Well, so this is what playing a series from ahead feels like? The Giants have never led in a series this postseason until now. In a couple of hours they will try to extend their lead to 2-0 over the Tigers. Madison Bumgarner will try to prove that he has corrected his mechanical flaws against a solid veteran Doug Fister. If Bumgarner struggles, it appears that Tim Lincecum will be able to come in for a couple of innings after throwing just 32 pitches in his dominant game one appearance. Meanwhile, the Tigers bullpen was taxed last night and after another terrible appearance, we probably will not see Jose Valverde much or at all for the remainder of this series. Which means that now neither team has the closer they expected to have way back in February. So, here is how I expect the Giants to get the 2-0 edge we are all hoping for.
1) Feed off the Momentum
The Giants are hot right now and when you are hot you just want to go on the attack as soon as possible. The Tigers are now well aware of how dangerous a hot Giants team is and they need Fister's veteran presence to slow the snow ball down. With a scorching Panda and a warming Posey in the middle of the order, the Giants need to have Scutaro and Pagan put Fister into pressure situations.
2) Get Posey and Pence Producing
Our 4-5 guys have not produced a whole lot this postseason and a lot of fans are concerned about it. However, players of this caliber don't stay cold too long. After Sandoval's historic three homerun night, it is time for Posey to offer him some protection because I guarantee that Sandoval will not see many quality pitches if Posey doesn't build off of his own 2 hit game last night. As for Pence, it is time to lay off the sliders and just wait for the fast ball and punish it.
3)Forget Dominant, Just be Good Enough
Bumgarner has not thrown well this postseason or heading into it. In the second half, there was a steady decline in his performance that we should be alarmed about. Hopefully the extra rest he has had since his NLCS start and the mechanical adjustments they claim he has made help him get back to the fiery young strong willed pitcher we all know he can be. He doesn't need to be great, he should only need to be good. Hold down the Tigers for 5-6 innings of 3 runs or less and the Giants should be able to win the game.
4) Put Pressure on the Tigers Defense
The funniest thing I saw in game one was Delmon Young's little league toss home on Zito's rbi single. That is a microcosm of why I hate the DH and love National League baseball. The Tigers have three guys in the field that really would be better served in a DH role. At home, the Giants need to take advantage of that. Drop down some bunts and put pressure on the corner infielders, when a ball is hit to Delmon Young test him, etc. We saw what pressure does to mediocre fielders against the Cardinals and now we are facing a team that is even worse. Feed on their weakness.
5) Get into Their Pen Early
This will be a key all series because it is the biggest advantage the Giants have. With Valverde, likely, done for most of the series, the Giants need to expose the mediocrity that is the Detroit Tiger bullpen. Fister will be a tough guy to do that against because he typically gets outs early in counts. That means you just gotta hit him on a consistent basis. Keep attacking and get him out and then take advantage.
That is how I think the Giants get their 2-0 lead
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