LOS ANGELES -- The San Francisco Giants have been looking ahead to next season for a while, and they'll put rookie right-hander Chris Stratton back under the microscope in their series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday afternoon.

Stratton (3-3, 3.94 ERA) has made an impression over his past six outings, posting a 2.17 ERA in that span to demonstrate he's a legit candidate to fill a back-end starter role next season.

"He's on a nice roll," Giants manager Bruce Bochy told the San Jose Mercury News after Stratton allowed two runs and five hits over six innings in a 7-2 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday. "If you have good stuff and good command and the ability to adjust your patterns and how you attack hitters, you'll be good. That's how it works in the major leagues and he's doing that."