The Giants had a chance to clinch an NL Wild Card spot Saturday, but they needed the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies to lose, and they also needed to beat the San Diego Padres.
They didn't get the help they required, and they didn't do themselves any favors, either, losing to the San Diego Padres 6-2 at Oracle Park.
Now, the fight for the final NL playoff spot comes down to the last full day of the 2020 regular season, and the Giants (29-30) don't control their own destiny.
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In order for the Giants to claim the eighth NL playoff spot, they need to beat the Padres on Sunday and have the Brewers (29-30) lose to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Brewers own the tiebreaker, based on division record, over the Giants, so if they win, they will be in, and San Francisco will watch the playoffs from home.
The Phillies' 4-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday meant Giants manager Gabe Kapler could have eliminated his former team from playoff contention with a win over the Padres. Instead, the Phillies (28-31) lived to see another day, although they'd need to win and have both the Brewers and Giants lose Sunday. If that happens, the Phillies would earn the playoff spot by virtue of the division-record tiebreaker.
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If the Giants and Brewers both win Sunday, the season will extend to Monday, with the Cardinals (29-28) playing a doubleheader in Detroit to determine their final record and the final NL playoff team.
San Francisco Giants
The No. 7 seed no longer is in play for the Giants, who needed to finish with a better record than the Cincinnati Reds (30-29). That's not possible after Saturday's loss to the Padres, though.
If Giants claim the No. 8 seed, they would travel to Los Angeles to face the NL West rival Dodgers in the best-of-three Wild Card round.