2016 National League Wild Card Game Preview
Well, wasn’t that a great way to start the playoffs? A thrilling extra inning affair between the Blue Jays and Orioles and fittingly was decided by the home run, something both teams relied on all year. Ironically, it was a pitchers duel after we expected it to be a slugfest. Tonight in the National League side of the Wild Card game, we are expected to see a pitchers duel, but watch it go the opposite way.
Tonight we will see the San Francisco Giants take on the New York Mets in New York with each of the team’s aces will be given the start. Mets have the edge in this series as they won four of the seven games played and have home field advantage, but it’s an even year with arguably the best manager in the game being a factor for the Giants. This has all the makings of possibly a classic.
Lets take a look at their rosters.
Giants
Pitchers
Madison Bumgarner
Santiago Casilla
Johnny Cueto
George Kontos
Derek Law
Javier Lopez
Steven Okert
Sergio Romo
Jeff Samardzija
Will Smith
Hunter Strickland
The Giants will be hoping to use as little of their bullpen as possible as their relievers have been just mediocre of late. Casilla, Romo, and Kontos are usually very good and reliable, but they have not pitched nearly as well of late. Lopez is a left handed specialist, but he will probably have to pitch a bit longer than usual. Smith was brought in to strengthen the bullpen, but he has been a disappointment. Strickland is a flamethrower so he will come in late in the game. Okert is expected to be a left handed specialist. Law has been reliable this year. Samardzija and Cueto are both fantastic starters and could be valuable long relievers if needed.
Bumgarner (15-9, 2.74 ERA) will be the starter tonight as he is regarded as one of the best postseason pitchers in the game right now. He is 7-3 with a 2.14 ERA with two complete games and has 77 strikeouts in 88.1 innings in the postseason. He’s already won three World Series championships and even won a World Series MVP in 2014. He’s just flat out dominant in the postseason. Against the Mets this season he pitched two games and has a 2-0 record with a 3.27 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 11 innings pitched, however, New York batters have a .279 batting average against him. His career line against the Mets is as follows: 5-0, 1.80 ERA, 40 innings pitched, 46 strikeouts. Along with setting a single-season record in franchise history for strikeouts by a left hander with 251, this guy is that one guy who you really want to be going in a game like this. He seems to never fail. Plus the guy can flat out hit. He only makes the Giants lineup better with his bat as he always is a threat to take you deep.
Catchers
Trevor Brown
Buster Posey
Posey is one of the best catchers in the game is always a perennial MVP type of player. Brown will be his backup just in case anything will be needed
Infielders
Ehire Adrianza
Brandon Belt
Brandon Crawford
Conor Gillaspie
Joe Panik
Kelby Tomlinson
Adrianza is a solid defender and also a decent pinch hitter off the bat. Belt is a very underrated player who has power and plays great defense. Crawford is slowly rising up to be one of the best shortstops in the game. His bat has gotten to be really good and is a top notch defender. Gillaspie will like man the hot corner (third base) as he’s a solid hitter, however, his defense is a question mark. Panik is a good player who has a nice bat and plays a solid second base. Tomlinson is a versatile player that will possibly help in a defensive situation.
Outfielders
Gregor Blanco
Gorkys Hernandez
Angel Pagan
Jarrett Parker
Hunter Pence
Denard Span
Blanco is a great defensive player, but has been a nice leadoff hitter. Hernandez is likely to come off the bench in defensive spots and Parker will likely come off the bench in a pinch hit situation. Pagan finally will be healthy for the postseason and could be an x-factor in this game. Pence is a grinder and plays the game hard. He’s a very good player and a veteran guy, he is a true leader that makes any team better. Span is a speedy player who has a good bat and also is a solid defender.
Coming into the season the Giants were thought to be the best chance of derailing any chances of the Cubs reaching the World Series. At the All-Star break they had a 57-33 record, best in the National League and it looked like they were playing up to their potential or were even better than expected. Then the second half was where things went wrong going 30-42. They had one of the worst records in the second half. However, if they play up to their potential, the Giants could ruin many parties and go on another run for their fourth world championship in seven seasons. It is an even year after.
Giants Lineup
1. Denard Span CF
2. Brandon Belt 1B
3. Buster Posey C
4. Hunter Pence RF
5. Brandon Crawford SS
6. Angel Pagan LF
7. Joe Panik 2B
8. Conor Gillaspie
9. Madison Bumgarner P
Mets
Pitchers
Jerry Blevins
Bartolo Colon
Josh Edgin
Jeurys Familia
Robert Gsellman
Addison Reed
Hansel Robles
Fernando Salas
Noah Syndergaard
This is where the Mets have the edge as their bullpen is more reliable than the Giants. Blevins has been outstanding and has now become more than just a left handed specialist. Edgin might be the “weakest link” here, but hes a pretty decent reliever. Reed, Robles, and Salas are solid relievers and bridge the gap to one of the best closers in the game who happens to be Familia. Colon is usually a starter, but made has experience coming out of the bullpen so he could be help there. Gsellman really helped the Mets down the stretch taking over when all their best pitchers went down with injuries. He will likely will be a long relief option in this game.
Syndergaard (14-9, 2.60 ERA) will get the ball tonight. Known as “Thor” this kid can absolutely pound the strike zone and has some very deceptive breaking balls. He is a worthy competitor for Bumgarner. This year against the Giants he is 1-1 with a 2.63 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 13.2 innings. San Francisco batters are only hitting .159 against him. He’s going to be very tough for Giants hitters all night. Overall in his career here is his stat line against San Francisco: 1-2, 3.66 ERA, 19.2 innings pitched, 14 strikeouts. He is fearless and will absolutely soak in every moment. He loves the high leverage games, so his adrenaline will be his ally in this contest. He also has a pretty decent bat, but he is nowhere near the ability of MadBum (Bumgarner’s nickname).
Catchers
Travis d’Arnuad
Kevin Plawecki
Rene Rivera
d’Arnaud is the usual starting catcher for this club, but Plawecki and Rivera have been nice compliments this season and have even contributed for this team in big ways.
Infielders
Asdrubal Cabrera
Eric Campbell
Kelly Johnson
Ty Kelly
James Loney
Jose Reyes
TJ Rivera
Cabrera is one of the best defensive players in the league, but his bat is not something to take for granted as he has pop and can drive a pitch into the gap. Campbell, Johnson, and Kelly will play some key roles coming off the bench. Rivera has been very good filling in for Neil Walker who went out with an injury. Loney is a great defensive first baseman, but he also is a decent hitter. Reyes came back to the club despite the controversy, but he has been a huge contributor as he became their third baseman to replace injured David Wright. He has good speed, quick bat, and is a good fielder.
Outfielders
Jay Bruce
Yoenis Cespedes
Michael Conforto
Alejandro De Aza
Curtis Granderson
Juan Lagares
Bruce was very productive before he was traded over to the Big Apple, but has since struggled. Cespedes is their most dangerous hitter, but his defense is pretty lackluster. Conforto has had an up and down season, but he seems more poised now as he is going to be one of their future stars. De Aza has been a nice addition to this club filling in when needed. Lagares is probably going to be coming off the bench in defensive situations. Granderson is a shell of how great he once was, but he is still a leader and is still productive.
The Mets were once thought to be dead in the water despite having such promise coming into the season after their run to the World Series. For the second time in their franchise history they have made the postseason two years in a row and look to defend their National League crown. The Giants will be tough, but the Mets are actually better than last year despite what their record says. They have dealt with injuries to their rotation (Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Steve Matz, Zack Wheeler), but played well going 27-14 since August 19th. Plus their offense is more explosive this year with 218 home runs despite hitting a .246 clip.
Mets Lineup
1. Jose Reyes 3B
2. Asdrubal Cabrera SS
3. Yoenis Cespedes LF
4. Curtis Granderson CF
5. TJ Rivera 2B
6. Jay Bruce RF
7. Rene Rivera C
8. James Loney
9. Noah Syndergaard P
Overall I should expect this to be a pitchers duel as each team is 3 and 4 in the rankings for pitching (New York 3.58 ERA vs San Francisco 3.65 ERA). With both Bumgarner and Syndergaard going against one another, this billing can’t get any more exciting. Not a lot of runs will be scored, but don’t be surprised if a couple of home runs are hit. This should be exciting, intense, and emotions will run high when watching this game. However, I feel like with them being more healthy now and playing better of late, I find it hard to not pick the Giants in this one. Bumgarner is just one of the most clutch pitchers in the game. And until they prove me wrong, with all their experience in the postseason and how they are proven winners, the Giants just have the edge. Plus they were too good to play that bad in the second half. They are a dangerous club and should even make another run towards World Series glory. Giants win this one and move on to face the Cubs. It is an even year after all.
