SF Giants: Previewing the Giants' Upcoming Series with the Washington Nationals

The San Francisco Giants currently lead the NL West by one game, and they've had some tough tests this year.

However, the biggest test is yet to come.

San Francisco prepares to take on the Washington Nationals in a battle of two division leaders. Washington is led by a trio of dominant pitchers and a well-rounded offense, and that's why they lead the league with 71 wins (and just 44 losses).

Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Jordan Zimmermann make up the Nationals' dominant pitching trio, and all three will start against the Giants. Zimmermann has the third-best ERA in baseball, Strasburg's ERA is below 3.00, and Gonzalez is among the league leaders in wins (with 14).

Luckily for the Giants, three of their best pitchers will take the hill. Madison Bumgarner, Tim Lincecum and Ryan Vogelsong will pitch, and all have had successful careers. Vogelsong has the second-best ERA in baseball, Bumgarner leads the team with 12 wins and Lincecum has won two Cy Young awards.

Even though the pitching will be spectacular, expect to see some offense as well. San Francisco scored nine runs in back-to-back games on Saturday and Sunday, and they are now near the top half of the league in runs scored.

Washington's offense has also done well, and they've been sparked by great play by Ryan Zimmerman and Michael Morse. The Nationals have a very well-rounded offense, and there are no easy outs in their lineup.

The Nats have done a great job since Jayson Werth's return. Adam LaRoche, Werth, Morse and Zimmerman have all been great on offense, and Kurt Suzuki, Steve Lombardozzi, Danny Espinosa and Bryce Harper have also done well. San Francisco's pitchers will have a tough task on their hands when they face Washington's offense.

Pablo Sandoval, who is hitting .299 this year and .317 against lefties, will be available to play on Monday and will start Tuesday and Wednesday (according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle). He will add a spark to an offense that's already been doing a great job.

However, Washington's aces will have a tough time as well. San Francisco has Melky Cabrera and Buster Posey, who have both been on fire lately. Both are hitting at least .400 against left-handed pitchers, which is bad for Gonzalez, who will start on Monday.

Oh, and did I mention Hunter Pence, the second-newest member of the Giants? He hasn't done well in San Francisco, but he did hit a game-winning home run on Sunday. Pence has knocked in 11 runs since playing his first game in SF on August 1.

There are a lot of different ways that this series can go down. The bats could explode, and both teams could continue to score a lot of runs. Or, the pitching could take over, and we could see gems and low-scoring games in a ballpark that swallows up hitters.

No matter what happens, the fans are sure to get a good show. San Francisco and Washington are two of the best teams in baseball, and it will be very fun to watch the games. I could simply say the games will be great and conclude the article, but no article like this would be complete without predictions.

So, what do I think will happen? I think Posey and Cabrera will pound Gonzalez and lead the Giants to a blowout win in game one, thanks to a solid effort from Vogelsong (who's been amazing at home) and an offensive explosion.

In the second game, there will be some great pitching. Bumgarner and Zimmermann have both been very consistent, and Bumgarner has been dominant at home. Expect both to pitch well into the later innings, and look for a tight, low-scoring game.

It will be close, but I'd expect San Francisco to take advantage of Washington's bullpen struggles and win. In game three, you'll see some more great pitching. I expect Lincecum to deliver another solid performance, but I think Strasburg will out-pitch him in a low-scoring game to help the red-hot Nats avoid a sweep.

So there you have it. Kick back, eat some popcorn, have a soda and watch the Giants and Nationals battle. I can't guarantee who will win, but I can guarantee that you'll see some exciting action.

Read more »

Giants VS Nationals: Previewing the Pitching Match Ups

Game 1: Ryan Vogelsong VS Gio Gonzalez

Game one of this three game set--- the old VS. the powerful. Tonight’s game will feature two pitchers that are completely the opposite of each other in terms of stats and overall approach. Vogelsong is the definition of a contact pitcher. He’s a master at using his fastball to get batters to pop out and ground out weakly. In fact, he throws his fastball nearly 60% of the time. Due to his approach, he has totaled a 6.61 K/9 rate this season.

 Gonzalez also uses his overpowering fastball more than most pitchers (70%). Yet, he fits the bill of a strikeout pitcher, unlike his counterpart in Vogelsong. The southpaw’s fastball has a lot of pop to it ( average of 93 MPH), and it’s generating a ton of swings and misses this season, represented by his 9.83 K/9. That stunning 9.83 strikeout rate ranks just second in the N.L to his fellow teammate Stephen Strasburg who has a 11.21 K/9 rate.

In spite of the differ in approaches, both Vogelsong and Gonzalez have found success this season. Vogelsong leads the N.L in ERA (2.27), while Gonzalez has stabilized the Nats’ starting rotation after coming over from the A’s during the offseason. Yes, his 3.32 ERA is a bit high to be considered elite, but his FIP checks in at 2.70, meaning that his defense has occasionally let him down with errors.  The lefty’s 14 wins though, rank third in the league and tonight he will have a chance to pull even with R.A. Dickey and Johnny Cueto who both have 15 wins.

Vogelsong has yet to face the Nationals this season. Same goes for Gonzalez, who the Giants missed when they played them in Washington earlier this season.

Game 2: Madison Bumgarner VS Jordan Zimmerman

Game two could be labeled as a battle of the unknown. Both Bumgarner and Zimmerman are in the midst of career years, but have yet to receive the spotlight that their fellow rotation mates get from the media. In Bumgarner’s case it’s Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum. In Zimmerman’s, it’s Stephen Strasburg.

Zimmerman is second in the National League in the ERA department (2.35). More impressively, he will be coming off of a masterpiece type performance. OK, this so called masterpiece came against the Houston Astros. Nevertheless, he fanned 11 batters en route to his first double digit strikeout performance of the year. Has he ever struck out double digit batters before Sunday? Yes, three times. Then again, he doesn’t bare much of a chance to record high strikeout numbers. Why? He has yet to pitch more than seven innings this season. Talk about protective of their (Nationals) arms. Let’s not forget about Stephan Strasburg’s little limit, either.

 Zimmerman is a lot like Vogelsong is sense. Two key components to consider--- he isn’t overpowering (6.81 K/9 Rate), and heavily utilizes his fastball (61%). The difference between Zimmerman and Vogelsong is marginal. Vogelsong’s fastball command is slightly superior than Zimmerman’s, but that’s a necessity given his slower fastball. But Zimmerman’s hard fastball (94 MPH) makes up for the few location mistakes he salvages. Vogelsong who generally sits around 90-92 MPH, needs to have pin-point command to remain effective.

Bumgarner is a tad different. At the beginning of the season, he pitched more to contact. The same can’t be said nowadays as his 8.38 K/9 rate hangs with the elite flamethrowers. He has struck out at least seven batters in five straight starts as well.

The Nationals will have their hands full with Bumgarner. Not just because of the recent jump in his strikeout numbers, but also because he has a stellar 1.98 home ERA.

Game 3: Tim Lincecum VS Stephen Strasburg

All eyes will be set on this Wednesday matinee duel between two aces. And yes, Tim Lincecum can still be considered an ace. Sure, his sub par numbers make this matchup look like nothing else but a mid August game, but it’s more than just that.

 Strasburg, the wonder-boy, is carving up batter after batter. He’s utilizing his 96 MPH fastball to strikeout nearly 31% of the batters he faces. As we all know very well, sheer fastball speed doesn’t cut it at this level. And Strasburg isn’t a one trick pony. While his reptiore isn’t as big as Lincecum’s, it doesn’t need to be with the way that his curveball fools hitters. It’s really a pitch that has evolved for the Nationals’ ace. In 2010 he threw it nearly 26% of the time, backed off in 2011 (14%), and here in 2012 he’s throwing it about 19% of the time. His curveball is the definition of a put away pitch. Opposing batters are hitting just .200 off of it, and lately, that number has been trending down. Quite simply, he’s dominant.

Lincecum, meanwhile, isn’t what you would call dominant. At least not this season. Of late, maybe. In six games since the All-Star break, Lincecum has totaled a much improved 2.72 ERA. His strikeout numbers have been down of late, but it’s clearly not effecting his ERA. However, his lousy performance ( 3.1 IP, 7 ER) against the Nationals in early July is well documented. It’s not something that just disappears. Luckliy, Lincecum will have AT&T Park on his side.

 Recap:

All in all, expect some very well pitched ball games. While these two teams have statistically been the best two offense in the N.L since the All-Star break, it’s their starting rotations that make them the best in their respective divisions.

Read more »