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		Giants gear up for big series against San Diego By Jeremy Harness September 7, 2006
	San Francisco Giants closer Mike Stanton, right, is congratulated by catcher Eliezer Alfonzo in the ninth inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2006, in Cincinnati. Stanton pitched a perfect ninth for his seventh save in nine chances, as the Giants won 3-2. (AP Photo/David Kohl)
	The San Francisco Giants are within striking distance, amazingly enough for one of the playoff spots. By the time this weekend is over, they could be neck-and-neck with the Padres for the wild-card lead, and possibly have a chance of sneaking up on the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers as well. On the other hand, the season could very well be up in smoke by the time Monday morning rolls around. The Giants moved themselves to the .500 mark on Wednesday by beating the Cincinnati Reds, 3-2, and while the Reds are certainly contenders in the National League wild-card race, the Giants will soon play perhaps their biggest three-game series of the season. Starting Friday night, the San Diego Padres, who hold the wild-card lead by 2 ½ games over the Philadelphia Phillies, will pay a visit to AT&T Park to start the weekend series. Meanwhile, the Padres are also on the doorstep of taking the lead in the NL West. The Dodgers were beaten by the New York Mets on Thursday, so San Diego is currently a half-game behind them in the division. San Diego is also on a mini-roll. The Padres have won five games in a row, just having swept three games from Colorado, as well as taking seven of their last eight games. Matt Cain will take the hill on Friday night, opposing Padres starter Jake Peavy, who is having an off year with an 8-13 record and a 4.32 ERA. On Saturday, ace Jason Schmidt will go face-to-face with David Wells, a San Diego native who was recently acquired from the Boston Red Sox to help the Padres in their postseason run. The series will conclude Sunday afternoon when Brad Hennessey, the Giants’ jack-of-all-trades guy, faces San Diego’s wise old veteran, Woody Williams.