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NLDS Game 4: Wild pitch helps Giants knock off Nationals, advance to NLCS

The San Francisco Giants are headed to their third NLCS in the past five seasons after dispatching the National League's top seed, the Washington Nationals 3-2 in NLDS Game 4. It was a game where San Francisco simply did more right than wrong, and then waited for opportunities to strike. The Nationals' sloppy pitching and defense provided those openings in the second and seventh innings. In particular, Aaron Barrett's wild pitch with the bases loaded in the seventh inning was a game-changing opportunity, and the Giants took full advantage.

San Francisco will have three full days to rest and prepare for the St. Louis Cardinals, who they defeated in the 2012 NLCS.

• Hunter Pence made perhaps the catch of the postseason so far in the sixth inning, slamming against the right-field wall to take away extra bases from Jayson Werth. The Giants led by one at the time, so it was definitely a critical moment in the game and perhaps just as important to the outcome as it was impressive.

Ryan Vogelsong was excited for the opportunity to start and delivered for Bruce Bochy, throwing 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball. Vogelsong carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning and at one point retired 10 straight. He exited the game to chants of "Vogey, Vogey" and several well-deserved hugs from his teammates.

• Joe Panik snapped an 0-for-13 slump with a pair of hits for San Francisco. He led off the seventh with a single and eventually scored the game-winner. Buster Posey also had two hits, including a single in the seventh that helped apply more pressure on Washington.

• Just another reminder that Bryce Harper is awesome at baseball. While the rest of Washington's offense struggled to get anything going in the postseason, Harper has done his best to carry the load. In Game 4, he started Washington's scoring with an RBI double in the fifth. Then came the monstrous splashdown home run that tied the game in the seventh. The homer was Harper's third in the series. If you take out an 0 for 7 in Game 2, he hit .500 (5 for 10). He'll turn only 22 on Oct. 16.

(USA TODAY Sports)
(USA TODAY Sports)

• The managing gig isn't an easy one, but Matt Williams made more than a few head-scratching decisions in Game 4. With Stephen Strasburg available in relief, Williams never turned his stud loose with the season on the line. There were several situations that lent themselves to Williams summoning Strasburg, including a short start from Gio Gonzalez, but he never budged off the bench. Williams also turned to Aaron Barrett over Tyler Clippard with San Francisco rallying in the seventh. Barrett looked overwhelmed, firing off two wild pitches, including one on an intentional ball to Pablo Sandoval.

• With little margin for error, Matt Williams didn't give Gonzalez much leash in Game 4. Not that Gonzalez earned it early on. He was in trouble in each of the first two innings, and it was his sloppy defense that helped San Francisco jump ahead. He ended up allowing two unearned runs over four innings before being lifted for a pinch-hitter.

(USA TODAY Sports)
(USA TODAY Sports)

This game was a rollercoaster of emotions with several pivotal plays that ranged from good to bad to downright ugly. That biggest, as it turns out, was Aaron Barrett's seventh-inning wild pitch that allowed Joe Panik to score the game-winner. Hunter Pence's great leaping catch was also in the team picture, as were any of Washington's miscues in the second inning. Everything came up Giants when it mattered most.

Bryce Harper is the second player in MLB history to hit three homers in a playoff series at age 21 or younger. He joins Miguel Cabrera, who did it in 2003.

• Where was Stephen Strasburg? With the Nationals' season on the line, Strasburg was available in relief after starting Game 1, but Matt Williams kept holding off. For what we don't know. His most dependable reliever, Tyler Clippard, never appeared, either. So much for losing with their best.

• Where does Washington go from here? Despite high expectations, the Nationals have not advanced beyond the NLDS in each of the past three seasons. In fact, they missed the postseason all together in 2013. The key players are locked up and will return for 2015, but do they need a shake-up somewhere to get over the hump? Or do they bet on another year of experience being the difference? Those are the decisions forthcoming in D.C..

No baseball for awhile, unfortunately. The NLCS will open on Saturday in St. Louis. It's safe to assume San Francisco will line up Madison Bumgarner for the opener. St. Louis' Game 1 starter could come down to Adam Wainwright's health.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!