5 Reasons the San Francisco Giants Are Poised to Take Control Back Home
The San Francisco Giants and the Kansas City Royals split the first two games of the 2014 World Series.
After Madison Bumgarner dominated the Royals in the first game, Kansas City absolutely needed to win the second game and they did. The series now moves west to San Francisco and will resume Friday.
This is similar to the National League Championship Series when the Giants split the first two games at St. Louis and returned home. They won three straight games at AT&T Park, and the series never went back to Missouri.
The Giants are focused on taking control of the series in San Francisco and winning it in front of their home fans.
Let's take a look at five reasons the Giants are in good shape and poised to take control of the series.
No. 5: Bruce Bochy Gives the Giants a Big Edge over Ned Yost
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We saw it in the 2014 National League Division Series when Bruce Bochy outmanaged Matt Williams of the Washington Nationals.
We also saw it in the NLCS when Bochy outmanaged Mike Matheny of the Cardinals.
In 2010, when the Giants defeated the Texas Rangers to win their first World Series in San Francisco, Bochy proved far superior to Ron Washington.
In 2012, the Detroit Tigers' Jim Leyland was the victim.
We will see it again in 2014, as Bochy's managerial moves will tip the scales to favor the Giants.
Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported on Bochy and his Hall of Fame credentials.
The Giants manager has an incredible knack of putting his players in the best position to succeed. Bochy also thinks ahead to ensure he has the most favorable matchups when he needs them.
In the American League, where the DH is used, there is very little strategy, and tough decisions are minimized. This is not true in the National League.
The double switch is just one small factor. The real decisions come with the pitching staff in a close game. Bochy is adept at knowing when to pinch hit for his pitcher or leave him in the game because he still has another inning or two left in him.
Situations dictate these decisions, and Bochy is a master at factoring in all of the variables and manipulating those situations in his favor.
Bochy's expertise gives the Giants a tremendous advantage. This is a fact that cannot be minimized, especially in the National League ballpark.
No. 4: AT&T Park Gives the Giants a Big Advantage
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After playing mediocre baseball at home for much of the regular season, the Giants finished on an upswing. They won 13 of their last 16 games at AT&T Park to finish out the year.
In the playoffs, the trend has continued with the Giants winning four of their five home games.
Now, heading back to AT&T Park, the Giants have three primary advantages playing in San Francisco.
The Giants fanbase is loud, knowledgeable and intimidating. Not only does the crowd provide added tension for the opposing team, especially the pitchers, but it also energizes the Giants.
The configuration of the stadium means there is very little foul territory, and the fans seem like they are right on top of the players. This can be very disconcerting to an opposing player who is not used to it.
Secondly, the ballpark has a lot of quirky spots, and having a lot of experience playing there gives the Giants a huge advantage. The cavernous area in deep right-center field, called Triples Alley, is one of those quirks.
Another is the different surfaces on the right field wall. A right fielder has to deal with varied sections of that wall, which is 24 feet high, in honor of the great Willie Mays.
A portion of the wall is made up of a chain-link fence, and the ball typically does not bounce back much when it hits that surface.
Other parts of the wall are padded, which also tends to deaden the rebounds off that portion of the fence.
The upper portions of the wall are covered with a brick facade. Unlike the chain link or padded portions of the fence, when a ball hits this brick facing, it can ricochet dramatically.
Giants right fielder Hunter Pence knows the wall and how the ball reacts off the different surfaces. The same cannot be said about Nori Aoki or anyone else the Royals put in right field. This may not seem like much, but it can mean the difference of 90 feet in a close game. That can turn into a run and win a game.
Another quirk to watch out for is the bullpens, which are located along the foul lines. Left and right fielders have to watch out for the bullpen mounds as they are sprinting into foul territory to catch a foul pop fly.
The wind can also play a big role at AT&T Park, and the Giants will be more familiar and comfortable with the difficult swirling winds.
In addition, with the games starting in the late afternoon, the sun could be a factor in the early innings, especially in left and center field. The Giants are much more familiar with this, which again, gives them an edge.
No. 3: There Is No Designated Hitter in San Francisco
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The lack of a designated hitter in the National League ballpark is a huge advantage for the Giants. The San Francisco pitchers are used to hitting and bunting, whereas the Kansas City pitchers rarely need to swing a bat.
The Giants starter in Game 5, Madison Bumgarner, is the most prolific hitting pitcher in baseball. During the regular season, he hit .258, with an OPS of .755. Bumgarner blasted four home runs, including two grand slams and had 15 RBI on the season.
Not only do the Giants pitchers have an edge at the plate, but the Royals will not be able to use their DH, Billy Butler. Outside of pinch hitting, the only way the Royals can use Butler is to put him at first base. This would mean Eric Hosmer goes to the bench or to another position.
Butler is one of Kansas City's biggest offensive threats. His absence from the Royals' starting lineup will hurt them offensively. In the first two games of the World Series, Butler was hitting .500, with two RBI.
If Yost opts to insert him into the starting lineup, the Royals defense will suffer.
Michael Morse was the Giants DH in Kansas City, and he will likely be coming off the bench as a pinch hitter in San Francisco. The one possible exception would be against lefty Jason Vargas in Game 4.
However, even with Vargas on the mound, Travis Ishikawa could still get the starting nod in left field as he is a better defensive player than Morse.
Keeping Morse out of the Giants lineup is not as big an issue for them as keeping Butler on the bench is for the Royals.
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No. 2: The Starting Pitching Matchups Favor the Giants
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The next three pitching matchups in San Francisco favor the Giants.
On Friday, it will be Tim Hudson vs. Jeremy Guthrie. Saturday features Ryan Vogelsong vs. Jason Vargas. Then, on Sunday, it's back to the Game 1 starters, Bumgarner vs. James Shields.
Hudson had pitched very well through the All-Star break. However, he seemed to tire late in the season and was hit hard in the last month.
The extra days off helped Hudson against both Washington and St. Louis.
Vogelsong also benefited from the extra rest, especially against Washington, as his velocity reached a season high at 94 mph.
Hudson and Vogelsong also pitch much better at home. They know how to use the spacious park to their advantage. If either pitcher struggles early, look for Bochy to use Yusmeiro Petit. The recent struggles of Jean Machi and Hunter Strickland will likely keep them on the sideline in any close contests.
Hudson has 12 postseason appearances, and Vogelsong has six. In comparison, Guthrie has one postseason appearance, and Vargas has two.
Although both Guthrie and Vargas threw the ball well in their prior appearances in the playoffs, neither has pitched under the intense pressure of a World Series in enemy territory. How they handle the moment will go a long way to determining their success.
In Game 5, Bumgarner returns to face Shields.
Bumgarner was dominant in the first game of the series. He threw seven innings and allowed only one run. He gave up three hits and a walk, while striking out five. Kansas City batters hit only .125 off of him.
Shields, on the other hand, was hit hard and did not look good. He lasted only three innings and allowed seven hits and a walk, while giving up five runs.
This matchup favors the Giants in a big way. Bumgarner is a true ace, and his postseason pedigree is outstanding.
No. 1: Experience
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The San Francisco Giants won the world championship in 2010 and 2012. They have 16 players with World Series experience, and those players can also help the ones that are new to this experience.
It is a calm, focused approach that the Giants have, starting from Bochy on down to his players.
The Kansas City Royals, on the other hand, have only two players, Omar Infante and Shields, with prior World Series experience. Unlike many on the Giants, both Infante and Shields were on the losing end.
That level of experience cannot be discounted. On the biggest stage, when the pressure is mounting, having been there before and succeeded is something the Giants will be able to draw on.
As John Shea reported on SFGate.com, Hunter Pence coined the phrase "championship blood" in his rousing speech to his teammates, when the Giants clinched their spot in the playoffs.
The Giants do indeed have that championship blood, and until someone takes it away from them, they will always have that mystique and presence about them. It is a feeling not of hoping to win but knowing you will win.
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