Both Wild Card winners are headed to the 2014 World Series!!! Thats crazy!!!
San Francisco Giants win NLCS 3-1 over the St. Louis Cardinals
Michael Morse and Travis Ishikawa with late inning homeruns leading to the San Francisco Giants 6-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals!!!
WP: Jeremy Affeldt LP: Michael Wacha
The San Francisco Giants will face the Kansas City Royals in the 2014 World Series!!!
WHAT A FINISH!!!
GIANTS WIN 6-3 ON A WALKOFF HOMERUN!!!
Bot 9th (1 Out)- TAVIS ISHIKAWA HITS A 3-RUN HOMERUN TO WIN THE NL PENNANT!!!!
Mound visit by the Cardinals pitching coach.
Bot 9th (1 Out)- Michael Wacha walks Brandon Belt on four pitches. Runners at 1st and 2nd, 1 out.
Bot 9th (0 Outs)- Hunter Pence flies out to right field on the first pitch. 1 out.
Joaquin Arias pinch runs for Pablo Sandoval.
Bot 9th (0 Outs)- Pablo Sandoval gets behind in the count 0-2. Sandoval smacks the 1-2 pitch to right field for a single. Runner at 1st, 0 outs.
RHP Michael Wacha replaces RHP Pat Neshek on the mound.
Oscar Taveras stays in the game to play right field.
Daniel Descalso stays in the game to play first base.
MIDDLE OF 9TH INNING
Top 9th (2 Outs)- Oscar Taveras hits a dribbler to the pitcher on the 1-1 pitch. Leaving the bases loaded. 3 outs.
LHP Jeremy Affeldt replaces RHP Santiago Casilla on the mound.
LHB Oscar Taveras pinch hits for RHB Peter Bourjos.
Top 9th (2 Outs)- Tony Cruz gets ahead in the count 2-0. Kolten Wong steals 2nd base on the 2-0 pitch. Santiago Casilla evens the count 2-2. The count runs full 3-2 as Casilla almost hit Cruz with a fastball up and in. Tony Cruz walks, loading the bases with 2 outs.
Top 9th (1 Out)- Kolten Wong grounds the ball to third base. Pablo Sandoval dives and the ball clanks off his glove to shortstop Brandon Crawford. They get the out at second base. Runners at 1st and 3rd, 2 outs.
Top 9th (1 Out)- Randal Grichuk serves the 1-1 pitch to left field for a single. Runners at 1st and 2nd, 1 out.
Daniel Descalso pinch runs for Matt Adams.
Top 9th (1 Out)- Matt Adams gets ahead in the count 2-0. Santiago Casilla walks Matt Adams on the 3-1 pitch. Runner at 1st, 1 out.
Top 9th (0 Outs)- Jhonny Peralta grounds out to shortstop on the 0-1 pitch. 1 out.
RHP Santiago Casilla replaces LHP Madison Bumgarner on the mound.
END OF 8TH INNING
Bot 8th (2 Outs)- Buster Posey falls behind in the count 1-2. Buster Posey flies out to center field. 3 outs.
Bot 8th (1 Out)- Joe Panik grounds out to second base on the 1-0 pitch. 2 outs.
Bot 8th (0 Outs)- Jon Jay makes a nice sliding catch to rob Gregor Blanco of a hit. 1 out.
Bot 8th (0 Outs)- Mike Morse comes off the bench and ties the game at 3 with a MAMATH HOMERUN to left field!!!
Mike Morse comes in as pinch hitter.
RHP Pat Neshek replaces RHP Adam Wainwright on the mound.
MIDDLE OF 8TH INNING
This ended up being the pitcher's duel we wanted!!!
Madison Bumgarner's final pitching line: 8 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 5 SO. 98 pitches, 72 thrown for strikes.
With Madison Bumgarner due up to bat in the bottom of the inning his night is likely done. A couple mistakes early cost Bumgarner but he too pitched a great game, unfortunately he's on the losing side of the decision.
Top 8th (2 Outs)- Matt Holliday flies out to center field on the 0-1 pitch. 3 outs.
Top 8th (1 Out)- Jon Jay works the count full 3-2. Jon Jay grounds out on a dribbler to first base. 2 outs.
Top 8th (0 Outs)- Matt Carpenter grounds out to second base on the 1-1 pitch. 1 out.
END OF 7TH INNING
That's probably it for Adam Wainwright, here is his final pitching line: 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 7 SO. 97 pitches, 61 thrown for strikes. He retired his final 10 batters he faced.
Dead arm and all Adam Wainwright pitched a gem tonight!!! He battled his way through seven innings. This is the Adam Wainwright we are familiar with. Couldn't come at a better time for the Cardinals.
Bot 7th (2 Outs)- Brandon Crawford grounds out to first base, Adam Wainwright covered first base and made the nice stretch play to record the out. 3 outs.
Bot 7th (1 Out)- Adam Wainwright gets ahead of Travis Ishikawa 1-2. Adam Wainwright strikes out Ishikawa looking with a 2-2 fastball that darted across the plate. 2 outs.
Bot 7th (0 Outs)- Brandon Belt flies out to shallow left field on the 1-0 pitch. 1 out.
MIDDLE OF 7TH INNING
Top 7th (2 Outs)- Madison Bumgarner strikes out Adam Wainwrightwith the high fastball. 3 outs.
Top 7th (1 Out)- Tony Cruz pops up the first pitch to first base. 2 outs.
Top 7th (0 Outs)- Kolten Wong grounds out on the 1-0 pitch to second base. 1 out.
Adam Wainwright's pitching line so far: 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 6 SO. 86 pitches, 53 thrown for strikes.
Madison Bumgarner's pitching line so far: 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 4 SO. 79 pitches, 58 thrown for strikes.
END OF 6TH INNING
Adam Wainwright strikes out the side in the 6th!!!
Bot 6th (2 Outs)- Hunter Pence gets ahead in the count 2-1. Adam Wainwright evens the count 2-2 with a nasty cutter. Wainwright strikes out Pence with another curveball. 3 outs.
Bot 6th (1 Out)- Adam Wainwright strikes out Pablo Sandoval on a 1-2 curveball away in the dirt. 2 outs.
Bot 6th (0 Outs)- Adam Wainwright strikes out Buster Posey on a 1-2 curveball away. 1 out.
MIDDLE OF 6TH INNING
Top 6th (2 Outs)- Randal Gruchuk grounds out to second base on the 2-2 pitch. 3 outs.
Top 6th (1 Out)- Matt Adams ambushes the first pitch, smashes it to right field but Hunter Pence was there to track it down. 2 outs.
Top 6th (0 Outs)- Jhonny Peralta drives the ball deep but Gregor Blanco was there to make the catch. 1 out.
END OF 5TH INNING
Bot 5th (2 Outs)- Joe Panik grounds out on the first pitch to first base. 3 outs.
Bot 5th (1 Out)- Gregor Blanco grounds out to shortstop on the 1-2 pitch. 2 outs.
Bot 5th (0 Outs)- Adam Wainwright strikes out Madison Bumgarner on the 2-2 pitch. 1 out.
MIDDLE OF 5TH INNING
Top 5th (2 Out)- Gregor Blanco makes a great sliding catch to rob Matt Holliday of a base hit. 3 outs.
Top 5th (1 Out)- Jon Jay flies out to center field on the 1-1 pitch. 2 outs.
Top 5th (0 Outs)- Madison Bumgarner gets ahead in the count to Matt Carpenter 0-2. Carpenter works the count even 2-2. Bumgarner strikes out Carpenter with the breaking ball inside. 1 out.
END OF 4TH INNING
Bot 4th (2 Outs)- Adam Wainwright gets ahead of Brandon Crawford 0-2, both slow curveballs. Wainwright goes back to the curveball to strike out Crawford. 3 outs.
Bot 4th (2 Outs)- Travis Ishikawa gets ahead in the count 3-1. Adam Wainwright walks Ishikawa. Runners at 1st and 2nd, 2 outs.
Bot 4th (0 Outs)- Adam Wainwright gets ahead of Brandon Belt 1-2. Brandon Belt lines out to second base on the 1-2 pitch, Pablo Sandoval gets doubled off at second base. 2 outs.
Bot 4th (0 Outs)- Hunter Pence gets ahead in the count 3-0. Adam Wainwright walks Pence on the 3-1 pitch. Runners at 1st and 2nd, 0 outs.
Bot 4th (0 Outs)- Pablo Sandoval works the count even 2-2. Pablo Sandoval pokes the pitch down the third base line for a leadoff double. Runner at 2nd, 0 outs.
MIDDLE OF 4TH INNING
The ball is flying out of the park tonight ladies and gentleman!!!
Top 4th (2 Outs)- Adam Wainwright flies out to center field on the 0-2 pitch. 3 outs.
Top 4th (2 Outs)- Tony Cruz hits the 0-1 pitch for a SOLO HOMERUN to give the Cardinals the 3-2 lead!!!
Top 4th (1 Out)- Madison Bumgarner strikes out Kolten Wong on three pitches. 2 outs.
Top 4th (0 Outs)- Randal Grichuk flies out to center field. 1 out.
Top 4th (0 Outs)- Matt Adams belts the 1-2 pitch for a SOLO HOMERUN to right field. The game is tied 2-2!!!
Adam Wainwright's pitching line so far: 3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 1 SO. 39 pitches, 24 thrown for strikes.
Madison Bumgarner's pitching line so far: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 SO. 47 pitches, 33 thrown for strikes.
END OF 3RD INNING
Bot 3rd (2 Outs)- Buster Posey grounds out to third base on the 0-1 pitch. 3 outs.
Bot 3rd (2 Outs)- Joe Panik smashes the 1-0 pitch for a 2-run HOMERUN!!! Giants takes a 2-1 lead!!!
Bot 3rd (2 Outs)- Gregor Blanco jumps on the first pitch and singles to right field. Runner at 1st, 2 outs.
Bot 3rd (1 Out)- Madison Bumgarner pops up to third base on the 1-1 pitch. 2 outs.
Bot 3rd (0 Outs)- Brandon Crawford gets ahead in the count 2-1. Crawford grounds out to first base on the next pitch. 1 out.
MIDDLE OF 3RD INNING
Top 3rd (2 Outs)- Jhonny Peralta gets ahead in the count 2-1. The count runs full 3-2.Peralta ends up flying out to left field. Runners are stranded in scoring position. 3 outs.
Top 3rd (1 Out)- Matt Holliday flies out to shallow center field on the 1-2 pitch. Gregor Blanco makes the catch and keep Carpenter from scoring from third base. Runners at 2nd and 3rd, 2 outs.
Top 3rd (1 Out)- Jon Jay hits the first pitch to left field for a double. Travis Ishikawa misplayed it over his head. One run scores. Runners at 2nd and 3rd, 1 out.
Top 3rd (1 Out)- Matt Carpenter gets ahead in the count 2-0. Madison Bumgarner works the count even 2-2. The count runs full 3-2. Carpenter walks as he checked his swing on a breaking ball. 7 pitch at-bat. Runners at 1st and 2nd, 1 out.
Top 3rd (0 Outs)- Adam Wainwright gets the sacrifice bunt down on the 0-2 count. Tony Cruz advances to second base. Runner at 2nd, 1 out.
Top 3rd (0 Outs)- Madison Bumgarner gets ahead in the count 1-2 to Tony Cruz. The count runs full 3-2. Tony Cruz walks as Madison Bumgarner misses inside. Runner at 1st, 0 out.
END OF 2ND INNING
Bot 2nd (2 Outs)- Travis Ishikawa gets ahead in the count 3-1. Ishikawa grounds out to first base on the 3-1 pitch. 3 outs.
Bot 2nd (1 Out)- Adam Wainwright gets ahead in the count to Brandon Belt 1-2. Wainwright strikes out Belt on a 2-2 curveball in the dirt. 2 outs.
Bot 2nd (0 Outs)- Hunter Pence grounds out to third base on the 1-0 pitch. 1 out.
MIDDLE OF 2ND INNING
Top 2nd (2 Outs)- Madison Bumgarner once again gets ahead in the count 0-2. After fouling off a pitch, Kolten Wong flies out to shallow left field. 3 outs.
Top 2nd (1 Out)- Madison Bumgarner strikes out Randal Grichuck on three pitches. 2 outs.
Top 2nd (0 Outs)- Madison Bumgarner gets ahead of Matt Adams 0-2. Adams strikes out on a 1-2 fastball up in the zone from Bumgarner. 1 out.
END OF 1ST INNING
Bot 1st (2 Outs)- Pablo Sandoval gets ahead in the count 2-1. The count runs full 3-2. Wainwright gets Sandoval to ground out to second base. 3 outs.
Bot 1st (1 Out)- Buster Posey grounds out on the 1-0 pitch. Jhonny Peralta made a nice backhand catch in the hole. Gregor Blanco was running on the pitch. Runner at 2nd, 2 outs.
Bot 1st (0 Outs)- Joe Panik lines the 0-1 pitch to center field. Jon Jay was right there to catch it. Runner at 1st, 1 out.
Bot 1st (0 Outs)- Adam Wainwright throws a first pitch strike to Gregor Blanco. On the 1-1 pitch Blanco singles to right field. Runner at 1st, 0 out.
MIDDLE OF 1ST INNING
Top 1st (1 Out)- Jhonny Peralta hits a hard line drive to third base. Pablo Sandoval makes a jumping catch and doubles off Matt Carpenter at second base. 3 outs.
Top 1st (1 Out)- Matt Holliday is all over the first pitch. Singles to right field. Runners at 1st and 2nd, 1 out.
Top 1st (1 Out)- Jon Jay falls behind in the count 0-2. Jay slaps a breaking ball to left field for a one out single. Runner at 1st, 1 out.
Top 1st (0 Outs)- Madison Bumgarner throws a first pitch strike to Matt Carpenter. Carpenter lines out to the shortstop on the 0-2 pitch. 1 out.
8:02 PM EST: Five minutes till first pitch!!!
7:25 PM EST: Giants lineup: 1. Gregor Blanco (CF), 2. Joe Panik (2B), 3. Buster Posey (C), 4. Pablo Sandoval (3B), 5. Hunter Pence (RF), 6. Brandon Belt (1B), 7. Travis Ishikawa (LF), 8. Brandon Crawford (SS), 9. Madison Bumgarner (SP).
7:20 PM EST: Cardinals lineup: 1. Matt Carpenter (3B), 2. Jon Jay (CF), 3. Matt Holliday (LF), 4. Jhonny Peralta (SS), 5. Matt Adams (1B), 6. Randal Grichuck (RF), 7. Kolten Wong (2B), 8. Tony Cruz (C), 9. Adam Wainwright (SP).
6:18 PM EST: Now for the Cardinals to do so they need a great performance from Wainwright tonight and the Cardinal defense needs to sharpen up. The Giants have put pressure on the Cardinals infield and the redbirds haven’t responded well. The loss of Yadier Molina (left oblique) has definitely had a negative impact on the Cardinals the last two games, but he will be available as a defensive replacement tonight.
6:16 PM EST: Even though the Cardinals are down 3-1 in the series they know firsthand from the Giants that the series isn’t over. Back in 2012 NLCS the Cardinals were up 3-1 before the Giants strung together three wins to advance to the World Series and eventually win the whole thing.
6:14 PM EST: Two guys for the Giants have had success against the Cardinal right-hander. Pablo Sandoval is 6-for-18 with 2 RBIs and Hunter Pence is 14-for-51 with 4 2Bs, 2 HRs, and 4 RBIs. These guys hit in the middle of the lineup, look for these guys to do the damage if the Giants are to come away with the win.
6:12 PM EST: With that said, you still feel comfortable with Wainwright and his ability to pitch on the road. In 19 road starts this year Wainwright went 11-6 with a 2.07 ERA, including 7 2/3 scoreless innings against the Giants back in July.
6:10 PM EST: Adam Wainwright has been known as a big-game pitcher and a reliable postseason performer. This year hasn’t been the same and with the right arm soreness I’m sure that has something to do with it. But it’s weird to see that Wainwright hasn’t made it through five innings in any of his two postseason starts.
6:08 PM EST: The Cardinals lineup hasn’t had much success against Bumgarner but two guys at the top of the lineup have a little success which could set the table for the rest of the Cardinal lineup. Matt Carpenter is 3-for-5 with 2 2Bs and Jon Jay is 5-for-11 with 3 2Bs and 2 RBIs. It’s imperative for these two guys to have big games.
6:06 PM EST: With the way Bumgarner is pitching you’d feel this is done deal for the Giants to win but for some reason Bumgarner hasn’t fared well in his home park in the postseason. In five postseason home starts Bumgarner has gone 1-3 with a 5.06 ERA; whereas on the road the left-hander has gone 4-0 with a 0.55 ERA. It’s comforting when your ace dominates on the road in the postseason but you hope he takes care of business at home, especially when you have a chance to close out the series.
6:04 PM EST: Wainwright has not been the same guy this postseason than we are used to seeing in years past. In his two postseason starts Wainwright has gone 0-1 with an 8.00 ERA. Now he has gone on to say that he’s is battling a “dead arm” and that certainly could be the problem when it comes to his on-field performance.
6:02 PM EST: Bumgarner has been phenomenal this postseason. In three postseason starts, including the NL Wild Card, the Giants left-hander has gone 2-1 with a 0.76 ERA. One of those wins came in Game 1 of this series where he shutdown the Cardinals for 7 2/3 innings giving up only four hits while striking out seven.
6:00 PM EST: The St. Louis Cardinals will send RHP Adam Wainwright (20-9, 2.38 ERA) to the mound to face San Francisco Giants LHP Madison Bumgarner (18-10, 2.98 ERA). The Cardinals will give the ball to their horse Adam Wainwright trying to avoid elimination and take the series back to St. Louis. The Giants are sending their ace Madison Bumgarner to the bump trying to finish off the series and advance to the World Series.