San Francisco Giants beat Pittsburgh Pirates in National League wild card game

The San Francisco Giants know what it takes to win this time of year. The Pittsburgh Pirates are still learning. Madison Bumgarner and Brandon Crawford provided a powerful lesson on the difference during the National League wildcard game. Bumgarner pitched a four-hitter with 10 strikeouts and Crawford hit the first grand slam by a shortstop in postseason history as the Giants routed the Pirates 8-0 Wednesday night. "That's crazy," Crawford said. "With all the great shortstops that have played before, that's pretty special. I'm happy to be able to do it."

"That's pretty amazing when you think about it," observes CBSSports.com Baseball Writer Mike Axisa. "Crawford had a fine year with the Giants this season. ... Not great, but rock solid, especially by shortstop standards. The grand slam certainly was not expected though, and it continued a recent tradition of postseason heroes coming out of nowhere for the Giants." After silencing a black-clad crowd hoping for another Pittsburgh playoff run, San Francisco will face the National League East champion Washington Nationals in the best-of-five Division Series beginning Friday.

This one fizzled by the middle innings - one night after the Kansas City Royals edged the Oakland Athletics in a thrilling start to baseball's postseason. Crawford's shot over the right-field wall in the fourth inning off Edinson Volquez put the Giants ahead. Bumgarner did the rest, as San Francisco won its eighth consecutive postseason game and seventh in a row when facing elimination. Overpowering one of the NL's best lineups, Bumgarner walked one and threw 79 of 109 pitches for strikes in his latest stellar October performance. The big lefthander, who allowed only four singles, has thrown 15 scoreless innings in two World Series starts.

"It's fun," Bumgarner said. "If you're not playing, you can be excited and nervous and all that. But if you're pitching in the game, you've got to try to push that all aside and try to make pitches like we did tonight." Brandon Belt drove in three runs. Volquez was trying to cap his remarkable comeback season by sending Pittsburgh to the National League Division Series for the second straight year, but he couldn't match Bumgarner. The right-hander cruised until the fourth, when a pair of singles and a walk loaded the bases with none out. Crawford followed with a drive that kept carrying all the way to the seats above the 21-foot high Roberto Clemente wall to quiet the largest crowd in the 13-year history of PNC Park. That was more than enough for Bumgarner, who mixed his fastball with a slider the Pirates couldn't seem to figure out. Pittsburgh, fourth in the majors in extra-base hits this season, rarely hit the ball hard. "We got outplayed tonight," second baseman Neil Walker said. "Bumgarner went out there, he did what he wanted to do. He put up the strike zone and he made it tough on us."

Bumgarner was helped by his defense, too. Third baseman Pablo Sandoval - all 245 pounds of him - flipped over the railing in front of the Pittsburgh dugout to track down a foul popup off the bat of Russell Martin. Sandoval landed on his feet, a perfect symbol of San Francisco's seemingly endless resilience when the calendar flips to October. Back in the playoffs after winning the World Series in 2010 and 2012, the Giants are looking to continue their every-other-year success. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, was unable to duplicate last year's victory over Cincinnati in the wildcard game that followed a 21-year playoff drought. Playing before raucous crowds at PNC Park, the Pirates pushed St. Louis to a decisive Game 5 before losing their NLDS. This year, Pittsburgh went 17-9 in September while taking the Cardinals to the final day of the season in an attempt to win the National League Central.

The chase included a decision to start budding ace Gerrit Cole in the regular-season finale in the hopes of catching the Cardinals and avoiding the wildcard game. Cole struck out 12 in a brilliant performance but the Pirates lost, putting Pittsburgh's hopes for extending its season on Volquez's excitable shoulders. The former All-Star navigated three innings in the biggest start of his career before it all unraveled in the fourth. Sandoval and Hunter Pence opened the inning with singles. Belt walked on a full count to set up Crawford, who sent a 1-2 hanging breaking ball soaring to right. Pittsburgh's Travis Snider drifted back and turned, expecting it to carom off the wall.

It didn't, instead landing a couple of rows deep to immediately turn a frenzied atmosphere into a stunned silence save for the whoops coming from the San Francisco dugout, a familiar sound when its season is on the line. Crawford's grand slam was the fourth in Giants postseason history. "The last thing on my mind was probably hitting a home run," Crawford said. "I was just trying to hit something good enough to get Pablo home, and I figured that would probably be good enough for Madison." Shortstop had been the only position - including pitcher - without a slam in postseason play. San Francisco added on against Pittsburgh's normally reliable bullpen, and the "Black Out" crowd faded to black, some heading to the exits long before the final out. "When they got up early on us we were trying to scratch and claw our way back," Walker said. "He was good from the first pitch until the last pitch."

Pittsburgh, on the other hand, was unable to duplicate last year's victory over Cincinnati in the wild-card game that followed a 21-year playoff drought. Playing before raucous crowds at PNC Park, the Pirates pushed St. Louis to a decisive Game 5 before losing their NLDS.

This year, Pittsburgh went 17-9 in September while taking the Cardinals to the final day of the season in an attempt to win the NL Central. There will be no extended playoff stay this time after Crawford's grand slam, the fourth in Giants postseason history. Shortstop had been the only position - including pitcher - without a slam in postseason play. "That's crazy," Crawford said. "With all the great shortstops that have played before, that's pretty special. I'm happy to be able to do it."

Ryder Cup 2014 live: Latest on Day 1 from Gleneagles, including scoreboard

After two long years and one interminable week of hype and press conferences, the Ryder Cup finally returns Friday morning. With the 2014 edition swinging back to Scotland, the first two days will start in the middle of the night back in the United States. Friday is the first of two double-session days, with the first session going out just after sunset and the second session starting a half-hour after the conclusion of the first in the afternoon. From start to finish, it should be an 11-hour march to get the first 8 points doled out at Gleneagles. The first session will be Four-Ball -- each player plays his own ball from tee to green and the best score of the two matches up against the best of their opponent's. The afternoon will then transition to Foursomes, where the two players alternate shots playing just a single ball off the tee. Here are some thoughts on the first four matches of the Ryder Cup 

The second match of the day is the only one in which the Americans are favored. Rickie Fowler is probably the best overall player on Tom Watson's team right now, and the best candidate to play all five sessions this week. Jimmy Walker is coming off a career year, winning three times before mid-February. The thought was that he'd lock up a Ryder Cup spot based on the points from those early wins, but he continued to contend at the biggest events throughout the summer and finished as one of the most consistent players of the season. Kaymer, of course, had that amazing stretch early in the summer when he won The Players and set records at the U.S. Open with that dominating win at Pinehurst. But he was hobbled by a shoulder injury at the British Open and never found the same German-machine form in July and August. He was improved in the FedEx Cup last month, but this is still a gettable match for the USA. Bjorn is the veteran of the group, making the team on points after a complete rejuvenation season for his first RC start since 2002.

Rose and Stenson are a really formidable duo, two players in the top 6 in the world rankings. But I think the most important match for Europe is the third one, featuring the only Scot on the team, Stephen Gallacher, and the heart and soul of the team, Ryder Cup legend Ian Poulter. It's the native son and the most popular player together, and they should draw the loudest galleries of the session. Captain Paul McGinley's decision to send Gallacher in his first ever Cup match out in front of the home crowd with Poulter was a nice stroke, putting more of the pressure on the man who has set the tone for the European side. Opposite those two are USA rookies Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed. Spieth can get a little reactionary when things start to go sideways, but he's got experience in these team events now at just 21-years old. Reed is cocky and temperamental, and is probably excited about how loud the crowds will be and how they'll be cheering against him. Poulter may have that near-perfect record, but he's coming off a season of pretty ugly golf. If the American rookies can pick him off, that would be a huge mental boost to the USA side and deflate the Euro hero symbol right out of the gate. McGinley's team needs to take care of the American rookies.

This is a no-brainer -- the Mickelson/Bradley match against McIlroy/Garcia is the best we could have hoped for and could be the match of the entire cup. Phil's little verbal barb about Rory's lawsuit against teammate Graeme McDowell only adds to the fun. McIlroy and Garcia are two of the top three players in the world, and as powerful a duo as Europe could put out there. They have successful Ryder Cup records and a history of crushing American hopes and enthusiasm. Bradley and Mickleson, on the other hand, were the emotional leaders of the USA side at Medinah, whipping up the crowds and their teammates better than any other duo. They also put points on the board (3-0 record) throughout the first two days. A best ball between Rory and Sergio seems unbeatable and unfair after what we just watched from those two this summer. But given some of the trash talk from Phil, and his history of catching a roll alongside Bradley, this should certainly be the most fun match to watch. It will anchor the first session, and go off at 3:20 a.m. ET (8:20 a.m. local).