Having derailed the St. Louis Cardinals' postseason pursuit with a three-game sweep earlier in the week, the San Francisco Giants will turn their spoiler spotlight on another playoff hopeful when they open a home series against the San Diego Padres on Friday night.

Both teams enter the three-game set playing some of their best baseball of the season.

The Padres (78-68) bring a four-game winning streak to town, including a three-game home sweep over the Washington Nationals that allowed San Diego to leapfrog the Arizona Diamondbacks (78-69) and take over the third and final National League wild-card position.

The Washington series began a stretch of 13 straight games against teams with losing records for the Padres, who move on from San Francisco to Colorado for four games vs. the Rockies to start next week before heading home to face the Miami Marlins for three.

After visiting the Los Angeles Dodgers for three matchups, the Padres will wrap up the regular season with a potential three-game showdown series at home against Arizona.

The Padres have used a strong bullpen as the anchor of their winning streak, with three of the victories coming by one run.

Five relievers picked up for starter Walker Buehler in Wednesday's 9-2 win over the Nationals, combining for 6 2/3 innings of shutout ball after the Padres had fallen behind early.

"We have to win, and we know that," Kyle Hart, who led the parade of relievers, told reporters afterward. "Everybody's ready as soon as we go through the gates of the bullpen."

If the Giants get to the San Diego bullpen in the series opener, it'll mean they've ended the night for former teammate Robbie Ray (11-8, 3.39 ERA), who was dealt to the Padres for a pair of prospects at the trade deadline.

The veteran left-hander has gone just 1-2 with a 4.71 ERA since joining the Padres, who have lost four of his six starts. The 34-year-old has gone 5-3 with a 3.57 ERA in 15 career starts against the Giants, the most recent of which came in 2020 for the Diamondbacks.

In his 13-year career, Ray has gone head-to-head with just two current Giants - former American League East rival Rafael Devers, who has a homer while going 3-for-11, and Brett Harris (0-for-2), who was a member of the Oakland Athletics in 2024 when he faced Ray.

The new-look Giants stunned the Cardinals to start the week, riding the likes of Shay Whitcomb, Matt Wilkinson and Trent Harris to the club's first three-game home sweep of the season.

Even Giants manager Tony Vitello was dumbfounded by a six-run, eighth-inning uprising that flipped a five-run deficit into a 7-6 series-ending win on Wednesday.

"It's hard to describe what went on," the rookie skipper admitted to reporters next door to a jubilant clubhouse. "The guys were positive; they were still in the fight. Fortunately, the gates kind of opened."

Seeking a fourth consecutive win for the first time this season, the Giants (62-85) will send right-hander Anthony Molina (3-0, 2.79) after a fourth win in four appearances (three starts) since being acquired at the trade deadline from the Atlanta Braves for Tyler Mahle. Molina has a 1.88 ERA in 14 1/3 innings with San Francisco.

The three-year veteran has never started a game against the Padres but has faced them four times in relief, going 0-0 with a 1.42 ERA.

-Field Level Media