On Friday, a series opener is on the schedule, with the St. Louis Cardinals (81-78) visiting the San Francisco Giants (79-80) at 10:15 p.m. ET. The Cardinals are an away underdog (+105) against the Giants (-125). The starting pitchers are Landen Roupp (1-1) for the San Francisco Giants, and Miles Mikolas (9-11) for the St. Louis Cardinals. The Giants lost 8-2 to the Diamondbacks Wednesday, with Mason Black (2 2/3 innings, giving up four earned runs on five hits while striking out three) on the hook for the loss.

Bryce Eldridge has become one of the most talked-about prospects in minor league baseball and now last year's first round pick will represent the San Francisco Giants in the Arizona Fall League, which starts next month. Eldridge was one of eight Giants prospects selected to play and he will certainly be the one that draws the most attention once the league begins next week.

Zac Gallen struck out 11 in six innings, pinch hitter Pavin Smith hit a three-run homer and the Arizona Diamondbacks ended a three-game losing streak with an 8-2 win over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night. Arizona needed a rebound after a losing streak that included a blown eight-run lead in a loss to Milwaukee and Tuesday's lackluster 11-0 loss to the Giants. The Diamondbacks responded behind a strong performance from their ace and are .001 behind the New York Mets for the second of three National League wild cards, a game ahead of Atlanta.

A matchup between two former Lackawanna League baseball stars Wednesday night didn't last very long. Valley View graduate and San Francisco Giants pitcher Mason Black got knocked out in the third inning by Scranton grad Jake McCarthy and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. The Diamondbacks won, 8-2. Making his eighth major league start, Black was coming off his best outing in nine career ...

It has been a disappointing season for the San Francisco Giants, as they missed the playoffs this year and their future is a bit uncertain. This year, the Giants were expecting to compete with the other talented teams in their division. In the offseason, the Giants made a couple of notable moves to bring in some talented veterans in Blake Snell and Matt Chapman.

Zac Gallen struck out 11 in six innings, pinch hitter Pavin Smith hit a three-run homer and the Arizona Diamondbacks ended a three-game losing streak with an 8-2 win over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night. Arizona needed a rebound after a losing streak that included a blown eight-run lead in a loss to Milwaukee and Tuesday's lackluster 11-0 loss to the Giants. The Diamondbacks responded behind a strong performance from their ace and are .001 behind the New York Mets for the second of three National League wild cards, a game ahead of Atlanta. The Braves and Mets had to postpone the final two games of their series until a Monday doubleheader due to Hurricane Helene.

Zac Gallen struck out 11 in six innings, pinch hitter Pavin Smith hit a three-run homer and the Arizona Diamondbacks ended a three-game losing streak with an 8-2 win over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night. Related Story: Giants Hit 5 Homers, Continue Run Against Playoff Contenders With Win Over ... Giants: San Francisco has not named a starter for Friday's opener of a three-game series against St. Louis.

Sacramento-area baseball legends want more Black players in baseball, share tips at exhibition game.

The San Francisco Giants have less than a week remaining with ace Blake Snell before he hits the open market. Snell was looked at as someone who could return to the team just four months ago, but after impressing in a big way over the last two and a half months, all indications point to him opting out of his current deal. There are reasons for Snell to feel confident heading into free agency for the second time in as many years. There's no debating the type of pitcher he is, but after winning the Cy Young Award last season and hitting free agency that winter, his market wasn't what it was expected to be.

Zac Gallen struck out 11 in six innings, pinch hitter Pavin Smith hit a three-run homer and the Arizona Diamondbacks ended a three-game losing streak with an 8-2 win over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night. Arizona needed a rebound after a losing streak that included a blown eight-run lead in a loss to Milwaukee and Tuesday's lackluster 11-0 loss to the Giants. The Diamondbacks responded behind a strong performance from their ace to tie the New York Mets in the National League wild card, a game ahead of Atlanta.

Giants manager Bob Melvin lamented San Francisco's strikeout issues after Wednesday's disappointing loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.

PHOENIX -- - Zac Gallen struck out 11 in six innings, pinch hitter Pavin Smith hit a three-run homer and the Arizona Diamondbacks ended a three-game losing streak with an 8-2 win over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night. Arizona needed a rebound after a losing streak that included a blown eight-run lead in a loss to Milwaukee and Tuesday's lackluster 11-0 loss to the Giants. The Diamondbacks responded behind a strong performance from their ace to tie the New York Mets in the National League wild card, a game ahead of Atlanta. The Braves and Mets had to postpone the final two games of their series until a Monday doubleheader due to Hurricane Helene.

Zac Gallen struck out 11 in six innings, pinch hitter Pavin Smith hit a three-run homer and the Arizona Diamondbacks ended a three-game losing streak with an 8-2 win over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night. Arizona needed a rebound after a losing streak that included a blown eight-run lead in a loss to Milwaukee and Tuesday's lackluster 11-0 loss to the Giants. The Diamondbacks responded behind a strong performance from their ace to tie the New York Mets in the National League wild card, a game ahead of Atlanta. The Braves and Mets had to postpone the final two games of their series until a Monday doubleheader due to Hurricane Helene.

Zac Gallen struck out 11 in six innings, pinch hitter Pavin Smith hit a three-run homer and the Arizona Diamondbacks ended a three-game losing streak with an 8-2 win over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night. Arizona needed a rebound after a losing streak that included a blown eight-run lead in a loss to Milwaukee and Tuesday's lackluster 11-0 loss to the Giants. The Diamondbacks responded behind a strong performance from their ace to tie the New York Mets in the National League wild card, a game ahead of Atlanta.

Zac Gallen struck out 11 in six innings, pinch hitter Pavin Smith hit a three-run homer and the Arizona Diamondbacks ended a three-game losing streak with an 8-2 win over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night. Arizona needed a rebound after a losing streak that included a blown eight-run lead in a loss to Milwaukee and Tuesday's lackluster 11-0 loss to the Giants. The Diamondbacks responded behind a strong performance from their ace and are .001 behind the New York Mets for the second of three National League wild cards, a game ahead of Atlanta.

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Ohtani last week became the first player ever to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season to add to his growing list of achievements. The 30-year-old is a baseball great in the making and hugely popular both at home in Japan and in the United States. All that may not have been possible without compatriot Murakami, who in September 1964 made his debut for the San Francisco Giants and had to defy abuse from opposing fans, with World War II still fresh in people's minds. Now 80 and with a twinkle in his eye, Murakami says Ohtani is a "model" baseball player and the perfect ambassador for Japan.

The near-best case scenario for the San Francisco Giants over the final stretch of the regular season still doesn't paint an ideal picture of recent years. As The Athletic's MLB staff pointed out recently, the Giants are fighting for chance to do something that hasn't been done in almost a decade. With an undefeated record over their final five games, they could become just the second team since the 2013-2015 New York Mets to have a .500 record over a three-season span. "San Francisco's mad pursuit of mediocrity, after all, must be the reason they spent two weeks not playing Marco Luciano before sending him to the minors to work on his outfield defense, right," asked Tim Britton.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are looking to avoid a series sweep at the hands of the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday.

The San Francisco Giants are coming off their fifth straight win after taking down the Arizona Diamondbacks in the second game of the series 11-0. San Francisco will turn to rookie Mason Black (1-4, 5.88) to keep the winning streak alive. The 24-year-old will be making his eighth start of the season for the Giants. In his last outing, Black picked up his first career win against the Kansas City Royals after one his best starts since making his MLB Debut this past May. The former Leigh pitcher threw 5.2 shutout innings and picked up four strikeouts.

After starting the season in Single-A San Jose, Bryce Eldridge made it all the way to Sacramento for the end of the Triple-A season, and soon, the 19-year-old first baseman will join his fifth team, the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League. The Giants had already outlined plans for Eldridge, drafted 16th overall last July, to participate in the AFL when they promoted him to Triple-A but those became official Wednesday with the release of AFL rosters, which included seven other San Francisco farmhands. In addition to Eldridge, the team will feature pitchers Marques Johnson, William Kempner, Cale Lansville, Elijah Pleasants and Tyler Vogel, as well as infielder Charlie Szykowny and outfielder Bo Davidson.