Meet the Mets: Sweep secures wild-card berth
SAN FRANCISCO – The Giants and Madison Bumgarner are back in the N.L. wild-card game. And they are flying nonstop to New York.
Despite giving back baseball’s best record at the All-Star break, and ceding nearly every bit of their souls over a twomonth sink in the standings, the Giants managed to reach the playoffs for the fourth time in seven seasons.
They did not get there by sneaking through a back door, either, kicking down and knocking over their mostly indifferent archrivals in a 7-1 victory Sun-
day afternoon at AT&T Park.
Giants left-hander Matt Moore cut and curved his way through the Dodgers lineup over eight innings to claim the Giants’ most important victory in a regular-season finale since 2010, when Jonathan Sanchez pitched them to an N.L. West title over the San Diego Padres.
This time, there was no division title at stake. The Dodgers had already celebrated their fourth consecutive N.L. West title a week earlier. But the Giants needed to sweep the threegame home series over the weekend — something they hadn’t done since prior to the All-Star break — to avoid playing a one-game tiebreaker at St. Louis for the second wild-card position.
They did, and spilled their success in the home clubhouse.
“Sure, it’s going to beat up on you with how we lost some games, and how many times we got shut down, but I kept saying it’s a tough group, and they’re battle-tested,” said Giants manager Bruce Bochy, his champagne-soaked T-shirt sticking to his skin. “We stayed in (the funk) a lot longer than I thought. But when they needed to answer the bell, they did it, and that’s why I’m so proud of them, how they did it.
“We didn’t get help. We had to win. And they did it.”
The Giants arrived at the ballpark on Sunday packed for what Bochy called “a long road trip.” Now they can skip St. Louis and save their energy for a date with Mets right-hander Noah Syndergaard on Wednesday at Citi Field.
If they can escape from New York, then it’s on to Wrigley Field with Johnny Cueto on the mound for the opener of a Division Series against the Chicago Cubs on Friday.
But first, it’ll be Thor vs. Bumgarner. Hammers vs. axes.
“He’s obviously got really good stuff, probably the best stuff for a starter in all of baseball,” Bumgarner said of Syndergaard. “But It don’t matter who you’re going up against. I’ve got to find a way to get that lineup out. That’s really it. It comes down to one game. All the work we’ve put in comes down to that.”
The Giants began their path to a World Series title in 2014 with Bumgarner starting on the road in the wild card game. He shut out the Pittsburgh Pirates. Syndergaard presents a more formidable challenge than Edinson Volquez, though.
“It’s gonna be a heavyweight fight, man,” said Denard Span, whose banner, three-hit game included a two-run triple and a diving catch in center field.
“We’ll have to pack our lunch, and they’ll have to pack their lunch, because two of the best pitchers in the game are going to be squaring off that night for a chance to move on”
The Giants went just 3043 after the All-Star break, but they might be coalescing at the right time. They ended the regular season with an 87-75 record by rattling off four consecutive victories — something they hadn’t done since July 6-10, when they entered the break with a major leaguebest 57-33 record.
“We went through a lot of adversity this year,” Bumgarner said. “Shoot, seems we always do. I think that’s good for a team. It builds character. I’m just really excited to get this chance.”
The Dodgers mostly played Sunday’s game as if it were an afternoon splitsquad game at Camelback Ranch as they readied themselves for an N.L. Division Series with the Washington Nationals. Howie Kendrick exited in the third inning, Chase Utley was out in the fifth and Adrian Gonzalez retired to the clubhouse in the sixth.
Dodgers right-hander Kenta Maeda gave up five runs in the first two innings, but manager Dave Roberts did not summon any relievers to get warmed up.
Still, the Dodgers presented more than a sparring partner for the Giants, who needed either a victory or a Cardinals loss to the Pirates (which they did not get) to clinch the second wild-card position and avoid a onegame playoff in St. Louis on Monday.
The scene in the Sunday afternoon sunshine, with flags fluttering and puffy clouds ringing the East Bay hills, was a perfect setting for Vin Scully to describe his final major league game from a broadcast booth. The Giants saluted the 88-year-old retiring legend on several occasions during the game, and he led the crowd in “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”
The Giants gave him no shortage of action to describe.
They jumped on Maeda in the first inning. Span started perhaps his best game as a Giant by poking a leadoff single, Brandon Belt doubled to deep center, and Buster Posey scored them both with a sprayed hit that landed just inside the right field chalk line.
Span opened a three-run rally in the second with a triple and the rout — and celebration — was on.