An interesting NL Wild Card game. The Giants won 3-0 on the back of a dominant pitching performance by Bumgarner, who pretty much owns October baseball and a three run home run by one of the more unlikely post-season heroes, namely, the White Sox castoff Conor Gillaspie.
Other than the pitching, I was not especially impressed with either lineup. I was leaning toward pulling for the Mets, but, in the end, I just couldn't do it. With respect to the Giants, the Cubs are likely to play some tight games in the NLDS, much as the games were played in the season series. The Giants have a good team. In a way, their lineup is a lot like the Royals of the past two seasons. They play good defense, they haven't much power, and they don't strike out much. The Wild Card was a bit of an exception, at least while Syndergaard was in the game.
In terms of matchups with the Cubs, their starting pitching is pretty good, but I think a little short of the Cubs rotation with the exception of Bumgarner who, fortunately, will not pitch until Monday in San Francisco. The Cubs bullpen is much superior. Defensively, these teams are both exceptional. Offensively, you have to give the Cubs a definite edge both in terms of power and their general approach.
Right now, both teams are playing good baseball. You have to remember though that the Giants have only been playing well for about a week. Before that they were in a terrible funk that lasted through the better part of July, August, and September. The Cubs, on the other hand, have played well all season and finished strong. You have to figure the Cubs should advance.
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