Through Thursday night, the San Francisco Giants were hanging by a thread in the National League West race.
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Date: <\/strong>September 25, 2011 San Francisco Giants (84-72 through September 22)<\/strong> Arizona\u2019s magic number sat at one; the best the Giants could do is catch Arizona, and that would require six straight wins for them and six straight losses for the D-backs.<\/p>\n So, in all likelihood, the West will be won as of Sunday. However, the Giants will likely still be alive in the NL Wildcard race, chasing Atlanta, so they\u2019ll have plenty to play for.<\/p>\n Tim Lincecum is the right guy to get the ball but he can\u2019t buy a win this season, going .500 so far despite a 2.59 ERA. He\u2019s allowed one or zero earned runs in six of his last nine starts. The Freak has flown under the radar this season but is still as dominant as ever. [dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]<\/p>\n Lincecum handles Arizona to the tune of a 7-4 record and 2.70 ERA over 17 career starts. His ERA is 3.56 at Arizona\u2019s Chase Field but he\u2019s lost one there in six career trips.<\/p>\n Arizona Diamondbacks (90-66 through September 22)<\/strong> If we\u2019ve heard anything about Arizona\u2019s pitching staff this season, it\u2019s usually revolved around 20-game winner Ian Kennedy. However, the Diamondbacks have gotten sneaky-good performances from several other pitchers this season.<\/p>\n Take rookie Josh Collmenter, for example. He\u2019s posted a 3.42 ERA and walked just 27 batters in 147.1 innings. Because he throws so many strikes, he is prone to the long ball, however. Collmenter has been tagged for 15 homers this season, including three over his last two starts. The Giants rocked him for five runs and eight hits over five innings the last time he faced them; Cody Ross led the way with a pair of doubles and two RBI.<\/p>\n The pick:<\/strong><\/p>\n Whereas a first-time matchup often favors a rookie hurler, he\u2019ll typically regress later that season when teams get the book on him. The Giants solved him Collmenter last time and they should do so again, at least enough to give Lincecum the minimal run support he needs.<\/p>\n
\nVenue: <\/strong>Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
\nBroadcast: <\/strong>TBS, FSAZ
\nSan Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks Betting Lines from Bodog.com<\/strong>
\nMoney Line: <\/strong>OFF
\nOver\/Under: <\/strong>OFF<\/p>\n
\nTim Lincecum (13-13, 2.59)<\/p>\n
\nJosh Collmenter (9-10, 3.42)<\/p>\n