After (another) unlikely win coming in the most unlikely of ways, the San Francisco Giants find themselves up 3-1 in the NLCS as they look to close out the series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Thanks to a sixth inning rally that featured some quintessential Giants baseball (dink and dunk hits, timely errors and odd decisions by their opponents), the Giants are now one win away from the World Series while the Cardinals will look to extend the series to a Game 6 in St. Louis. If the first four games of the NLCS are any indication, Game 5 will be great (remember, it will be available to watch on FOX Sports 1). Don’t miss it.
Game Time: 8:07 PM ET
Where: AT&T Park
Television Broadcast: FOX Sports 1
Series: Giants lead 3-1
Starting Pitchers:
San Francisco Giants – Madison Bumgarner
Season Stats – W-L record of 18-10, ERA of 2.98
St. Louis Cardinals – Adam Wainwright
Season Stats – W-L record of 20-9, ERA of 2.38
Betting Odds (via BetDSI):
Point Spread: Giants (-1.5)/Cardinals (+1.5)
Over/Under: 6
Overview:
Game 5 will feature a rematch between the two pitchers who kicked off the NLCS. Madison Bumgarner was excellent in Game 1, as he went 7 2/3 innings while only giving up four hits and no runs. However, while Bumgarner has been great this postseason (2-1, 0.76 ERA), his one loss came at home, where he’s actually struggled relative to his performance on the the road all season. Adam Wainwright will be looking for some redemption on his part. The traditionally strong postseason performer has underperformed in his two starts this postseason. In his one game against the Dodgers, Wainwright gave up 11 hits and six runs in 4 and 1/3 innings. In Game 1 of the NLCS against the Giants, Wainwright served up six hits and three runs in only 4 and 2/3 innings.
As for the bats, the Giants keep finding ways to win without hitting home runs (it’s now been six games since the team’s last dinger). They have their best October pitcher on the mound and they’re up 3-1 despite the incredible offensive performance by Kolten Wong. The Cardinals stand a chance because Wainwright’s career track record can’t be ignored but they face an uphill battle against a team (and manager Bruce Bochy) that has managed to eek out every advantage so far.
