Dominant Madison Bumgarner, Explosive Bats Send Giants into NLDS with Momentum

Momentum is the next day's starting pitcher, or so the saying goes. But for the San Francisco Giants, it's also that day's starting pitcher.

After ace Madison Bumgarner twirled a four-hit shutout to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-0 in the NL Wild Card Game on Wednesday night, it's hard not to think that masterful performance helped the Giants gain some momentum as they head into the Division Series against the top-seeded Washington Nationals—regardless of who will go in Game 1.

The 25-year-old added to his already-impressive postseason resume, which includes a 3.05 ERA in eight games overall, as well as two other scoreless starts, one each in the 2010 and 2012 World Series. The Giants, you might remember, won it all both years, and the left-hander was a big reason why.

"Bumgarner was special," Giants outfielder Hunter Pence said on the ESPN broadcast afterward. "He's done it before in big moments, and he did it again tonight."

"

Madison Bumgarner throws 15th postseason shutout in Giants history. Bumgarner: 9 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 10 K. pic.twitter.com/ibEPXS5XxS

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 2, 2014"

Bumgarner's dominance unquestionably was the lead story on Wednesday, but it wasn't the only one worth highlighting. The other story? The Giants offense came alive, notching at least one run in four of the nine innings and totaling 11 hits, 10 of which were singles.

As for that lone exception, it was a Brandon Crawford grand slam in the fourth inning, which not only broke open a scoreless tie but also was—get this—the first ever by a shortstop in postseason history, as ESPN Stats & Info notes.

First baseman Brandon Belt, who has been hot of late after dealing with various injuries and ailments that cost him all but 61 games this season, got on base a team-high four times via two walks and two hits apiece, the last of which essentially sealed the deal in the seventh.

Beyond the two Brandons, there was former MVP Buster Posey (2-for-5 with a run and an RBI), former World Series MVP Pablo Sandoval (2-for-4 with two runs and a walk) and Hunter Pence (1-for-4 with two runs and a walk). That trio of heart-of-the-lineup hitters is as battle-tested and experienced—and can be as productive—as they come.

Then there are the lesser-knowns, like Crawford and Gregor Blanco, who has slashed .284/.354/.517 since getting regular run as an injury fill-in in late August. And don't forget rookie Joe Panik, a former first-round pick who solidified second base by hitting .327 in the second half.

Brian Kersey/Getty Images

That type of attack is going to have to continue, which won't be an easy task against the Nationals' big arms, Jordan Zimmermann and Stephen Strasburg, who are likely to start Games 1 and 2.

It also won't be easy because regular left fielder Mike Morse is fighting through an oblique injury that has hampered him since the end of August, while center fielder and leadoff man Angel Pagan—without whom the Giants went just 31-35 in the regular season—is out for good due to back surgery.

The reason San Francisco's offensive explosion in the Wild Card Game was so important, and the reason it needs to carry over into the NLDS, is that the rest of the rotation outside of Bumgarner isn't close to what it was when the club won it all in 2010 and 2012.

There's no Matt Cain. There's no Tim Lincecum—well, not the version that owned the opposition in '10 and dominated in relief during the run in '12.

And there's this:

As of now, because the NLDS starts Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. ET, Bumgarner is expected to get back on the mound for Game 3 against the Nationals, according to Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post.

That leaves right-handers Jake Peavy and Tim Hudson to go in Games 1 and 2. While Peavy, 33, has been fantastic (2.17 ERA, 1.04 WHIP) in a dozen starts since joining the Giants in a July trade, his 9.27 career postseason ERA (not a typo!) is gnarly.

The 39-year-old Hudson, meanwhile, faded after a strong start and had himself a terrible second half in which he posted a 4.73 ERA and 1.45 WHIP.

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

In a way, then, the Giants' momentum is the next day's starting pitcher, and in the case of Peavy followed by Hudson, that's not exactly a good thing.

But if San Francisco can somehow steal one of those first two games in Washington, then the home-field advantage will have shifted to the Giants.

And with Bumgarner in Game 3, so, too, would the momentum.

Statistics are accurate through Oct. 1 and are courtesy of MLB.com, Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs, unless otherwise noted.

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