San Francisco Giants (86-73) at San Diego Padres (74-85), 10:05 p.m.

Sports Network | October 2, 2009

(Sports Network) - A pair of National League West members aiming for a strong finish to the 2009 campaign begin a season-ending three-game series tonight at San Diego's Petco Park, where the hometown Padres will battle the San Francisco Giants.

Although they ultimately failed in their goal of making the playoffs, this year has to be considered something of a success for the Giants, whose 86 victories are their most since 2004 and assured the team of ending a string of four consecutive losing seasons. San Francisco was especially good at AT&T Park, where the club has amassed an NL-best 52-29 record and closed out its home slate with a three-game sweep of Arizona earlier in the week.

In Thursday's home finale, Tim Lincecum tossed seven sharp innings to earn his 15th victory of the year and Andres Torres went 3-for-4 with a homer, two RBI and three runs scored to lead the Giants to a 7-3 triumph over the Diamondbacks.

Torres finished a double short of the cycle, while Pablo Sandoval ended 2- for-3 with an RBI single to help San Francisco complete the sweep. Lincecum (15-7) yielded two runs on just two hits while striking out seven batters to extend his NL-leading total to 261, just four shy of his career- best number set during the All-Star hurler's Cy Young Award season of 2008.

The Padres are concluding an overall unrewarding season on a very positive note, having won eight of their last 11 games and producing a strong 17-9 record in September. San Diego also put the Los Angeles Dodgers' hopes for an NL West title on hold by winning both tests of a two-game set from their in- state rivals on Tuesday and Wednesday.

"Our focus is on playing good fundamental baseball," manager Bud Black told the Padres' official site after Wednesday's 5-0 decision over the Dodgers. "We've talked the last two months about playing these contending teams tough. We have."

The team used sensational pitching to prevail on Wednesday, with rookie Clayton Richard teaming up with two relievers on a one-hit shutout. Richard gave up only a first-inning single to Matt Kemp and three walks over the first seven innings and set down 10 of the final 11 batters he faced. The young lefty, one of the key players acquired by San Diego from the Chicago White Sox in the July 31 trade for ace pitcher Jake Peavy, went 5-2 with a 4.09 earned run average in 12 starts following the swap.

Kevin Kouzmanoff provided the offense for the Padres by belting a three-run homer in the third inning.

A big part of San Diego's late-season surge has been the emergence of Kevin Correia as a reliable starter. The former Giant will take the mound tonight having won four consecutive decisions to run his season record to 12-10, while carrying a scoreless streak of 16 straight innings as well.

Correia threw his first-career shutout this past Saturday at Arizona's Chase Field, with the right-hander surrendering just six hits and a walk while striking out seven in the Padres' 4-0 win over the Diamondbacks. That effort followed a stint of seven scoreless frames in a 4-0 blanking of Pittsburgh on September 20.

The 29-year-old, who wasn't retained by San Francisco this past offseason after six seasons with the club, has compiled a 5-1 record with an excellent 2.31 ERA in 10 starts since August 7. He's faced his ex-team three times in 2009 and gone 1-0 with a 3.50 ERA in those games.

Barry Zito, who gets the call this evening for the Giants, has also had a strong second half. The former AL Cy Young recipient is 5-4 with a 2.90 ERA in 14 starts following the All-Star break, although his performance has tailed off recently.

Zito hasn't made it out of the fifth inning in either of his last two outings, including Sunday's home loss to the Chicago Cubs in which he was reached for four runs and issued five walks in just four frames. Five days earlier, the high-priced left-hander lasted only 4 1/3 innings in a no-decision at Arizona and permitted four runs (3 earned) while walking three.

The three-time All-Star has produced a 10-13 record with a 4.10 ERA in an inconsistent 2009 season, and has had his share of struggles when facing the Padres. In five starts against San Diego this year, Zito has lost four times without a win and pitched to a 5.72 ERA. For his career, the 31-year-old is 3-6 with a 4.32 over 15 appearances (14 starts) versus the Friars.

San Francisco will be out to stop a stretch of six straight losses at Petco Park, all of which have come this season. The Padres have won nine of the 15 overall matchups between the two divisional foes in 2009.