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San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner was historically effective in August, joining Curt Schilling as one of two pitchers in the modern era to strike out 55 or more batters while walking three or fewer in a calendar month, per ESPN Stats & Info.

The lefty had a 1.57 ERA, 0.63 WHIP and 4-1 record during his incredible August, which included a pair of complete-game shutouts and a 56-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio a for the month. He had a trio of double-digit strikeout performances among his six outings while recording a quality start each time out.

The 56 strikeouts were easily Bumgarner‘s personal best for a calendar month, surpassing the 48 he had in May of this year. With 199 for the season, he’s already matched his career high set last year after consecutive seasons (2011 and 2012) with 191 punchouts.

Having narrowly missed 200 strikeouts in each of the last three years, Bumgarner is set to hit the mark this Saturday, when he’ll face major league strikeout leader David Price and the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.

Schilling posted an insane 62-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio for the Arizona Diamondbacks in May of 2002 on his way to finishing the year with 316 strikeouts. No pitcher has reached 300 strikeouts in a season since both Schilling and teammate Randy Johnson (334) did so that year.

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner earned a piece of history Sunday, becoming just the second pitcher in MLB history to hit two grand slams in a season, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Long known as one of the more respectable batters among major league hurlers, the 24-year-old Bumgarner went deep off of Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Matt Stites in the sixth inning of Sunday’s eventual 8-4 Giants win.

The home run, which was Bumgarner‘s third of the season and fifth of his career, pushed his season-long slash line to an impressive .275/.302/.550. He previously hit a grand slam on April 11 against the Colorado Rockies and now has 12 RBI through just 40 at-bats this season.

Previously, the only pitcher to hit multiple grand slams in a season was Tony Cloninger, who smacked two for the Braves in their first season in Atlanta, back in 1966. Though his career wasn’t remarkable from either a pitching or hitting perspective, Cloninger walloped five of his 11 career home runs during that 1966 campaign, one year after posting a 24-win season.

Bumgarner earned a second slice of baseball history Sunday, as he and star Giants catcher Buster Posey became the first starting pitcher-starting catcher duo to both hit grand slams in the same game, per MLB Stat of the Day.

Posey’s third-inning slam accounted for San Francisco’s other four runs, as the batterymates knocked in all eight of their team’s runs.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers have to be growing tired of Madison Bumgarner, don’t you think?

The San Francisco Giants lefty ace turned out a solid performance on Saturday afternoon, allowing two runs over 6.1 strong innings as San Francisco prevailed 7-2 over Los Angeles for its fifth win in the season’s first six games.

The performance didn’t come as much of a surprise, considering MadBum’s historically exceptional success against the Dodgers, particularly at Chavez Ravine. With a 1.86 ERA and five wins in seven starts at Dodger Stadium heading into the game, Bumgarner simply picked up right where he left off.

It certainly wasn’t the left-hander’s best outing against Los Angeles, but he did an excellent job of pitching out of a few tricky spots. Indeed, the Dodgers failed to capitalize on a two-out double by shortstop Hanley Ramirez in the first inning, and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez’s double to lead off the fourth also proved harmless.

Bumgarner certainly came out firing, but he also got plenty of help from his offense. The Giants, already second in the majors in runs scored heading into the game, hit three home runs, including a huge three-run blast by Pablo Sandoval in the fifth inning. Buster Posey and Michael Morse each added solo shots as well.

The victory didn’t come easy—until the fifth inning, that is. In the first, Ramirez ensured there would be no repeat of Friday’s first-inning fiasco for the Dodgers, turning a would-be single by Hunter Pence into a double play that took the Giants out of the inning.

But that would only delay the Giants’ scoring effort, as Brandon Crawford’s RBI groundout in the second made Dodgers starter Paul Maholm pay for his leadoff walk to Morse to begin the inning.

Morse followed that up with a go-ahead solo shot on the first pitch of the fourth inning, but that would only be a prelude to the offensive explosion in the following inning.

Oddly enough, Bumgarner started the rally with an opposite-field knock. Then, after Angel Pagan’s single through the left side and a Pence flyout, Maholm tried to sneak an 84 mph changeup past Sandoval on the inner half.

That pitch would prove to be Maholm’s last of the afternoon, with Sandoval—hitting from the right side—depositing the ball over the left field fence to give the Giants a 5-1 lead. 

That proved to be all the Giants would need, thanks to Bumgarner’s masterful performance. Generally a groundout-inducing pitcher, MadBum only got several such outs that way in the game, but it didn’t really matter. For the most part, the Dodgers didn’t do much when they put the ball in the air, and Bumgarner added 10 strikeouts to help his cause, dominating the order from top to bottom.

That included Dodgers leadoff hitter Yasiel Puig, who homered off Bumgarner in the first meeting between the two last season. Since then, however, Bumgarner has held the distinct edge.

On paper, Puig fared well against MadBum—he went 1-for-3. But that one hit was erased via a pickoff, and a pair of weak flyouts accounted for the other two outs.

Then, when Santiago Casilla came in to face Puig with the bases loaded and one out, the latter got jammed and only managed a shallow flyout that didn’t bring in a run. Pence then took care of the rest:

Giants fans are undoubtedly pleased with the solid pitching performance, but the offense was what really stood out on Saturday. The three homers aside, the Giants totaled 11 hits overall, in addition to six bases on balls. It was the third consecutive game in which San Francisco scored seven runs or more.

For all the talk about how the Giants would struggle to put up runs this season, they’ve been doing a pretty good job in that regard, especially with two outs. San Francisco came into the game hitting a ridiculous .536 (15-for-28) with runners in scoring position and two outs, best in the majors, and Pagan continued that trend with a two-out RBI double in the sixth.

The three homers didn’t hurt either.

The Giants will look to continue their winning ways in the series finale on Sunday. Matt Cain will face Zack Greinke as San Francisco looks for the series sweep.

All statistics courtesy of FanGraphs.

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By now, San Francisco Giants fans have undoubtedly heard plenty about their team’s starting pitching struggles in 2013. But even with the lackluster performance that defined Giants pitching last season, there’s plenty to look forward to in 2014, particularly when it comes to the aces of the rotation.

While Madison Bumgarner shouldered the bulk of the load in 2013, Matt Cain faltered early in the season. By the time he recovered, the Giants were well out of contention. 

But given each starter’s success in the second half of the season (and Bumgarner‘s success throughout), Cain and Bumgarner could form one of the best front ends of any rotation in the majors, if not the best, in the coming seasons.

Yes, that’s a bold statement, especially when considering that the Los Angeles Dodgers have Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, and the Detroit Tigers‘ duo of Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer is potentially just as scary.

But before you write off Cain and Bumgarner, take a look at just how promising this season is for both pitchers.

Cain is the more questionable of the pair, judging from his 4.00 ERA and eight wins in 2013. But in his last 18 starts of the season, Cain recorded 14 quality starts including nine of his last 10 games.

That led to a sparkling 2.36 ERA in the second half—a total eclipsed by only eight other players in the majors with over 70 innings in that span.

Of course, the starter who ranked one spot ahead of Cain in second-half ERA, besting him by 0.06 of a point, was Bumgarner. But that wasn’t anything new for MadBum, who finished with a 2.77 mark on the season, good for eighth in the majors.

Unsurprisingly, the only other duo from one team to feature in the top 10 in second-half ERA, aside from Cain and Bumgarner, were Kershaw and Greinke who finished first and third, respectively. Those two are the current gold standard for regular-season success, but there’s also something to be said for postseason experience and success, both of which Bumgarner and Cain possess in droves.

Indeed, Bumgarner has tossed 15 scoreless frames in his World Series career, and Cain owns a 2.10 career postseason ERA thanks to his astounding 21.1 scoreless innings in 2010.

That’s something neither Kershaw nor Greinke can speak to. Those who watched the 2013 NLCS are familiar with Kershaw‘s playoff shortcomings; that was nothing new, as he’s now 0-3 with a 7.23 ERA in his NLCS career for an overall postseason 4.23 ERA.

Greinke has been just as poor, with a 4.30 ERA in 37.2 career postseason innings.

The bottom line: If you’re looking for regular season stats, Greinke and Kershaw are your guys. But for those who prefer proven success in October (as well as in the regular season), there is no better pairing than Cain and Bumgarner.

For now, the Dodgers pair of Kershaw and Greinke reigns supreme to Cain and Bumgarner overall. There’s even an argument to be made for Verlander and Scherzer‘s supremacy. But if Cain and MadBum both turn in ace-worthy numbers in 2014, their postseason numbers and sustained success over the past several seasons would make them the de facto No. 1 pitching duo in baseball.

All statistics courtesy of Fangraphs.

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If you followed the San Francisco Giants in 2013, you’re probably well aware that the production from the starting rotation dipped so dramatically that the then-reigning champs saw a 32-point increase in their team ERA, including an 80-point jump from 2011.

But Barry Zito and his 9.56 road ERA are gone, and veteran Tim Hudson is in as the replacement. Add in Matt Cain’s second-half success (more on that in a second) and Tim Lincecum’s continuous improvement, and the outlook is relatively bright for the once-heralded Giants rotation. Let’s take a look at what to expect from the five starters in 2014.

Matt Cain

Cain’s numbers from 2013 are a bit deceiving when trying to project his 2014 totals. Yes, his 4.00 ERA was alarmingly high, but consider this: After the All-Star break, Cain had a 2.36 ERA.

Why did the Giants righty make such a drastic improvement? Quite simply, Cain regained his command in the second half. According to FanGraphs, his walk rate dipped from 7.9 to 6.1, and he allowed just 0.87 home runs per nine innings, a huge dip from the 1.29 total that marked his disastrous first half.

That’s a testament to Cain’s ability to better locate the ball in the strike zone, an inability that plagued him in the first half to the tune of 16 home runs allowed.

Don’t expect Cain to come close to matching those fantastic second-half totals this season; he stranded an astonishing 84.5 percent of runners after the break, a total he can’t match for an entire season. With that being said, expect Cain to once again return to ace-like form.

Projection: 14-7, 3.05 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 175 Ks

Madison Bumgarner

There’s not much to say about Bumgarner, except that the Giants could have used four more of him in 2013. The young lefty stepped in as the staff ace when the rest of the staff faltered, and he put together a 2.77 ERA with a minuscule .199 opponents’ batting average.

Opponents also had a .251 batting average on balls in play (BABIP) against Bumgarner, fifth-lowest in the majors according to FanGraphs. Conventional wisdom says that total will start to move upward toward the league average, but I’d argue that we can expect a similar BABIP, and thus a similar overall level of dominance, from MadBum in 2014.

Why? Because Bumgarner still possesses his nasty arsenal of pitches, and when he doesn’t strike out batters, they’re often weakly rolling over his pitches, as evidenced by MadBum‘s 46.8 ground ball percentage.

“I love the way he goes about it. No emotion,” said Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, per Henry Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle. “He just goes out there and competes. On the field, you just like to see that mentality. He gives up eight, or he shuts them out, and you see no difference in his attitude and mind-set.”

Manager Bruce Bochy has similar admiration for MadBum.

“I don’t put a ceiling on this kid,” Bochy said, per Schulman. “What he did in 2010, how he handled the playoffs and the World Series, he’s got a great makeup. He’s a big, strong guy who wants to get better.”

That drive to succeed, combined with a near-unhittable repertoire of pitches and promising statistical trends, all point toward another dominant season from Bumgarner.

Projection: 17-8, 2.80 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 210 Ks

Tim Lincecum

Once the ace of the staff, Lincecum is now the most unpredictable starter in the rotation. Gone are the days of accolades and record numbers, but can The Freak return to respectability?

After posting an MLB-worst 5.18 ERA in 2011, Lincecum lowered that total by 81 points last season. As he learns to pitch around hitters instead of trying to blow them away, he will continue to experience growing pains, as we’ve witnessed during the last few seasons. But those growing pains are becoming increasingly infrequent, and the improvement that we’ve seen from Timmy is a testament to that hard work.

There’s also some evidence that points toward a bit of bad luck for Lincecum in 2013. He stranded only 69.4 percent of runners last season, according to FanGraphs, the 10th-lowest total in the majors, and a number that should even out a bit this year. Lincecum also had the 28th-highest BABIP in the majors last season, again a total that could level out a bit.

That doesn’t let him off the hook, but it’s an indication that he could move closer yet to becoming an average MLB starter, which is essentially all the Giants are asking. Though, with the $35 million the club will owe him over the next two seasons, it certainly wouldn’t hurt if he reverted to his Cy Young-worthy performance. (Not going to happen.)

Projection: 11-12, 3.85 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 215 Ks

Tim Hudson

Hudson is coming off a pretty severe injury to his right ankle, so don’t expect any miracles this season. However, consistency is the name of the game when it comes to Hudson’s career, and you can expect more of the same in 2014.

Indeed, the veteran right-hander has never compiled a non-winning season, failing to eclipse a .600 winning percentage only twice in 15 seasons. He also hasn’t had an ERA above 4.00 since 2006, a number he’s reached just twice in his career.

Hudson is now back in the Bay Area, and he’ll once again pitch in a favorable pitcher’s park. (He compiled a 92-39 record in six seasons with the Oakland A’s at the cavernous Oakland Coliseum.) 

According to an Associated Press report, via ESPN, Hudson is progressing reasonably well in his return. He “looked good,” according to Buster Posey, and Bruce Bochy praised the veteran’s mechanics.

“He had a smooth, easy delivery, the same I’ve seen over the years,” Bochy said. “I don’t see him changing anything.”

Assuming Hudson returns from injury in time for the season and doesn’t experience much trouble regaining form, he’s primed for a nice return to the Bay Area.

Projection: 12-9, 3.75 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 120 Ks

Ryan Vogelsong

Perhaps the only pitcher in the rotation who rivals the unpredictable nature of Lincecum is Vogelsong. It’s hard to draw much from the small sample size that constituted Vogelsong‘s 2013 season, but he struggled mightily when he did pitch.

The safe pick would be to project something in between Vogey’s 2013 numbers (5.73 ERA, 1.56 WHIP) and his 2012 totals (3.37, 1.23), but I’m going to go out on a limb and expect a return to 2012 form.

Why? For one, Vogelsong is a true competitor, and he’s talked about how he shoulders the blame for 2013’s failures and how he expects to improve. I also wrote recently that Vogelsong won’t have the expectations that followed his 2011 and 2012 success, thanks to his down season and the Giants’ overall lackluster performance. He’ll begin the season as the No. 5 starter in the rotation, meaning the Giants won’t be asking much of him.

Speaking of the Giants’ down year, another positive that can be drawn from the failure is the additional rest that the starters received due to their lack of participation in the postseason. Perhaps that time off is just what Vogelsong (and the rest of the staff) needs to come out firing in 2014.

Projection: 13-8, 3.55 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 130 Ks

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With Opening Day just around the corner, the San Francisco Giants are looking to redeem themselves after a 76-86 record in 2013.

The Giants have won two out of the last four World Series, but there are some serious question marks about their 2014 club.

Can their starting pitching return to old form? Will Pablo Sandoval have a productive season? Can their defense improve?

Here are five bold predictions for the Giants in 2014. 

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22-year-old Michael Wacha became the 17th-youngest pitcher to win a World Series game when he defeated the Boston Red Sox in Game 2 on Thursday night.

The rookie was still highly effective, despite lacking the outstanding command he demonstrated in his previous three postseason starts; he ultimately allowed two runs on three hits and four walks with five strikeouts over seven impressive innings.

In the aftermath of Wacha’s gem against the Dodgers in Game 2 of the NLCS, I wrote that it ranked as the 10th-best performance by a rookie pitcher in postseason history. However, with the right-hander now pitching in the Fall Classic, I figured I’d now take a more specific look at rookie performances in the World Series.

Once again, Win Probability Average (WPA) was used to rank each player’s single-game performance. This time, however, I decided to include hitters. And to avoid skewed results from late-inning relievers and pinch hitters, I narrowed the focus to only position players who started the game and pitchers who logged at least six innings.

Here’s a look at the 10 best performances by rookies in the World Series.

1. Madison Bumgarner, LHP, San Francisco Giants (2010)

After opening the 2010 season in the minor leagues, Bumgarner was called up to join the Giants’ starting rotation in late June and went on to register a 3.00 ERA in 18 starts during the regular season. While the 20-year-old left-hander pitched well in both the NLDS and NLCS that year, he put himself on the map as one of baseball’s best young pitchers with his Game 4 start in the World Series against the Texas Rangers.

With the Giants already up 2-1 in the best-of-seven series, Bumgarner fired eight scoreless innings in which he allowed three hits and two walks with six strikeouts. More importantly, San Francisco won the game, 4-0, and went on to defeat the Rangers the following night in Game 5 to win the 2010 World Series. 

2. Bruce Kison, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates (1971)

Called up to the major leagues on the Fourth of July in 1971, Kison, 21 at the time, posted a 102 ERA+ in 95.1 innings during the regular season including two complete games in 13 starts.

The 6’4” right-hander was moved to the bullpen for the postseason where he served as the Pirates’ long reliever. In his only NLCS appearance against the Giants, Kison tossed 4.2 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks with three strikeouts.

After failing to record an out in relief of starter Bob Johnson during Game 2 of the World Series against the Orioles, Kison was stellar out of the bullpen in Game 4. Entering the game with two outs in the first inning after starter Luke Walker was shelled for three runs, the right-hander fired 6.1 shutout frames, allowing only one hit—he did hit three batters for good measure—with three strikeouts.

3. Gil McDougald, 2B-3B, New York Yankees (1951)

Gil McDougald had an outstanding rookie season with the Yankees in 1951, appearing in 131 games and receiving significant playing time at both second and third base. At the plate, the 22-year-old batted .306/.396/.488 with 72 runs scored, 41 extra-base hits (14 home runs), 14 stolen bases and more walks (56) than strikeouts (54). Following the season, McDougald was named the American League Rookie of the Year and even finished ninth in the league’s MVP voting.

Tied at two games apiece with the New York Giants in the 1951 World Series, McDougald provided a series-changing blow in Game 5 with a third-inning grand slam. The Yankees went on to win the game, 13-1, and ultimately clinch the series the following night.

4. Whitey Ford, LHP, New York Yankees (1950)  

21-year-old Whitey Ford took baseball by storm following his arrival in July of 1950, posting a 9-1 record with seven complete games and 153 ERA+ in 112 innings spanning 20 games (12 starts). The left-hander’s impressive campaign resulted in a second-place finish in the AL Rookie of the Year voting following the season.

The Yankees opened the 1950 World Series against the Phillies with wins in each of the first three games. In Game 4 at Yankee Stadium, they turned to Ford to clinch the series. The rookie certainly didn’t disappoint, as he allowed two runs (zero earned) on seven hits and a walk with seven strikeouts over 8.2 innings. The Yankees, meanwhile, went on to win the game, 5-2.

5. Brian Doyle, 2B, New York Yankees (1978)

The Yankees selected Doyle in the fourth round of the 1972 draft, though he didn’t reach the major leagues until 1978. Playing 39 games that season, mostly as a reserve, the 23-year-old batted only .192 in 54 plate appearances and failed to collect an extra-base hit.

Doyle would ultimately atone for his poor regular-season performance with an outstanding showing in the 1978 World Series against the Dodgers. Starting all six games at second base, the rookie went 7-for-16 (.438) with four runs scored and two RBI. He enjoyed arguably the best game of his career in Game 6, going 3-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and two RBI.

However, that was about it in terms of Doyle’s career, as he batted .150 with four extra-base hits in 71 games over parts of the next three seasons. By 1982, he was out of baseball.

6. Mel Stottlemyre, RHP, New York Yankees (1964) 

Following his call-up by the Yankees on August 14, 1964, Stottlemyre went on to have the ninth-best season by a rookie pitcher (with at least 96 innings pitched) in baseball history, according to Baseball Reference. Appearing in 13 games (12 starts) over the final two months of the regular season, the 22-year-old posted a 9-3 record and 177 ERA+ in 96 innings and even finished 25th in the AL MVP voting.

Amazing, Stottlemyre’s only postseason experience came later that year when the Yankees played the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. Getting the start in Game 2 on the road with the Yankees already trailing 1-0 in the series, the right-hander fired a complete-game gem, allowing three earned runs on seven hits and two walks with four strikeouts.

Stottlemyre came back to start Game 5 of the series and turned in another solid outing, allowing an earned run on six hits and two walks with six strikeouts. However, the rookie was outdueled by Hall of Famer Bob Gibson, who tossed a historic, 10-inning complete game with 13 strikeouts.

Hoping to ride Stottlemyer’s hot hand, the Yankees started the rookie in Game 7 of the series. However, the right-hander couldn’t further his World Series success, as he was saddled with the loss after allowing three earned runs on five hits and two walks, lasting only four innings.

7. Jacoby Ellsbury, OF, Boston Red Sox (2007)

It took Jacoby Ellsbury only two years to reach the major leagues after Boston selected him in the first round of the 2005 draft out of Oregon State University.

Called up to make his debut on June 30, 2007, the 23-year-old served as one the Red Sox’s hottest hitters over the final three months of the regular season, batting .353/.394/.509 with 20 runs scored, 11 extra-base hits (three home runs), 18 RBI and nine stolen bases in 33 games.

Ellsbury’s late-season success led to him being named as the team’s starting center fielder in the postseason, though he didn’t truly settle in at the plate until the World Series against the Colorado Rockies.

Moved up to the leadoff spot for Game 3 in Colorado, Ellsbury went 4-for-5 with three doubles, two runs scored and two RBI as the Cardinals outslugged the Rockies 10-5.

8. Ricky Ledee, OF, New York Yankees (1998)

Drafted as a 16-year-old in 1990 out of Puerto Rico, Ledee spent eight seasons in the minor leagues before finally making his major league debut on June 15, 1998. The 24-year-old went on to play in 42 games with the Yankees during the regular season, batting .241/.299/.392 with eight extra-base hits and 29 strikeouts in 87 plate appearances.

Although he made the Yankees’ postseason roster, Ledee failed to log an at-bat during the ALDS and subsequently went 0-for-5 in the ALCS against the Indians.

Despite his lack of at-bats, Ledee was named as the team’s starting left fielder in Game 1 of the World Series. He responded by going 2-for-3 with a double, walk and two RBI. The left-handed hitter would go on to bat .600 (6-for-10) in the series with three doubles and four RBI as the Yankees dropped the Padres in four consecutive games.

9. Andruw Jones, OF, Atlanta Braves (1996)

Regarded as the top prospect in the game by Baseball America heading into the 1996 season, Jones earned a promotion to the major leagues in the middle of August after posting a 1.072 OPS with 34 home runs in 116 games across three minor league levels.

The 19-year-old showed flashes of greatness following his call-up by the Braves, batting .217/.265/.443 with five home runs and 13 RBI in 31 regular-season games. As expected—given his age and lack of professional experience—Jones struggled to control the strike zone at the highest level and ultimately fanned 29 times in 113 plate appearances.

Though Jones was named to the Braves’ postseason roster, the precocious outfielder served as a pinch hitter and late-inning defensive replacement during the NLDS and for most of the NLCS. However, when he was given the start in left field in the deciding Game 7 of the NLCS against the Cardinals, Jones made the most of the opportunity, going 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI.

The rookie was back in left field for Game 1 of the World Series against the Yankees and, amazingly, picked up where he left off in the NLCS, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored, two home runs and five RBI. At 19 years old, Jones became the youngest player to hit a home run in the postseason (and obviously the World Series).

10. Willie McGee, OF, St. Louis Cardinals (1982)

Willie McGee made an immediate impact in the major leagues, batting .340 with nine extra-base hits, 21 RBI and eight stolen bases in 43 games following his debut early in the 1982 season. The 23-year-old ultimately finished the season with a .296/.318/.391 batting line, 24 extra-base hits and 24 stolen bases in 123 games, and he placed third in the NL Rookie of the Year voting.

McGee continued to swing a hot bat in the NLCS, posting a 1.154 OPS with two triples, a home run and five RBI in the Cardinals’ three-game sweep of the Braves. The speedy switch hitter didn’t fare as well in the World Series, as the Brewers pitchers allowed him to reach base seven times in 26 plate appearances.

However, McGee put himself in the record books with his 2-for-3, two-home run, four-RBI performance in Game 3.

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While baseball award predictions are usually thwarted by hot Septembers, cold Septembers and injuries, one cannot deny the fun of it.

The 2013 NL Cy Young race is a particularly interesting debate, since they are a few very good hurlers taking the mound every fifth day, but no clear-cut favorite.

There are so many good NL pitchers this season that I knew I would insult a couple candidates by narrowing the field down down to five contestants.

Jordan Zimmerman, Jason Grilli, and Cliff Lee were my final cuts.

So, without further adieu, the 2013 NL Cy Young race, according to Phil…

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Two-and-a-half seasons into his professional career, Madison Bumgarner is already established as one of the game’s premiere pitchers. He’ll slot in behind ace Matt Cain and in front of two-time Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum in the San Francisco Giants‘ rotation to open this season.

The 23-year-old lefty has already thrown 534 regular-season innings and signed a long-term contract extension that will keep him at the top of the rotation with Cain through at least 2017. Listed at 6’5″ and 227 pounds, the big Southerner is built to continue to eat 200 innings every season for the foreseeable future.

To be an ace, a starting pitcher must be able to do these five things: throw strikes (control), throw quality pitches within the zone (command), miss bats, keep the ball in the park and get opposite-handed hitters out. Bumgarner has shown that he can do all of those things thus far in his professional career, though he has room for improvement against right-handed hitters.

He’s only walked 5.6 percent of the hitters he’s faced while striking out 21.7 percent—showing his ability to throw strikes and miss bats. He’s allowed just 48 home runs in his career, and opponents have hit .248 against him—proving that he can keep the ball in the park and throw quality pitches in the zone to consistently get hitters out.

Right-handed hitters have hit .255/.307/.400 against Bumgarner, and while that’s perfectly acceptable, it’s the one area where he can improve the most.

Bumgarner has put up a 3.23 ERA since he established himself as a fixture in the Giants’ rotation, which ranks him among the top 20 pitchers in the game in that time frame. Despite his regular-season excellence and the 15 shutout innings he’s thrown in the World Series, he can still get even better by further neutralizing righties.

His repertoire consists predominantly of a 90-92 mph four-seam fastball and an 86-90 mph slider. He combines to throw those two pitches more than 80 percent of the time for a good reason: They are his two best offerings.

His slider is his best pitch and one of the best secondary pitches in the game. It will sometimes look like a cutter with flatter movement and other times look like a true slider with the traditional tilt and sweeping action away from a lefty or into a righty.

He throws from a low arm slot that makes it nearly impossible for left-handed hitters to pick him up. Lefties have hit just .223 off of Bumgarner thus far in his career.

However, right-handed batters have had more success off of Bumgarner because they get a better look at the ball from his low release point. Since his changeup and curve aren’t pitches that he really trusts, right-handed hitters can just sit on his two-pitch mix. His fastball and slider are both hard pitches that move into right-handed hitters from his low arm slot.

Thus, in order to have more success against righties, Bumgarner has to come up with something different to keep them off balance. Throwing the changeup, which is slower than the fastball and slider with movement in the opposite direction, is one solution.

Another option is to develop a two-seam fastball, and that is something Bumgarner is working on this spring. Like the changeup, the two-seam fastball has movement away from a righty.

Alex Pavolvic of the San Jose Mercury News wrote about Bumgarner‘s new weapon on Friday:

Madison Bumgarner gave up three hits and walked two in 1 2/3, but said much of that had to do with him working in a two-seamer, a pitch he hasn’t thrown in a couple of years. Bumgarner said he wants to give hitters a different look.

“I just feel like it would help to have a couple of pitches going the other way,” he said. “It’s just about getting a little tail [on pitches].”

It will be interesting to see how that pitch develops for him this spring. Bumgarner doesn’t throw a great curve or changeup in part because of the way he slings the ball across his body from the low arm slot, and that could also give him trouble with the two-seam fastball.

Giants starter Ryan Vogelsong throws an excellent two-seam fastball, changeup and curve because he stays on top of the ball by throwing from a higher release point. All three of those pitches are more effective when the pitcher stays on top of the ball and drives it downward, something that is hard to do from a lower release point.

Bumgarner has emerged as an elite pitcher at an age where most of his peers are still honing their craft in the minor leagues. He’s done it by relying primarily on just two pitches—albeit two outstanding ones.

His low release point makes him hard to hit, but it also makes it tough for him to throw anything other than the four-seam fastball and slider. In order for him take another leap forward this season, he’ll have to find a third pitch that hitters need to account for.

Developing a consistent third pitch will further enhance the effects of the four-seamer and the slider. If he can develop another consistent weapon, his ERA will assuredly drop below 3.00 this season and his first All-Star appearance will be a lock.

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The San Francisco Giants have been known for their pitching for a long time. But this year, the staff has regressed a bit.

All five pitchers have gone through rough patches this year, some longer than others. Even Matt Cain, he of the perfect game, 15-5 record and 2.86 ERA, has had his struggles. Madison Bumgarner has too, and Tim Lincecum has had a rough year overall.

However, despite all of that, the Giants are still 10 games ahead of the second-place Dodgers in the NL West and 25 games over .500. And, their pitching rotation is still dangerous. But what would make it more dangerous?

Arranging the postseason rotation the right way.

Here is my blueprint for what the Giants’ playoff rotation should look like.

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