After a dramatic comeback win against the Nationals, the St. Louis Cardinals continue their title defense against the San Francisco Giants. The series starts Sunday.
Below, we’ll give you a time and TV primer, and then a preview of the game.
Game 1: Sunday, October 14th
Time: 8 PM ET
TV: FOX
Game 2: Monday, October 15th
Time: 8 PM ET
TV: FOX
Game 3: Wednesday, October 17th
Time: 4 PM ET
TV: FOX
Game 4: Thursday, October 18th
Time: 8 PM ET
TV: FOX
Game 5:* Friday, October 19th
Time: 8 PM ET
TV: FOX
Game 6:* Sunday, October 21st
Time: 4:30 PM ET
TV: FOX
Game 7:* Monday, October 22nd
Time: 8 PM ET
TV: FOX
*: if necessary
Now, onto the preview.
The Cardinals are coming off of a taxing, emotional come-from-behind victory against the Nats. The Giants won their series on Thursday, so they are well-rested and can set their pitching rotation. That’s a clear advantage for the Giants.
However, the Cards are plucky, and their come-from-behind victory is evidence of that. They’ll go down swinging.
Still, the Giants have seen the re-emergence of Tim Lincecum, who was outstanding out of the ‘pen in the NLDS. They have the option of keeping him in the bullpen, or putting him back in the rotation. Either way, having “The Freak” back on track is a huge benefit. Overall, the Giants’ bullpen has been spectacular.
Think about this: In Game 5, the Reds had runners in scoring position from the fifth inning on. No one scored. Part of that is on the Reds, but the Giants had to make the pitches count, and they did.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals’ bullpen ranked 20th in the regular season, with a 3.90 ERA.
On offense, Buster Posey is slugging, and he’s a legitimate MVP candidate. Pablo Sandoval is getting back on track, as is Hunter Pence. Carlos Beltran is still dangerous for the Cards, and David Freese certainly knows how to get it done in the playoffs.
With both teams knowing how to win in October, the intangibles are kind of even. In this case, pitching wins out. The Giants simply have a better rotation and a much better ‘pen.
That should lead to a Giants victory in six games.
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