SAN FRANCISCO -- Ty Blach continues to establish himself as a solid candidate for the Giants' No. 5 starting spot next season, even while appearing mostly in relief.
Blach, who turns 26 on Oct. 20, has thrived at ascending levels of competition this year. He got the win in relief in a 6-5, 13-inning victory over the Cubs in Game 3 of the NLDS on Monday, tossing two scoreless innings. Before that, Blach retired all four batters he faced in Saturday's Game 2 loss. Game 4 is set for 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 PT on FS1 on Tuesday. 
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"He has handled himself very well coming out of the 'pen, considering he has started all year," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said before Game 3. "He has a lot of confidence, great poise, really believes in himself. He's nice to have in this situation because he can do what he did."
Jose Alguacil, who managed Blach this year at Triple-A Sacramento, admitted being surprised by the left-hander's calm demeanor. "We never know until he faces this," Alguacil said. "Forty-something thousand people [in the stands] and he goes out and just cruises."
After finishing 14-7 with a 3.43 ERA in 26 starts with Sacramento, Blach joined the group of September callups. He allowed only two runs and five hits in a trio of three-inning relief appearances.
Blach impressed the Giants with those outings, then wowed them on the season's next-to-last day with his eight-inning three-hitter against Clayton Kershaw in the Giants' 3-0 triumph that got them closer to winning the second National League Wild Card postseason berth.
Right-hander Albert Suárez, a rookie in 2016 like Blach, and right-hander Matt Cain figure to join the competition for a rotation spot.