Giants have their way in Pittsburgh, Prepare to face Nats

Playing in their first ever 1-game Wild Card match that MLB introduced just a season ago, the San Francisco Giants did just fine their first time around thanks to a masterful performance by their ace and a little bit of offense that hammered out eight runs. In Pittsburgh to take on the Pirates who also hosted and won last year's NL Wild Card game versus the Cincinnati Reds, Madison Bumgarner made himself at home like he's done so often this season, twirling a gem for the ages. Despite the raucous crowd that got under the skin and into the head of Cincy's Johnny Cueto last season on the same exact stage, the hostile environment couldn't faze Bumgarner, nor could the do-or-die circumstance that the Giants have now thrived in, winning seven consecutive elimination games. MadBum, an 18-game winner during the regular season who was named NL Pitcher of the Month on two separate occasions this year, was on another level on Wednesday night, pitching a complete-game shutout, allowing only 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 10 on just 109 pitches.

Pittsburgh's Edison Volquez who entered the Postseason on a tear of his own having pitched 19 consecutive scoreless innings, had matched Bumgarner through the first three innings, but the fourth inning would be a different story. After allowing singles to Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence, Brandon Belt drew a walk to load the bases for Brandon Crawford. Still seeking the first out of the inning, Volquez threw a 1-2 hanger that Crawford jumped on, sending it into the first row of the right field bleachers for a Grand Slam home run, silencing the record-setting crowd of 40,629 fans and becoming the first shortstop to hit a Postseason Grand Slam in MLB history. The 4-run dinger would be all the offense Bumgarner needed but his team supplied him  with another four runs just for good measure as the Giants popped champagne for the second time in a week in route to their dominant 8-0 victory. 

As if the Grand Slam copped with Bumgarner's brilliance didn't already knock the Pirates out of their misery, the Giants tacked on runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to put the game out of reach. Brandon Belt added an RBI knock in the sixth and followed it up with a 2-run single an inning later before Buster Posey added an RBI single of his own in the eighth. Both Belt and Posey finished the game with 2-hits as did Pablo Sandoval, meanwhile second baseman Joe Panik led the way with three hits, all singles. Despite heading into the game with a pitching heavy roster that didn't include the name of Michael Morse, Giants skipper Bruce Bochy's bullpen was given an extra night off thanks to the dominance of his starter which could pay dividends heading into the National League Division Series versus the Washington Nationals which is expected to be nothing short of a battle. Though the Nats have yet to announce who they'll throw out there on the pitching mound for Game 1, Bruce Bochy's ball club will turn to starter Jake Peavy who has pitched nicely as of late and has quietly been one of if not the best trade deadline acquisitions of the season. 

While the Nats have had the Giants' number the last few seasons, especially while at home, the Postseason is a completely different animal and is one the Giants have been able to tame, meanwhile the Nats are still searching for their first bit of Postseason success since relocating from Montreal to the nation's capital. 

A brief Month in Review for September - The Giants' trip to the NLDS almost wasn't possible at all but a 13-12 record in the month of September allowed the G-Men to sneak into Postseason as the last NL club to clinch a playoff spot with an overall record of 88-74. After dropping two of three on the road vs Colorado, the Giants bounced back by taking 2 of 3 in Detroit. They then returned home to sweep the D-Backs before losing 2 of 3 to the Dodgers in San Francisco. Then came a disappointing 3-6 road trip which saw the Giants take 2 of 3 in Arizona before being swept in San Diego and falling twice in a 3-game set vs L.A. The Giants were able to close out the regular season on a positive note, however, taking 3 of 4 from the Padres at AT&T Park where the Giants will now be guaranteed to play at least one more game in front of their home fans when they head there in Game 3. The only question is, will it be while holding a lead in the series, tied, or while trailing? #OrangeOctober

Follow me on Twitter: @FraserKnowsBest