Kurtenbach: How the rival Dodgers are helping the SF Giants this September

SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants need to send a thank-you note to their arch-rivals in Los Angeles.

Without them, the Giants would be a different team right now.

There might be weeks remaining in the season, but San Francisco has already clinched a playoff spot, thanks to the best record in baseball.

A spot in hand and all that time before the playoffs start? That’s a great opportunity to rest.

It’s also a fantastic time to lose your edge as a team — to forget how to execute — before the games really matter.

But the Giants will have no such issue over the remaining weeks of the season, thanks to the Dodgers.

Whether you consider it fair or unfair, the reality of the situation is that the Giants, despite all their successes, haven’t won anything but one more game, an elimination one at that. The Dodgers — inarguably the second-best team in the National League — remain hot on San Francisco’s tail in the National League West.

The two teams do not have any more games on the regular-season schedule, but one bad week — perhaps even one bad series — for the Giants could flip the two squads in the standings.

The Giants celebrated on Monday night, but they know that there’s a lot yet to be accomplished and the battle between them and the Dodgers for the division crown will likely come down to the wire — perhaps even a Game 163.

So while teams like the White Sox (up 12.5 games in the AL Central), Brewers (up 12 in the NL Central), and Astros (up 6.5 in the AL West) can coast to the regular-season finish line, the Giants have to stay on the top of their game.

San Francisco entered Wednesday’s game with the Padres on a nine-game winning streak — a necessary nine-game winning streak, because of the Dodgers.

What’s that tremendous stretch given them? An extra 1.5-game lead in the standings.

Yes, that’s it.

But this is a good thing.

Giants manager Gabe Kapler is all about taking the season “day by day”. Obviously, it’s working, too. But the Giants have no choice to keep being “day to day” with the Dodgers on their tail.

And the concept of resting players before the playoffs? Let that be something for other teams to worry about — the Giants have been judicious with their playing time all season, platooning nearly every position every day.

Brandon Crawford and Mike Yastrzemski are the only two Giants who will have 500 plate appearances this season. Buster Posey, Brandon Belt, and LaMonte Wade are yet to play in 100 games this season.

As the Giants proved over the last few weeks, tired legs won’t be an issue.

The Giants have also been judicious with their starting pitchers. Kevin Gausman will lead San Francisco in innings pitched this season, but he’s highly unlikely to throw 200 this season. And while the bullpen has been used early and often, the load has been distributed throughout — save for the back end, which features two pitchers who seem impervious to both mental and arm stress, submarine pitcher Tyler Rogers and closer who only throws fastballs Jake McGee.

Yes, rest is nice, but the Giants have been preparing for October — consciously or not — for months.

They’re also in a great position to battle down the stretch despite carrying only three starting pitchers for the last three weeks.

So whether the Giants can hold on to win the division crown and advance directly to the five-game National League Division Series or if they fall to the Dodgers and are forced to play in a one-game playoff on Oct. 6, the winner of the National League West will be playing strong baseball.

And isn’t it better to go into the playoffs battle-tested and ready to rumble? Playoff baseball is an entirely different beast than the regular season — I wouldn’t want to have to find my best game before playing on the biggest stage.

No matter how the season ends, the Giants won’t have to ramp themselves up ahead of their first playoff game. That gives them an advantage when the playoffs begin.

Iron sharpens iron, and while the two best teams in the league being in one division might be a drag right now, it could prove to be a blessing next month.