National League Wild Card Game Tonight

The National League Wild Card game is being played this evening in Pittsburgh. Each team advanced to the postseason with a record of 88-74. The Giants finished six games back of the Dodgers in the NL West while the Pirates wound up two games behind St. Louis in the NL Central.

The pitching matchup has left-hander Madison Bumgarner going for the Giants against righty Edinson Volquez (VOHL'-kehz). On the season Bumgarner was 18-10 with a 2.98 earned run average while Volquez was 13-7 with a 3.04 ERA. In his last 12 starts Volquez had a 1.78 ERA and finished the season with a scoreless streak of 18. Bumgarner has enjoyed life away from San Francisco as he went 11-4 with a 2.22 ERA in 18 road starts.

During the season the Pirates won four of the six games they played. The Giants will have their hands full as the Pirates won 51 of 81 home games this season.

The Pirates and visiting San Francisco will have to have a pretty exciting game to match the American League contest last night, when the Royals beat the Athletics in 12, 9-8. The victory sends the Royals, who are in the playoffs for the first time in 29 years, to Anaheim for the divisional playoffs against the Angels.

Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton says he's feeling better and is ready to face KC. The former AL MVP missed 21 of the Angels' final 22 regular-season games because of shoulder and other upper-body injuries. Angels pitcher Matt Shoemaker also says he's feeling fine after being sidelined the last two weeks because of an oblique strain on his left side.