Pre-Gamer & Lineups: Giants Vs. Dodgers 9/25

Oct 24, 2012; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Barry Zito (75) tips his hat to the fans as he comes out of the game in the sixth inning of game one of the 2012 World Series at AT

Tonight is Barry Zito‘s night. The start was a late decision yesterday by Bruce Bochy when he opted to shut down Madison Bumgarner for the year.

I think it was the right choice, so Zito can get the proper sendoff that he deserves for his accomplishments last year that led to the 2012 World Series championship.

It was also the right choice to “reward” Bumgarner by protecting him and giving him a rest. He’s been stellar this year, and his performances would have translated to a lot more wins if the bats behind him gave him more run support. He’s a young rising star lefty who will be the Giants ace one day. Some say he’s the ace right now, so by that it was smart by Bochy to conserve him for next year.

Zito’s blue counterpart will be Ricky Nolasco (13-10, 3.55 ERA)

Here are the bats they’ll both be pitching to:

For the Giants:

For the Dodgers: