just told MLB/ChiSox lawyers that they are idiots, and the protection they think they are hiding behind is stupid..........The bottom line summary here is dead on: players should ply hardball with teams right now. Just because Front Offices are using new methods to value and devalue players, that doesn’t mean that they carry that weight into an arbitration hearing. Players who go all the way through an arb hearing are faring much better than those who fold.......... Ex Blue Jay Troy Tulowitzki stepped up to bat in MFY pinstripes for the first time, ironically facing his ex-Blue Jay teammates. Two pitches in Marcus Stromon serves up a meatball and Tulo goes yard. Extra motivation. Tulo feel vindicated already. But I suspect that what with his recent history over these past 6 years, this is a tweet and a quote that might not age well when we get out to August/September..........This will be the Year of Baby Vladdie. And we will see the lies and anti-marketing levers pulled by Toronto. Something to grill Rob Manfred on if you ever get the chance. Everybody knows that service time manipulation goes on. Even the players. But nobody comes forth with a solution.............Nevada Gaming Commission to MLB: “Thank you for your interest but, no, we shall not be paying any attention to your whining.”..........You are thinking it. I will say it. Brian Cashman loves having Andy Pettitte on board to help players on the physical side of the same. Because Andy knows where the needles go?..........Hunter Strickland was victimized by his own temper. And that’s what finally taught him to get a grip. As in “Oh. So THIS is the kind of pain and suffering U have been subjecting humanity to all my life?”..........Just an LAA Public Service Announcement: This is the new Mariners weapon on the mound. And that is none other than THE Joey “On Base Machine” Votto looking stupid..........Hot StoveIt looks like the Yankees just took themselves out of the Mike Trout Sweepstakes, signing their own young SF, Aaron Hicks, to a 7-year http://www.chicagocubsteamshop.com/authentic-david-ross-jersey , $70 million extension.......... And the Yankees, who recently did this with youngster Luis Severino, are now targeting the same for Dellin Betances. Is this going to be the new land rush for all franchises, where the Yankees are way out in front of the coming wave? if so, I would think that teams would all want to get in on this before the CBA changes all their rules at the earlier end of player career..........The Dodgers now in the Bryce Harper chase......Pedro Gomez noticed a peculiar thing at the Dodgers camp just hours after this news broke. They appear to be serious.....So look now for the Phillies to scare themselves into doing that stupid thing they promised to do earlier this winter. A classic Boras end game gambit.........In any event, it may be that this opera ends this week...........Maybe even as soon as today..........The Duffle Bagreddit was pretty productive for me yesterday. Here is pitching machine versus baserunner..........also from reddit, we got this glorious math-centric player graphic forArquimedes Caminero. (For those who don’t get it, go here.).........You keep doing YOU , kid!..........