And just like that, the San Francisco Giants' regular season is over. With a dominant finish to the first half of the season followed by a troublesome struggle-filled second half which saw the Giants lose their grasp on the NL Western division after having a first place lead over the Dodgers for over two months, Bruce Bochy's ball club at times seemed out of playoff contention but was still very much alive. In need of a strong finish in September to secure a spot in the Postseason, the Giants had both the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals to worry about with both NL Wild Card spots up for grabs. Finishing the month of September with a mediocre record of 13-15, the Giants' season hung in the balance with two October affairs against the rival Dodgers who had already clinched the NL West but were still hoping to play spoilers against their most hated rival.
With the Mets clinching the top NL Wild Card spot on the second to last day of the regular season with a road victory over the Phillies and the Cardinals hot on San Francisco's tracks who were hoping to steal the NL's second Wild Card spot, the Giants finished off the regular season at home with a 3-game sweep of the Dodgers to punch their ticket into the Postseason. With the Cardinals winning their final four games of the season, the Giants needed a 4-game win streak of their own in order to avoid a tie with St. Louis. Thankfully, the Giants were able to do just that, winning their final four games while playing possibly their best ball of the second half down the stretch. One win in particular came on Saturday which saw Giants pitcher Ty Blach make only his second career start in which he out-dueled arguably the game's best pitcher in Clayton Kershaw, logging 8 innings of 3-hit ball and allowing one walk while striking out six to notch his first career win as the Giants blanked the Dodgers with a 3-0 victory. Oh yeah, he also collected a pair of hits at the plate, including his first career base knock against Kershaw.
In what was a tale of two halves for San Francisco, will now be a clean slate for the Giants now that they've squeaked into the Postseason by way of the second Wild Card berth, the same route they took to reach and win the World Series in 2014. But unlike the Pirates who the Giants knocked off to win the Wild Card playoff in 2014, the Mets are the reigning National League champions and have some playoff experience under their belt, something Pittsburgh lacked. But still, Bruce Bochy's ball club has shown time and time again that they know how to flip the switch come playoff time, even if the bullpen isn't what it once was. The shifting of the closer spot being given back to Sergio Romo who closed out the 2012 World Series, however, appears to have given the bullpen a slight jolt, having pitched better as of late. And with Giants ace Madison Bumgarner toeing the rubber opposite of New York's hard-throwing Noah Syndergaard on Wednesday, San Francisco is very capable of continuing their pattern of even year success.
The Giants finished the month of September with a record of 13-15, but evened out at 15-wins and 15-losses when factoring in the two October wins against L.A. to closeout the regular season. Losing 3 of 4 in Chicago to the Cubs (all 1-run games), 2 of 3 in Colorado and a 3-game sweep at home at the hands of the Padres ignited a rocky first half of September which saw few highlights aside from a 3-game road sweep of the D-Backs. But even then, the Giants came thru in the clutch with their backs against the wall. In a season in which Buster Posey notched career hit No. 1,000 and Jeff Samardzija achieved his 1,000th career strikeout, Matt Cain, Johnny Cueto and Madison Bumgarner all collected their 100th career wins. But none of them are ready to call it quits just yet in 2016 as the goal remains -- winning their fourth World Series title in seven years.
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Dynasty vs Destiny? - For only the second time in MLB history, two Wild Card teams are facing off in the World Series with this one featuring a Kansas City Royals team making their first World Series appearance (let alone their first Postseason appearance) since 1985 versus a San Francisco Giants ball club that has made a habit out of appearing and winning in the Fall Classic in even numbered years dating back to 2010. And with the first two games in the books, the Giants and Royals are both knotted up at a game apiece as the series shifts to the Bay Area for Games 3, 4 and 5.
In Game 1, the red-hot Kansas City Royals who entered the Fall Classic a perfect 8-0 during the Postseason, finally met their match and was handed their first loss as San Francisco's ace Madison Bumgarner continued his October brilliance with yet another gem. Sporting the best road ERA during the Postseason in MLB history at a ridiculous 0.68 rate, besting Bob Gibson's mark of 0.97 ERA, Bumgarner twirled 7 innings of 3-hit, 1-run ball while striking out 5 and walking just 1. And although Game 1 saw the first Postseason run allowed on the road by Bumgarner since Game 4 of the 2010 NLDS, the 2014 All-Star witnessed another streak continue as the Giants extended their World Series winning streak to 7 consecutive wins. Before Bumgarner even stepped foot on the pitcher's mound, he was given a 3-run first inning lead as Pablo Sandoval's RBI double and Hunter Pence's 2-run shot gave the Giants an early advantage.
The Giants would add another pair of runs in the 4th inning on a run-scoring single by Michael Morse and a bases loaded walk by Gregor Blanco as San Francisco chased James Shields after just 3+ innings, marking the shortest Postseason outing of his career. But it wouldn't end there for the G-Men offense as rookie second baseman Joe Panik drove in Blanco on an RBI triple followed by a RBI single for Pablo Sandoval just two batters later. The lone bright spot for the Royals offensively would come with 2-outs in the 7th inning as catcher Salvador Perez hit a solo homer, putting an end to Bumgarner's road scoreless-inning streak and the shutout as the Giants easily took Game 1 by a Final of 7-1.
Game 2 - After being handed their first loss of the Postseason in Game 1 and allowing 7 runs, the Royals returned the favor and hung a 7-spot of their own on the Giants in Game 2. But just one batter in, Game 2 looked much like a reoccurring nightmare of Game 1 for the Royals as Gregor Blanco led off the game with a home run off of Kansas City's rookie fire-baller Yordano Ventura. With Blanco's leadoff shot, the Giants became the first team in World Series history to hit 1st inning home runs in Games 1 & 2. However, facing a pitcher in Jake Peavy who the Royals have had plenty of success against over the last few seasons, K.C. would answer with an RBI single off the bat of Billy Butler which tied the game at 1 heading into the second frame. They would eventually take their first lead of the series in the second inning as Omar Infante and Alcides Escobar reached on doubles.
The Giants would eventually tie the game in the fourth inning on doubles by Pablo Sandoval and Brandon Belt but it would be the last of the offensive fireworks for the G-Men who were unable to get anything going against a lights out Royals bullpen. After scuffling in the opening two frames, Jake Peavy settled in and entered the sixth inning having retired 10 straight batters. But it was there where the Royals would do a majority of the damage as Peavy was chased after 5+ innings, forcing Giants manager Bruce Bochy to burn five different pitchers in the inning, tying a World Series record for the most pitchers used in a single-inning set back in the 1985 Fall Classic which coincidentally featured the Royals. Jean Machi and Hunter Strickland were unable to prevent the Royals from scoring the two men Peavy allowed on base before departing as Billy Butler connected with his second RBI single of the game before Salvador Perez reached on an RBI double. But the biggest blow would be a 2-run homer surrendered by Strickland off the bat of Omar Infante who had gone 145 career postseason at-bats before dialing up his first career postseason homer.
Strickland, yelling at himself in disgust after allowing the home run, got into a war of words with Perez and several of his Royals teammates as the benches briefly cleared with nothing but words being exchanged. Perez had thought Strickland's comments were directed towards him and took it upon himself to yell back as Strickland didn't shy away, but nothing more would come of it. In just 23 batters faced, Strickland has already allowed five long balls this Postseason which ties a single-Postseason record. Unfortunately for the Giants, the Kansas City bullpen would bend but not crack as the Royals evened up the series with a 7-2 win, making this just the second World Series where the first two games were decided by 5 runs or more.
Looking ahead to Game 3 as the series shifts to San Francisco for the next three games, the recipe to success for the Royals this Postseason has been their ability to wreak havoc on the base paths which up to this point has yet to be seen as Giants catcher Buster Posey threw out Alcides Escobar in Game 2 on K.C.'s only steal attempt of the series. Royals skipper Ned Yost will likely return to that strategy in Game 3 as veteran pitcher Tim Hudson toes the slab with one of the better success rates against him when it comes to steals. He'll be making his first ever World Series appearance despite being in the league for 16 seasons and will square off against Jeremy Guthrie who the Royals will turn to in hopes of taking a 2 games to 1 lead. And while Game 1 winners have went on to hoist the Commissioner's Trophy in 10 of the last 11 Fall Classic's and 15 of the last 17, the odds for team's who have went on to win Game 3 after splitting the first two games are even more tilted. And with the Giants returning to AT&T Park in front of their fans, the orange and black like their chances with the position they're in.
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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
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Two years removed from winning their first World Series title in 56 years and a year removed from failing to make it to the postseason, the San Francisco Giants are heading back to the Fall Classic after one of the more improbable playoff runs in recent memory. Last night's Game 7 victory over the defending World Champion St. Louis Cardinals only added to what the Giants have done all postseason long -- winning with their backs against the wall. After becoming the first team to ever overcome a 2 games to 0 deficit and win three straight games on the road in the new Division Series playoff format against the Cincinnati Reds, the Giants continued their postseason magic.
Down 3 games to 1 in a pivotal game 5 at St. Louis' Busch Stadium, the unlikeliest hero Barry Zito hurled a superb 7 2/3 innings of shutout baseball to keep the Giants alive and send the series back to San Francisco for game 6. With a win the following night, the Giants set up a winner-take-all game 7 in which they had all the momentum coming in. History, however, would be on the Cardinals side. While St. Louis entered Monday's meeting winners of 11 elimination game 7's, good enough for the most all-time, the Giants on the other hand came in owning a league worst record of 0-5 all-time in game 7's. But like the saying goes, there's a first for everything. The San Francisco offense would prove just that by scoring runs in each of the first two innings before chasing Cardinals ace Kyle Lohse after only 2 frames in which he was tagged for 5 runs. By the end of the third inning the Giants were up 7 to 0 and never looked back. At San Francisco's AT&T Park, facing All-Star pitcher Matt Cain with a 7-run deficit, St. Louis had no chance to work the magic we've grown accustomed to seeing them pull off dating back to last year's World Series.
With the 9-0 victory, the Giants became only the third NL team to comeback from a 3 games to 1 deficit and go on to win the series and only the second team in MLB history to win six consecutive elimination games, tying the 1985 Kansas City Royals who won the World Series that year. Giants second baseman Marco Sctuaro would make some history of his own by being named NLCS MVP after batting .500 (14-for-28) in the series, setting an LCS record with 6 multi-hit games and becoming one of only two players to follow up a 20-game hit streak during the regular season with a 10-game hit streak during the postseason in the same year (Mike Piazza being the other in 2002 with the Mets). What's most baffling about the Giants' epic NLCS comeback is that Buster Posey was virtually a non-factor at the plate. That'll have to change, however, if the Giants plan to win their second Championship in three years as they set their sights on the Jim Leyland led Detroit Tigers who are coming off an impressive sweep of the New York Yankees and are seeking their first World Series title since 1984.
Just like they were in 2010 when they upset the Texas Rangers, the Giants will once again be the underdogs facing an offensive juggernaut this time in the form of the Detroit Tigers' lethal duo of this year's triple crown winner -- Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder. Not to be forgotten is ALCS MVP Delmon Young who always seems to come through at the plate during the postseason. Facing one of the games premiere pitchers in Cliff Lee who San Francisco beat not once, but twice in the 2010 Fall Classic, Giants hitters will face another tall order and be given the daunting task of having to go up against last year's Cy Young Award winner and reigning MVP Justin Verlander who plans to avenge his World Series defeat in 2006, entering the series a perfect 3-0 this postseason with 25 K's and an ERA of 0.74. Giants manager Bruce Bochy hopes to counter by naming Barry Zito the starter for the Giants in game 1. Equally as good as Verlander has been is Doug Fister, Anibal Sanchez and Max Scherzer who posted a combined ERA of 0.66 in the ALCS. But unlike the struggling Yankees who simply failed to show up at the plate, the Giants' scrappy bats won't make it easy on Detroit's stellar rotation.
How they match up: Though the Tigers benefit from a starting rotation that has dominated this postseason where as San Francisco has been inconsistent prior to Zito's gem in game 5 of the NLCS, their bullpen lacks the depth that the Giants possess. Giants manager Bruce Bochy owns the better team defensively, but Detroit's ability to hit the long ball takes the cake. Along with two of the best managers in the game today, these two teams facing off also means the two MVP front-runners of their respective leagues will be showcased in a series that I'm expecting will go no less than six games with the Giants prevailing. And while the previous three teams that have come off a seven-game LCS have went on to win the World Series when facing a club coming off a sweep, the Giants have to like their chances of making it four consecutive.
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