National League Wild Card Game: Embrace The Barfiness!

Are the Giants screwed tomorrow? Probably! But let's talk about it because talking is fun. Now is as good a time as any to just get real, especially when it comes to a one-game, do-or-die Wild Card scenario. Most fans probably think their team is screwed and statistically speaking, most of those fans are 50% right. But those fans are also 50% wrong.

Normally, I love to have all kinds of stats to back up my sports-related arguments, especially when it comes to baseball. I don't need BABIP (cool anagram, though) or FIP, but ERA, WHIP, OBP, these stats mean something. Regarding tomorrow's National League Wild Card game though, I can only rely on previous performance and gut instincts. Neither of these factors make me feel very good about the Giants chances against the Pirates, but I don't think my team is necessarily doomed. Here are my "Keys To The Game":

1. PITCHING PITCHING PITCHING: This is a key for both teams and in pretty equal measure. The Giants are facing the "new" Edinson Volquez tomorrow, but even if he is better now than he used to be, he's still the preferred pitcher for the Giants to face over Gerrit Cole or Francisco Liriano. He's the least of all evils, if you will. If Madison Bumgarner pitches as well tomorrow as he's pitched on the road lately, the Pirates could be in a big trouble. He is the guy the Giants want out there and despite loving what Jake Peavy has done for the Giants this second half of the season, Bumgarner is who you want. Bumgarner just has to pound the strike zone (no nibbling or junk pitches!), hope the Pirates swing and miss (close your eyes when McCutchen or Harrison come up) and for God's sake, don't walk anybody. Also, the bullpens for both these teams have been scary good this year, so that's fun.

2. DEFENSE DEFENSE DEFENSE (and DEFENSE!): As with pitching, both the Giants and Pirates are great teams defensively. A one-game playoff will likely be determined by a key defensive play, and I think both teams are ready for that, though perhaps the Pirates slightly more than the Giants. Why? Because the Pirates have won (and lost) a lot of games this season by one or two runs and they know how to win games by that small of a margin. In addition, the Giants are taking a bit of a gamble by putting Travis Ishikawa in left field, which while a better bet than Morse, still might not pay off. So, in that regard, the Pirates have the slight edge. But Ishikawa can hit, so the risk must be taken.

3. KEEP DOING WHAT WORKS: Sounds simple enough, right? Well, maybe. Maybe not. What works for the Giants is solid pitching (giving up 2 runs or fewer), excellent defense and not trying too hard at the plate. Whatever Gregor Blanco has been doing in the second half of the season really works, so hopefully that continues tomorrow. Giants fans also have to hope that Hunter Pence starts hitting again NOW and that good things continue to happen with Joe Panik and Buster Posey. Oh, and Brandon Belt not striking out in key situations would be helpful too. Patience, my good boy. Patience!

4. HOPE MOMENTUM IS REALLY A THING: Is momentum real? An illusion? Who knows, but right now, the Giants definitely have it over the Pirates, for whatever that's worth. The Pirates saw their division crown hopes go up in flames by losing the final series of their season to the Reds, and on a grand slam by a non-power hitter, no less. The Pirates' previously great bullpen made just a few bad pitches, so they lost their chance at the division tie-breaker game against the Cardinals. On the flip side, the Pirates are looking for redemption. Pirates = redemption, Giants = continue momentum. Which is more dangerous to be facing? It's a toss-up.

5. REMEMBER YOUR POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE: This is really where the advantage lies for the Giants over the Pirates. And that advantage does count for something, especially when you consider how many 2012 World Series players are still with the Giants now: Crawford, Belt, Posey, Blanco, Pence, Sandoval. Yes, this is a road game for the Giants, but it's not like they haven't been in elimination scenarios before; they OWNED elimination scenarios in 2012. They are as ready for this game as they've been all season.

6. STOP PRETENDING YOU KNOW HOW THIS WILL TURN OUT: This is perhaps the most important key to the game tomorrow. None of us really know how this will go down. We can assume that because of the pitching on both sides that it will be a low-scoring, defense-heavy game. But no one assumed the Giants would do anything in 2010 and 2012, and they have two World Series titles to show for it. Yet it could also be a blowout for either team. Anything could happen at any moment.

It's terrifying. It's exciting. It's vomit-inducing. But it's SO FUN, isn't it? At the very least, isn't it better than the alternative? Because no fan wants a postseason-less year. Or whatever. Go get 'em, boys!

Petit threw a gem and now I kind of believe

After Yusmeiro Petit's near-perfect game against the Diamondbacks last year (it still stings), it seemed feasible he could do something similar in another start against them. This was a Diamondbacks team without Paul Goldschmidt, after all. Save giving up a home run to Ender Inciarte (not a real name, by the way), Petit almost did it again. A complete game on 84 pitches seems impossible, except when you consider who Petit threw it against. Even factoring in the opponent, Petit's performance and Joe Panik's five-hit night makes you believe this team is capable of real greatness. Panik is reminding me so much of Marco Scutaro and Freddy Sanchez that I'm starting to worry, but that's neither here nor there. I won't start to really Panik (get it? hah) until the postseason. While not always consistent, considering what Petit has had to do and in the manner he's had to do it in, he's been fantastic for the Giants. Looking back at the whole season, I consider him one of the most underrated components of the team.

The Giants have a remaining schedule that, except for six games against the Dodgers, makes for a real race in the NL West up until the final day of the regular season. Granted, the Dodgers have an equally "easy" schedule, but they also lost a series to the Cubs this year, and Yasiel Puig is going through a slump. What do we have to do to ensure that that slump lasts through the end of the month? On paper the Dodgers are clearly the better team, but they have the same depth issues the Giants do, just with a crapload more money in their bank account. The Dodgers actually claimed Roberto Hernandez (or Fausto Carmona, whichever you prefer) for some reason and he has been pretty terrible, Josh Beckett probably won't pitch again and Dan Haren is, well, Dan Haren. Relying that heavily on already worn-out pitchers like Kershaw, Greinke (which autocorrected to Grinch! so perfect!) and Ryu might not work out the way they want it in the end. It is the offense you really have to worry about with the Dodgers, especially since Adrian Gonzalez is on a tear again and so is Carl Crawford, kind of. But who can say how long it will last.

If you want a sign that the Dodgers are not that secure with their division lead, look no further than the pitching lineup they have for BOTH of their remaining series against the Giants: Ryu, Grienke, Kershaw. Rinse and repeat. Save Hernandez and Haren for the Padres and Cubs, I suppose. In fact, that's pretty much been their pitching rotation against the Giants most of the season and in light of it, the Giants have done pretty well against their rivals this year. The last series of the year for the Giants is the Padres, which should ring some bells for even more recent Giants fans. It will be a fun second half of the month and if the Giants have more games like last night, they can make a run for it; another NL West title is in their grasp. Will Lincecum pitch against the Padres the last week of September? GOD I HOPE SO!

Cespedes/Lester Trade: Good for Business, Bad for Morale

While the Giants are definitely my team in baseball, I've always liked the A's, especially the last 3 years. Back in May, I discovered there was a weekend September series where the A's were playing the Astros. I was excited about going to the game, mostly because I always wanted to see Jose Altuve in person, but also because I wanted to see Yoenis Cespedes in person. He was one of the main reasons I'd enjoyed the A's so much during the last two years. Despite his short service time, he quickly became "The Face of the Franchise" and probably the only player most baseball fans could name on the A's, or at least those fans who didn't follow the team.

Fast forward to now, September 2014, and the A's are a team down their only Cuban. Giants fans know better than most that pitching wins World Series titles, but it's safe to say that everyone in the baseball world was surprised when Billy Beane traded Cespedes to the Red Sox for postseason pitching king Jon Lester. Even without Lester, the A's pitching staff looked pretty solid, what with the acquisition of Cubs ace Jeff Samardzija before the July 31st deadline. And yes, the A's pitching staff looked far better with Lester on it. That is obvious.

Here is the problem with all of this: at its core, baseball is a business. That fact cannot be denied. It simply is. Billy Beane made a business decision in trading Cespedes and from that standpoint, it was brilliant. Cespedes had one year left on his contract before free agency and Beane traded him when his value was at its highest, in order to gain the highest value back, which he did (despite Lester being a two month rental). The A's would not have been able to keep Cespedes once his contract was done and everyone knew that, so Cespedes departing the A's at some point was inevitable. However, from a morale standpoint, there was nothing good about this trade. Part of the reason the A's had done so well in the last few years, much like the Giants at their peak, was team chemistry. They had the same group of players, no superstars, no divas. Were it not for Justin Verlander, the A's certainly would have gone to the World Series at least twice in the last three years.

So, a month removed from the Cespedes/Lester trade, where are the A's now? Oh, just five games back in the AL West, when prior to the trade they were either first or tied for first. After a short adjustment period, Cespedes seems to be settling in well in Boston, with 24 RBIs in his first 30 games with his new team. If the Red Sox can rebuild next season, he will be a big reason for their likely future success. Of course, timing is everything; Cespedes was traded at a time when many A's players were "coming back down to earth", as many position players do this time of the season. Were the A's struggling before the trade? At times they were, but not to this extent and not at such a crucial time.

Can the A's recover from this mammoth transaction? They seem to think that acquiring Adam Dunn as an end-of-the-season push was an answer to that question, but I'm not so sure. With the pitching that Dunn is likely to see in the postseason, he might not be. But then again, this is the A's, who are experts at turning around seemingly average players into heroes. Who knows.

All of that said, I still don't like the trade. Not one bit.