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NL Wild Card 2016: Who are the starting pitchers?

BySarabeth Pollock|
Jun 30, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner (40) pitches the ball against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 30, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner (40) pitches the ball against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The SF Giants and NY Mets play for the National League Wild Card spot on Wednesday. See why the starting pitchers could make this the most exciting game of the playoffs.

The San Francisco Giants and the New York Mets meet on Wednesday, October 5, for the National League Wildcard game. With one shot to make it into the playoffs, both teams will go to their aces to start the game. The Giants turn to postseason superstar Madison Bumgarner while the Mets have the Pride of Asgard, Noah Syndergaard. The Giants and the Mets are evenly matched with regular season records of 87-75, so everything is coming down to their starting pitchers.

Madison Bumgarner is no stranger to the postseason. He has been aboard for every Giants World Series appearance, and remember that the Giants have won every even-year World Series since 2010. Though MadBum and the Giants have struggled since the All Star Break, Bumgarner has still put up an impressive 2.74 ERA with 34 starts in the 2016 season. He’s also 7-3 in the postseason with a 2.14 ERA, but what the Mets will watch going into the NLWC game is that Bumgarner is 4-0 in his four starts at Citi Field with a 0.62 ERA. He threw 6 shutout innings for a 6-1 Giants win back on May 1st, so it’s safe to say he has a proven record against the Mets.

Though he may be youthful, Noah Syndergaard isn’t lacking in postseason experience. He started for the Mets in Game 3 of the 2015 World Series. Manager Terry Collins knows that Syndergaard was key for the Mets in that World Series game, and that’s why he gets the start against the Giants. “He’s not afraid. He’s not intimidated. He’s the right guy.” Syndergaard had a dominant first half of the season with an impressive 1.94 ERA, but he slipped after the All Star Break and finished the second half with 3.80. The Mets are definitely in a pinch when it comes to pitchers, as many of them have been placed on the DL. Syndergaard held the Giants to two hits in his eight innings of work on August 21, where the Mets beat the Giants 2-0.

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With such an even matchup between teams, the Giants and Mets will look for every opportunity to score. The game will come down to pitching, and fortunately Bumgarner and Syndergaard are the best pitchers to handle that kind of pressure.

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