Major League Baseball

NL Wild Card Game breakdown: Giants vs. Pirates

Published Oct. 1, 2014 2:57 a.m. ET

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The Pittsburgh Pirates host the San Francisco Giants Wednesday night in the National League Wild Card Game (8:07 p.m. ET, ESPN). The winner moves on to face the top-seeded Washington Nationals in an NL Division Series, starting Friday.

Edinson Volquez, 9-1 with a 1.85 in his last 17 starts, takes the hill for Pittsburgh, while Madison Bumgarner, 11-4 with a 2.22 ERA in 18 road starts this season, toes the bump for San Francisco.

Who has the edge?

The Pirates have had a quietly productive lineup this season, led by reigning NL MVP Andrew McCutchen. They’re peaking at the right time, having put together one of the best records in baseball since McCutchen (broken rib) and Neil Walker (back tightness) returned from injuries in late August. First-time All-Star Josh Harrison and veteran catcher Russell Martin are having career years, although Martin’s injured left hamstring — which forced him to miss the final two games of the regular season — has become a major concern.

The Giants’ lineup includes two players who could finish among the top 10 in NL MVP voting — Buster Posey and Hunter Pence — but nagging injuries for center fielder Angel Pagan (back) and first baseman/left fielder Mike Morse (oblique) hindered the effort to catch the rival Dodgers in the NL West. Pagan is out for the season, and Morse is not certain to play in the Wild Card Game. Rookie second baseman Joe Panik has batted around .300 since taking over the everyday job in August.

EDGE: Pirates

Giants manager Bruce Bochy has an easy decision: Bumgarner has been the NL’s premier left-handed pitcher (other than Clayton Kershaw, of course) over the past several years. He’s been good against the Pirates, with a 3.24 ERA in four starts (albeit with a 1-3 record). The choice for Clint Hurdle was made more complicated by the Pirates’ unsuccessful effort to win the NL Central. Because Francisco Liriano pitched Saturday, he will not be available to start Wednesday on regular rest; that is unfortunate for Pittsburgh, because the Giants have struggled against left-handed starters this year (30-30) and Liriano has the experience of winning last year’s Wild Card Game at home. So, Volquez will be the Pirates’ choice. He is very capable, as well, based on his exceptionally strong finish to the regular season. But Volquez has pitched only once in the playoffs, and it did not go well: 1 2/3 innings, four earned runs against the Phillies in 2010.

EDGE: Giants

The Giants’ bullpen was a key part of two World Series champions during the last four years, and some familiar names remain: Santiago Casilla, Sergio Romo, Javier Lopez, and Jeremy Affeldt. (However, this will be Casilla’s first postseason as a closer.) Meanwhile, the Pirates’ bullpen has come together at the right time: Closer Mark Melancon, a setup man at this time last year, has pitched very well with a heavy September workload. Tony Watson and Justin Wilson give Hurdle two excellent left-handed options for the late innings.

EDGE: Even.

Managers can reset their rosters between the Wild Card Game and Division Series, so they’re able to squeeze in extra position players or relievers at the expense of starting pitchers they won’t need. That should be of particular help to the Pirates. With Jose Tabata likely to start against the left-handed Bumgarner, Hurdle can stack his bench with a number of left-handed pinch-hitting options for the late innings: Travis Snider, Gregory Polanco and possibly Andrew Lambo. The Giants’ bench isn’t especially deep, which became evident when key everyday players missed time with injuries this year.

EDGE: Pirates

This should be one of the best matchups in the brief history of the Wild Card Game. Neither team has backed in. The Giants are one of the most respected teams in baseball — on and off the field — and are directed by Bochy, the premier in-game strategist in baseball. The Pirates are postseason-tested now, but this is not the same team with Martin, arguably their most valuable player other than McCutchen, at less than 100 percent. The starting pitching matchup favors the Giants, as well. The Pirates’ effort to win the division was admirable, but it will hurt their chances to win this game.

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