5:07pm Arizona time, Fox: Giants lead 3-1
If the Cardinals don't win tonight, we're looking at a long period without any games, because that would mean a Giants-Royals World series, which doesn't start until next Tuesday night in Kansas City. It would be nice if the Cardinals could make something of a fight of it, and at least take things back to their home town, with a chance of forcing a decisive Game 7. So far, they've been outplayed, despite hitting significantly better (OPS of .725 vs. .649). That hasn't translated into runs, where the Giants have an 18-13 edge, and the Cardinals have handed out too many free passes too. Their K:BB ratio is 20:16, compared to 27:9 for San Francisco.
Things don't exactly look any more promising tonight, as they have to go through Bumgarner and his sub-one postseason ERA, while on the other hand, Wainwright has been distinctly unacelike so far in his playoff appearances. If there is to be any more baseball in St. Louis this evening, that will have to change, and the Cardinals will also have to stop making silly mistakes, which have bitten them hard this series.