The San Francisco Giants will travel to Pittsburgh to face the Pirates on Wednesday night. Madison Bumgarner will be on the mound for the Giants while the Pirates send Edinson Volquez to the hill.
The two teams both finished the 2014 season with an 88-74 record, but the Pirates were granted home-field advantage because of their 4-2 regular season record against the Giants. Pittsburgh was one game behind the St. Louis Cardinals (90-72) for the NL Central lead on the final day of the season, but the Pirates lost their last game against the Reds while the Cardinals beat the Diamondbacks.
San Francisco clinched their second playoff berth in three years when the Milwaukee Brewers fell to the Reds last Thursday. The Brewers' loss left them unable to catch up with the Giants, who held the final NL Wild Card spot. Madison Bumgarner, the Giants' ace, started just two days earlier against the Dodgers on September 23, so it was a foregone conclusion manager Bruce Bochy would rest him for the Wild Card matchup.
The Pirates did not have to rest their ace, Edinson Volquez, who last pitched on September 25. The right-hander was expected to be ready for either a one-game playoff for the division title or the Wild Card game. It should be an interesting matchup, as Volquez has had a resurgent season after posting a 13-7 record with a 3.04 ERA. Similarly, Bumgarner was 18-10 with a 2.98 ERA and notched career-highs in wins, innings pitched and strikeouts. Although the two teams met six times this season, Volquez didn't face the Giants at all while Bumgarner faced the Pirates only once. The left-hander was tagged for five earned runs in just four innings as the Pirates went on to win 5-0.
But the circumstances will be different on Wednesday night. The one-game Wild Card playoff is intense, and since its inception in 2012, the visiting team has won three out of the four games. The only home team to win, coincidentally, was the Pirates, who took down the Cincinnati Reds 6-2 in 2013 for their first playoff victory since 1992. The last two times the Giants were in the playoffs they won the World Series in 2012 and 2010.
Pittsburgh ranked fifth in the MLB in average (.259) and ninth in RBIs (659) while the Giants ranked tenth (.255) and 11th (636). Despite the solid hitting statistics, Volquez and Bumgarner have been excellent in the past month. Volquez closed the season out on a scoreless inning streak of 18 and was 2-0 with a 1.08 ERA. Bumgarner was 3-1 with a 2.78 ERA in his final five starts, which came against the Dodgers (twice), Diamondbacks, Tigers and Brewers.
But Bumgarner has the upper hand in postseason experience. The left-hander is 3-2 in six starts with a 3.79 ERA, including two victories in the World Series against the Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers. Volquez has just one postseason start that came back in 2010, when the Philadelphia Phillies knocked him around for four earned runs in just 1 2/3 innings.
The winner of Wednesday night's game will face the Washington Nationals in the National League Division Series. Check out ESPN's preview for tomorrow night's matchup.
