The Giants snuck into the postseason after a dreadful second half. Meanwhile, the Mets were surging over the final six weeks to snatch an improbable playoff berth.
One of the two teams will survive Wednesday night’s National League wild-card game to face the Cubs in the NLDS, beginning Friday at Wrigley Field.
The Mets — who went 27-13 over the final six weeks — are the hot team. But how do you bet against Madison Bumgarner, who not only owns October but has also dominated at Citi Field?
Something has to give. Here are your matchups for an East vs. West showdown.
Catcher
Buster Posey had another strong season for the Giants, hitting .288 with 14 homers and 80 RBIs. The All-Star is battle-tested, as he begins his fourth postseason with the Giants. Rene Rivera (.222 batting average) doesn’t bring much offense to the equation, but the veteran has become the preferred target of this starting rotation, especially Noah Syndergaard, who needs a little extra help with base runners. Rivera was a respectable 18 of 61 (29 percent) throwing out runners attempting to steal.
Edge: Giants
First base
Brandon Belt posted an .868 OPS and led the Giants in homers (17) and walks (104). The lefty swinger is well-regarded for his patient approach at the plate and brings a decent — but not great — glove to the position. James Loney is the Mets’ best defensive option at first base and is expected to get the start over Lucas Duda, who appeared rusty on Sunday, committing two errors. Loney had a solid final month at the plate for the Mets, including a homer in each of the past two series.
Edge: Giants
Second base
Former St. John’s standout Joe Panik had a rough year offensively, hitting .239 with 10 homers and 62 RBIs. But Panik remains a strong defensive player who teams well with Brandon Crawford to give the Giants a first-rate double-play combination. T.J. Rivera hasn’t stopped hitting since returning to the Mets from Triple-A Las Vegas in early September. Can the rookie handle the postseason spotlight? The Bronx native keeps exceeding expectations.
Edge: Even
Shortstop
Crawford is another member of the Giants core accustomed to playing in the postseason every other year. He hit .275 with 12 homers and 84 RBIs this season, but also struck out 115 times. Asdrubal Cabrera battled knee soreness for much of the season, but was still among the Mets’ best offensive players, hitting .280 with 23 homers and 62 RBIs. The Mets were clearly a different team after he and Yoenis Cespedes returned from the disabled list in August.
Edge: Mets
Third base
Conor Gillaspie had a strong final month for the Giants — posting a .370 on-base percentage in September — but had a mediocre season, hitting .262 with six homers and 25 RBIs in 101 games. Eduardo Nunez has battled a sore right hamstring recently, but could be another option at third. Jose Reyes was among the in-season additions who helped save the Mets’ season. The veteran infielder made a smooth transition from shortstop to third base and gave the team a terrific leadoff option. He hit .380 against lefties this season.
Edge: Mets
Left field
Angel Pagan, five years removed from his Mets tenure, gives the Giants a solid switch-hitting option at the position. Pagan’s 15 stolen bases were second on the team to Nunez’s 27. Cespedes had a frustrating final road trip, but is the focal point of the Mets’ lineup. The team is hopeful he can rebound from last year’s postseason doldrums and carry the club deep into October.
Edge: Mets
Center field
Denard Span, who was on the Mets’ radar last offseason, hit .266 with 11 homers and 53 RBIs. The veteran outfielder is considered below average defensively. Curtis Granderson made a smooth transition from right to center field and raised his game offensively down the stretch to finish with 30 home runs. Granderson hit .226 against lefties and .241 against righties this season.
Edge: Mets
Right field
Hunter Pence has played in plenty of big October games for the Giants and remains a threat in the lineup after a season in which he hit .289 with 13 homers and 57 RBIs. The veteran outfielder was limited to 106 games this season because of injuries. Jay Bruce homered in three of his last five games in the regular season, but has been a disappointment since arriving from the Reds on Aug. 1.
Edge: Giants
Starting pitching
Madison Bumgarner is among the great postseason pitchers of all time and has dominated at Citi Field, where he is 4-0 with a 0.62 ERA in his career. But the lefty slumped over the final two months of the regular season in finishing 15-9 with a 2.74 ERA. Over his last eight postseason appearances, Bumgarner has pitched to a 0.91 ERA. Noah Syndergaard emerged as the Mets ace, finishing 14-9 with a 2.60 ERA to carry a rotation besieged by injuries. His best start of the season might have been his two-hit shutout over eight innings in San Francisco on Aug. 21. The Mets would like to see the same Syndergaard who dominated the Royals in Game 3 of last year’s World Series.
Edge: Giants
Bullpen
The Giants’ weakness has been an inconsistent bullpen that cost the team key games down the stretch. Former closer Santiago Casilla had nine blown saves in 40 attempts, but the Giants received solid results from Sergio Romo (now the closer), George Kontos and Hunter Strickland, among others. The Giants always could turn to a starting pitcher such as Johnny Cueto or Jeff Samardzija if Bumgarner has a short outing. The Mets have a strong nucleus that features Jeurys Familia, Addison Reed and Fernando Salas. If they need to retire a lefty, Jerry Blevins and Josh Smoker are solid options. Reed was among the best relievers in the majors this season and Familia was an All-Star closer.
Edge: Mets
Bench
Gregor Blanco doesn’t instill much fear into opposing pitchers, but Jarrett Parker has pop from the left side. The Mets will try to pick a spot for Kelly Johnson or Lucas Duda to deliver, but a righty threat is lacking. Juan Lagares could be a late-inning defensive replacement.
Edge: Mets
Manager
Bruce Bochy has guided the Giants to three World Series championships since 2010. But the Giants also faded in the second half this season after surging to the NL West lead before the All-Star break. Terry Collins managed the Mets to the NL pennant last season and kept the ship steady over the final six weeks, in which the Mets went 27-13 to clinch a wild-card berth.
Edge: Giants