Wild-Card-Clinching Giants Need a Starter to Step Up to Make a Deep Playoff Run

It had all the makings of the most anticlimactic postseason clinch in the history of postseason clinches. The San Francisco Giants limped home after losing two of three to the Dodgers in Los Angeles and watching their rivals win the National League West.

Then the Milwaukee Brewers lost to the Cincinnati Reds nearly 2,400 miles away, and the Giants were guaranteed a spot in the NL wild-card playoff.

Cause for...celebration?

Well, sure. There are 20 other teams that would kill to be in San Francisco's position. Still, it looked an awful lot like a reeling club stumbling backward into October.

Then the Giants beat the San Diego Padres 9-8 Thursday night, and things looked a little brighter.

Not just because San Francisco got a much-needed win that kept the team within one game of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the current No. 1 NL wild-card team. And not just because the Giants fought back late after squandering a 6-0 lead.

But because, almost lost in the shuffle, they got a solid effort from starting pitcher Yusmeiro Petit: 5.1 innings, three earned runs, one walk, eight strikeouts.

The Giants have endured stretches of offensive futility. Injuries have taken their toll. But the upheaval in a once-stalwart starting rotation has been San Francisco's biggest issue.

George Nikitin/Associated Press

Tim Hudson, who started the year looking like a rejuvenated ace, has been awful in September, posting an 8.72 ERA and losing two critical starts against the Dodgers. That almost makes fellow right-hander Ryan Vogelsong's 5.64 September ERA look decent by comparison.

Then there's Tim Lincecum. Like Hudson, Lincecum has shown flashes of brilliance, including a no-hitter June 25 against the Padres. But the two-time Cy Young winner fell on such hard times that he was banished to the bullpen.

And Matt Cain, once a stud among studs, was lost for the season to elbow surgery in early August.

Suddenly, outside of left-hander Madison Bumgarner (18-10, 2.98 ERA, 217.1 IP, 219 SO), the Giants had no one they could trust in a big-game situation.

They dealt for Jake Peavy at the deadline, ignoring his 1-9 record with the Boston Red Sox and hoping the fiery veteran could rediscover himself in spacious AT&T Park.

Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

Their hopes were rewarded: Peavy has posted a 2.20 ERA since donning the Orange and Black. And he's been stellar in September, going 3-0 while allowing four earned runs in 26.1 innings pitched.

"He’s been a godsend to us," general manager Brian Sabean told The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo. "Very timely."

Then there's Petit, a 29-year-old journeyman who began the year in a long-relief/emergency starter role. Petit slid into the rotation when Cain went down and has cemented his spot with some memorable moments.

On Aug. 28, he set an MLB record by retiring his 46th consecutive batter, a streak that began July 22.

Then, on Sept. 9, he tossed a complete game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, striking out nine and surrendering one run on an absurdly stingy 84 pitches.

Even in defeat, Petit has looked like he belongs. As Bruce Jenkins of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote on Sept. 15, after Petit threw well but was outdueled by Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw:

"

Petit staged a strong, dignified performance that only enhances his spot in the rotation. Fans were delighted to see him pump his fist and pound the glove after he struck out the side on fastballs in the first inning. Amazingly, he has faced 62 consecutive batters without running a three-ball count. And it’s certainly no disgrace losing a contestable game to Kershaw.

"

Now, as the Giants look ahead to the postseason with an eye on their third championship in five years, they're counting on Peavy and Petit to solidify the starting corps.

That's assuming they get past the wild-card playoff, which is far from guaranteed. The hard-charging Pirates are now just one game back of the defending NL champion St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central. Either team would be a tough opponent in a do-or-die showdown.

If Bumgarner—who is "virtually certain" to start the wild-card playoff, per MLB.com's Chris Haft—can carry San Francisco into the NLDS, it'll be up to the rest of the arms to help shoulder the load.

Otherwise, this could be one anticlimactic postseason.

All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference unless otherwise noted.