I'm not one to gloat, and frankly I'm glad that my perception of how the first 2 Divisional Series Games between the Cubs and Giants has born out. If nothing, it might give me hope that after 45 years of following baseball I might finally be starting to understand this game.

But this next game; Game 3? Boy I don't have a solid feeling either way. That's because both of these pitchers in this game are the same. Madison Bumgarner has proven to be unstoppable in the post-season over the last 5 years. Just as Jake Arrieta will probably prove to be that kind of pitcher over the next 5. Where each of them land in this game will go a long way in determining the playoffs in the next 3 or 4 seasons potentially.

And it says a lot that with as strong as the batting lineups are, it still comes down to these two pitchers to lose this game. Make a mistake, have an off night, and you just handed the game (and possibly the series) to the other team.

Division Series - San Francisco Giants v Chicago Cubs - Game Two
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So here it comes. If Bumgarner holds to his standard of pitching in these kinds of games, he will out-stat Arrieta. Maybe, maybe they each allow a run somewhere. But this one is coming down to the Bullpen. Both pitchers will be substituted on the offensive side of the ball, rather than because on-mound trouble or pitch count. But I gotta go against the conventional home-field advantage that is usually prescribed in this game, and say it's the Cubs squeaking by with the game, and the series, 3-2 in the 11th.

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