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SAN FRANCISCO ( BUMGARNER ) PITTSBURGH ( VOLQUEZ ) |
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| 6.5un | 8 Final 0 |
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National League Wild Card Game | | | |
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947 | SAN FRANCISCO | -105 | Ov 6,-115 | -115 | Ov 6.5,-105 | 948 | PITTSBURGH | -105 | Un 6,-105 | +105 | Un 6.5,-115 |
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All Games | 88-74 | +8.2 | 76-76 | 4.1 | 0.255 | 0.308 | 3.8 | 0.241 | 0.292 | Road Games | 43-38 | +8.3 | 38-37 | 4.2 | 0.252 | 0.305 | 4.0 | 0.251 | 0.301 | vs Right-handed Starters | 58-44 | +9.5 | 55-41 | 4.4 | 0.258 | 0.311 | 4.0 | 0.240 | 0.293 | Past 7 Games | 4-3 | +0.9 | 3-3 | 4.3 | 0.263 | 0.297 | 4.4 | 0.213 | 0.269 | Grass Games | 88-74 | +8.2 | 76-76 | 4.1 | 0.255 | 0.308 | 3.8 | 0.241 | 0.292 | Night Games | 51-48 | -0.9 | 42-55 | 3.7 | 0.251 | 0.300 | 3.8 | 0.236 | 0.285 |
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All Games | 4.1 | 0.255 | 0.308 | 162 | 5522 | 1406 | 431 | 132 | 0.02 | 636 | 427 | 1245 | 56 | 1095 | 126 | 103 | | | Road Games | 4.2 | 0.252 | 0.305 | 81 | 2848 | 717 | 232 | 79 | 0.03 | 329 | 217 | 634 | 27 | 558 | 60 | 51 | | | Righty Starters | 4.4 | 0.258 | 0.311 | 102 | 3501 | 905 | 285 | 90 | 0.03 | 425 | 267 | 774 | 42 | 689 | 72 | 67 | | |
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All Games | 3.01 | 1.066 | 472.1 | 168 | 158 | 372 | 35 | 131 | 387 | 32-14 | 46 | 18 | 71.9% | Road Games | 3.07 | 1.071 | 234.4 | 86 | 80 | 184 | 18 | 67 | 187 | 17-6 | 27 | 8 | 77.1% |
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All Games | 88-74 | +5.5 | 74-80 | 4.2 | 0.259 | 0.322 | 3.9 | 0.247 | 0.311 | Home Games | 51-30 | +12.9 | 35-40 | 4.3 | 0.273 | 0.337 | 3.7 | 0.241 | 0.303 | vs Left-handed Starters | 20-13 | +3.5 | 12-19 | 4.1 | 0.264 | 0.324 | 3.8 | 0.241 | 0.305 | Past 7 Games | 4-3 | +0.3 | 3-4 | 3.7 | 0.238 | 0.295 | 3.4 | 0.241 | 0.308 | Grass Games | 86-73 | +4 | 72-79 | 4.2 | 0.259 | 0.323 | 3.9 | 0.247 | 0.311 | Night Games | 65-43 | +17.1 | 58-45 | 4.8 | 0.270 | 0.335 | 4.0 | 0.254 | 0.315 |
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All Games | 4.2 | 0.259 | 0.322 | 162 | 5536 | 1433 | 460 | 156 | 0.03 | 658 | 520 | 1244 | 104 | 1192 | 152 | 108 | | | Home Games | 4.3 | 0.273 | 0.337 | 81 | 2733 | 747 | 223 | 62 | 0.02 | 335 | 262 | 551 | 52 | 606 | 88 | 57 | | | Lefty Starters | 4.1 | 0.264 | 0.324 | 33 | 1134 | 299 | 83 | 23 | 0.02 | 133 | 101 | 243 | 18 | 243 | 25 | 20 | | |
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All Games | 3.25 | 1.237 | 484.3 | 188 | 175 | 435 | 42 | 164 | 428 | 33-25 | 48 | 22 | 68.6% | Home Games | 2.96 | 1.205 | 261.3 | 93 | 86 | 234 | 20 | 81 | 226 | 21-9 | 24 | 10 | 70.6% |
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9/17/2014 | BUMGARNER(L) | @ ARIZONA | CHAFIN(L) | 4-2 | W | -175 | 7.5 un | U | 6 | 7 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 0 | 9/19/2014 | HUDSON(R) | @ SAN DIEGO | DESPAIGNE(R) | 0-5 | L | -125 | 6.5 ov | U | 3 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 9/20/2014 | PETIT(R) | @ SAN DIEGO | CASHNER(R) | 2-3 | L | -115 | 6 un | U | 6 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 9/21/2014 | VOGELSONG(R) | @ SAN DIEGO | KENNEDY(R) | 2-8 | L | 105 | 7 un | O | 6 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 9/22/2014 | PEAVY(R) | @ LA DODGERS | HAREN(R) | 5-2 | W | 100 | 7 ov | P | 12 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 9/23/2014 | BUMGARNER(L) | @ LA DODGERS | GREINKE(R) | 2-4 | L | 115 | 6.5 un | U | 7 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 9/24/2014 | HUDSON(R) | @ LA DODGERS | KERSHAW(L) | 1-9 | L | 235 | 6 ov | O | 9 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 9/25/2014 | PETIT(R) | SAN DIEGO | CASHNER(R) | 9-8 | W | -130 | 6.5 un | O | 12 | 6 | 0 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 9/26/2014 | VOGELSONG(R) | SAN DIEGO | KENNEDY(R) | 1-4 | L | -110 | 6.5 un | U | 5 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 9/27/2014 | PEAVY(R) | SAN DIEGO | STULTS(L) | 3-1 | W | -155 | 7 un | U | 8 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 9/28/2014 | HESTON(R) | SAN DIEGO | ERLIN(L) | 9-3 | W | -120 | 7.5 un | O | 13 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 10/1/2014 | BUMGARNER(L) | @ PITTSBURGH | VOLQUEZ(R) | |
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9/17/2014 | LIRIANO(L) | BOSTON | BUCHHOLZ(R) | 9-1 | W | -170 | 7 un | O | 15 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 9/18/2014 | COLE(R) | BOSTON | WORKMAN(R) | 3-2 | W | -225 | 7 ov | U | 7 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 9/19/2014 | LOCKE(L) | MILWAUKEE | GALLARDO(R) | 4-2 | W | -115 | 7.5 ov | U | 11 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 9/20/2014 | VOLQUEZ(R) | MILWAUKEE | GARZA(R) | 0-1 | L | -125 | 7.5 un | U | 6 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 9/21/2014 | WORLEY(R) | MILWAUKEE | PERALTA(R) | 1-0 | W | -135 | 8 ov | U | 5 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 9/22/2014 | LIRIANO(L) | @ ATLANTA | HARANG(R) | 1-0 | W | -150 | 6.5 ov | U | 4 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 9/23/2014 | COLE(R) | @ ATLANTA | WOOD(L) | 3-2 | W | 100 | 6.5 un | U | 8 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 9/24/2014 | LOCKE(L) | @ ATLANTA | TEHERAN(R) | 2-6 | L | 120 | 6.5 un | O | 9 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 1 | 9/25/2014 | VOLQUEZ(R) | @ ATLANTA | HALE(R) | 10-1 | W | -125 | 7 ov | O | 16 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 9/26/2014 | WORLEY(R) | @ CINCINNATI | LEAKE(R) | 3-1 | W | -145 | 7 ev | U | 6 | 6 | 0 | 11 | 8 | 1 | 9/27/2014 | LIRIANO(L) | @ CINCINNATI | SIMON(R) | 6-10 | L | -160 | 6.5 ov | O | 8 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 9/28/2014 | COLE(R) | @ CINCINNATI | CUETO(R) | 1-4 | L | -110 | 6.5 un | U | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 10/1/2014 | VOLQUEZ(R) | SAN FRANCISCO | BUMGARNER(L) | |
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| | | SAN FRANCISCO: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - From every slot in a talented, experienced rotation to the back end of the bullpen and in between, to the starting fielders and the role players on the bench, it's hard to find a member of the San Francisco Giants pleased with his 2013 season.
A year after winning the World Series, the Giants finished 10 games under .500, third in the NL West and they missed the playoffs.
''We don't even have to have the conversation, a lot of the guys know it,'' right-hander Matt Cain said. ''We didn't pitch the way that we wanted to.''
As the Giants begin a new year, they will try to keep up with the big-spending Los Angeles Dodgers and regain the grip they had on the NL West when the club won World Series championships in 2010 and `12 - even if everybody expects the Dodgers to be the team to beat.
''You do try to reflect back and try to learn from what happened last year and how you can get better,'' manager Bruce Bochy said. ''You move forward, that's what we had to do. There are some things we'll talk about in the spring, mistakes that we made last year. Also, hopefully guys come in with an attitude, that they weren't happy with what happened the year before and want to get back on track.''
Buster Posey certainly doesn't want to spend too much time thinking about last season.
''That's probably how everybody feels. There's a bad taste in a lot of guys' mouths,'' Posey said. ''We want to come out and focus on winning ballgames.''
| | PITTSBURGH: PITTSBURGH (AP) - The roars have faded. The giddiness of ending 21 years of futility and coming with a game of the National League championship series, too.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are in some ways just another NL contender these days. That dark cloud of two decades of losing is gone after a remarkable 94-68 surge and the playoff berth that came along with it in 2013.
Now the franchise needs to figure out what to do with the rest of its life. For three seasons a club that was a laughingstock when manager Clint Hurdle took over in December 2010 has slowly made inroads to relevance.
Suddenly, the ''World Series or bust'' attitude owner Bob Nutting has espoused for years doesn't seem so laughable anymore.
Press reigning NL Manager of the Year Clint Hurdle on what his team can possibly do for an encore despite a relatively quiet offseason and he responds with his usual eternal optimism.
''Excellence is verb, not a noun,'' Hurdle said. ''You're going to continue to push forward. Our goal is to win a sixth world championship. The fact is, we haven't won an LCS or a division series. We need to maintain our focus on the things we need to do.''
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| | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PA SPORTSTICKER NL PREVIEW (SAN FRANCISCO-PITTSBURGH) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Updates with quotes, details. Should stand. With AP Photos.)
*Giants-Pirates Preview* ========================
By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer
San Francisco (88-74) at Pittsburgh (88-74), 8:07 p.m. EDT
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Edinson Volquez's renaissance began with a simple game of catch.
During his brief session with Pittsburgh Pirates pitching coach Ray Searage on that January day at the team's training facility in Florida, the talented but erratic right-hander listened as Searage outlined a plan to help the 31-year-old regain the form that once made him an All-Star.
"He felt wanted," Searage said. "That builds trust."
Ten months later, Volquez will try to repay that trust by sending the Pirates into the NL Division Series for the second straight year when he starts Wednesday night's wild-card game against San Francisco.
The raucous scene that awaits Volquez at PNC Park is in stark contrast to his ignominious exit from San Diego last summer, when the floundering Padres released him after a miserable stretch in which his ERA ballooned to 6.01.
"It's kind of sad a little bit," Volquez said. "You feel like your career is over."
He ended 2013 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he showed minor improvement before hitting the free-agent market. But most teams hardly seemed interested in signing a pitcher who spent a half-decade struggling with his command and composure.
Yet he found a home in Pittsburgh, where the clubhouse has become an Ellis Island of sorts for players looking to regain something they've lost.
A year ago it was left-hander Francisco Liriano, who signed with the Pirates and put together a 16-8 season that included a victory over Cincinnati in the wild-card game. Liriano and Volquez are good friends, and while the $5 million flier Pittsburgh took on Volquez to be a back-of-the-rotation guy raised eyebrows, he remained confident he could make the changes necessary to become competitive.
"People (who) know about baseball, they knew I was really close to getting ready to go," Volquez said.
Searage tweaked Volquez's delivery. Pirates catcher Russell Martin worked with him to set a steady pace during games, often hustling to the mound when Volquez starts working too quickly. When Volquez gets out of rhythm, his mechanics run amok.
"Early on he couldn't control it. He had elbows and knees flying all over the place," Searage said. "Now he's able to control it better. That's the biggest thing between a major leaguer and a minor leaguer - they basically have the same stuff, but it all comes up to (their mental approach)."
Volquez responded by going 13-7 with a 3.04 ERA in a team-high 32 starts, the lone constant in a rotation that saw Liriano, Gerrit Cole and Charlie Morton spend a significant amount of time on the disabled list. Volquez went 5-0 with a 1.64 ERA in his last 11 starts, his consistency one of the main reasons the Pirates sent Cole to the mound in the regular-season finale against Cincinnati in a last-ditch bid to win the NL Central. Cole was brilliant but Pittsburgh lost 4-1, putting its hopes of an extended playoff stay in Volquez's maturing hands.
It's the biggest start of his career, but Volquez isn't exactly sweating it. He spent Monday laying around his house napping. On Tuesday he traded jokes with other Latin players before playing long toss and shagging flies during batting practice.
"I've got to pitch my game and be myself," he said.
It's unlikely it can go any worse than his other postseason start. The Philadelphia Phillies tagged Volquez for four runs in 1 2-3 innings during Game 1 of the 2010 NL Division Series when he played for Cincinnati. Phillies starter Roy Halladay threw a no-hitter that day to start a three-game sweep.
Four years later, Volquez faces another formidable task: beating a team that thrives this time of year. The Giants have captured two World Series titles this decade, including a resilient run in 2012 when they won six elimination games on their way to the championship.
Most of the core that celebrated with a champagne shower after sweeping the Tigers in the World Series two years ago remains intact, including left-hander Madison Bumgarner. The 25-year-old is coming off a solid regular season in which he went 18-10 with a 2.98 ERA. He lost his only start against Pittsburgh, giving up five runs in four innings on July 28 at AT&T Park.
The vibe will be decidedly different this time around on the other side of the country. And that's just fine by Bumgarner. He's been here before, and so have most of the other guys in the San Francisco clubhouse, including his manager.
"I don't know what's going to happen, but you're going to see guys who are comfortable playing in this type of game," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "They're all about winning. I don't think they'll be affected by any kind of element or environment."
Including whatever Volquez might have in store. He hardly resembles the enigma who could never find his footing in San Diego. Now he's flourishing in Pittsburgh with a chance to cement his transformation from lost cause to something else entirely.
"He's become a complete pitcher," Searage said. "His evolution of becoming a major league pitcher has been nothing but forward."
Another important step awaits.
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| Last Updated: 3/19/2024 1:55:02 AM EST. |
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