Giants Win NLDS In Typical Form

There’s something going on in the National League.

A pattern has developed, and if we draw conclusions from it, this season will end in typical fashion – with a Giants World Series victory.

Now that the Giants are one step closer to making history, let’s examine their battle with the Washington Nationals in the NLDS.

Pitching, Pitching, Pitching

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The Giants’ pitching staff lost just two battles in this series: One to themselves; the other to

.

If you eliminate Madison Bumgarner‘s throwing error in Game 3, it’s possible the Giants sweep the Nats and get an extra day of rest. Instead, “Mad Bum” attempted the difficult play – throwing wide to Pablo Sandoval to get the lead runner – and the Giants lost.

Harper is a superstar on the rise. I don’t always agree with his pizzazz, and if you watched his reaction after taking Hunter Strickland deep (again) in yesterday’s game, you wouldn’t either. Harper yelled “that’s three” towards Strickland (the number of home runs yielded by Strickland in the series – two from Harper’s bat; also the amount of home runs hit by Harper in the series).

Regardless, his intensity is perfect for postseason play, and with a young core intact, the Nationals will stay relevant for years to come.

But if you eliminate Harper’s production, you’re left with a Nationals team that failed to produce anything noteworthy throughout the entire series.

This is all you need to know:

Yusmeiro Petit was brilliant in six-innings of relief during Saturday’s 18-inning marathon, Sergio Romo continued his resurgence, Tim Hudson, Ryan Vogelsong and Bumgarner were all fantastic in their starts, and Strickland rebounded from a two-home run-outing to net a crucial save.

The Giants eliminated a 96-win team because they stuck to their identity.

Defense

The Giants thrive at making the plays most of us take for granted. Whether it’s a routine fly ball, a double play opportunity or a mesmerizing catch at the wall, this team always capitalizes on its chances.

The Giants finished the season ranked second in defensive efficiency. If you support quality pitching with sound defense, you will do serious damage in this sport of attrition.

Opportunistic

They’ll steal your lunch money, they’ll steal your signs and they’ll take advantage of every opportunity you give them. — Dodgers GM Ned Colletti on the Cardinals

This series was much closer than the 3-1 finish suggests. Had the Nats kept

in for the final out of Game 2, then it’s possible this series goes the distance.

But it didn’t, and the Giants pounced when Zimmerman was pulled.

It’s no mystery as to why the Giants and Cardinals enjoy such postseason success. They are consistent in areas where other teams falter – defense, pitching, catching, etc., – which creates opportunities in tense October games. Neither are the flashiest of teams, but they do enough small things throughout a game to generate game-altering moments.  The Giants do this better than any team in baseball.

In an era void of power where pitching, defense, and intelligence reign supreme, the San Francisco Giants trump the competition.

But let’s not forget about the fans. The passion for this team is otherworldly, and more often than not it creates a spark when least expected.

The NLCS won’t produce a 12-11 game. It will, however, showcase fundamental baseball that will manifest into nerve-racking affairs. This wasn’t just a win by the Giants, it was a win for professional Baseball.