The San Francisco Giants hope to break even against the St. Louis Cardinals visiting in the regular season finale on Sunday afternoon.
Two teams that have hovered around .500 all season split the first two games of the series. The Cardinals won 6-3 on Friday before the Giants won again 6-5 on Saturday.
The victory moved San Francisco (80-81) within one win of the .500 season. The club finished 81-81 in 2022 before losing its final four games to fall to 79-83 last season.
Cardinals scheduled starter Michael McGreevy (2-0, 2.40 ERA) has pitched well in his three outings. Louis (82-79) has won all three games, two of which were started by the right fielder.
McGreevy has never faced the Giants, who is expected to oppose his teammate Hayden Birdsong (5-5, 4.66). He went 2-0 in his last three starts while allowing just five runs in 15 2/3 innings.
Birdsong, which grew up about 125 miles northeast of St. Louis, will be competing against the Cardinals for the first time.
Minority distinctions and team honors will be on the line on the final day of the season.
Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley, who broke the club’s single-season record with 49 in the club’s win Friday, will try to become the 18th in league history to reach 50 on Sunday. He didn’t hit Saturday.
“When I came back (from a previous arm injury) in September and I was so close and I got seven saves,” he said, “I was like, ‘If I get seven in a month and six times, that means I’m 42, and that’s a great year.’ Obviously, I hid that, and it was fun.”
Brendan Donovan took advantage of Nolan Arenado’s day off Saturday to go four points clear of the Cardinals’ hitting crown. Donovan went 3-for-5 with a double and a double, raising his average to .276. Arenado is batting .272.
The Cardinals’ home run title is up for grabs. Paul Goldschmidt has hit 22 homers this season and Alec Burleson is next with 21.
Matt Chapman leads the Giants in home runs and RBIs this season. He has 27 homers and has driven in 78 runs, leading Heliot Ramos, who has 22 homers and 72 RBIs, in both categories. Chapman needs two runs to reach 100 for the third time in his career.
The veteran is happy to finish his first season with the Blacks. He found out on Friday that he won the team’s Willie Mac Award for inspirational player.
“It was just the cherry on top of a beautiful moon,” he said. “Obviously it would be better if we went to the finals. That is my goal. I will work this season to make that happen next year.”
In his first full season in the major leagues, Ramos has already wrapped up a title for San Francisco. The 25-year-old is hitting .269 in 475 at-bats.
–Field Level Media