Jim Bowden and Dan Szymborski set the table for the Giants-Nationals NL Division Series. Bowden lays out which team has the edge among starting pitchers and in the various facets of the game, and then adds his series prediction. Szymborski follows up with the most relevant stats leading into the series and the ZiPS game-by-game projections.
Who has the edge?
Game 1 starters: Jake Peavy vs. Stephen Strasburg. The Giants acquired Peavy at the trade deadline and he rewarded them with a great couple of months (12 starts). He was throwing free and easy and feeling completely healthy for the first time in years. ... Strasburg lived up to his potential in the final month of the season, going 3-1 with a 1.13 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 32 strikeouts with only three walks in 32 innings. He was shut down the last time the Nationals made the playoffs (in 2012) because of an innings limit; now he gets a chance to put his name with the game's best pitchers, and I wouldn't bet against him and his dominant stuff. Edge: Nationals.