SB Nation Bay Area - Giants vs. Cardinals, NLCS: San Francisco wins the pennanthttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48817/bayrea-fave.png2012-10-23T06:37:11-07:00http://bayarea.sbnation.com/rss/stream/32622612012-10-23T06:37:11-07:002012-10-23T06:37:11-07:00St. Louis fans look to move past Game 7 loss
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<figcaption>Christian Petersen</figcaption>
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<p>The Cardinals fell in Game 7 of the NLCS, and their fans are taking solace in the fact that baseball has a pattern.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">San Francisco Giants</a> defeated the <a href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">St. Louis Cardinals</a> in Game 7 on Monday, completing an improbable comeback from down 3-1 in the the series. Cardinals fans have to feel some disappointment, as their team was just one game away from advancing to the World Series with a chance to repeat as champions.</p>
<p>The loss will certainly sting for some time, but baseball is a cycle and spring will bring a new season with new hopes again. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.vivaelbirdos.com/cardinals-analysis/2012/10/23/3541478/cardinals-designed-to-break-your-heart">Dan Moore of Cardinals blog Viva El Birdos </a>wrote about the nature of baseball, and how its patterns will help him move past Monday's heartbreak:</p>
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<p>Eventually I'll remember Pete Kozma's sloppy defense, but I won't remember each sloppy play; I'll remember Chris Carpenter not having it, but it'll be in the context of all the times he's had it. The baseball season is too long to remember too much—that, to me, is its design. You can't wrap your arms all the way around the good parts forever, and there's no room to detail all the slights and the wrongs and the bad parts unless you're Tony La Russa. It's what I love about it. There's always more coming, a deluge of numbers and moments and nights at Busch Stadium and gamethreads, for that matter, and each season requires you, eventually, to forget.</p>
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<p>The Giants don't have to worry about forgetting just yet. They are still alive and have a chance to win their second World Series championship in three seasons. The series begins on Wednesday, with the <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Detroit Tigers</a> visiting AT&T Park for Games 1 and 2. The Tigers are in their first World Series since 2006, and are looking for their first title since 1984.</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/giants/2012/10/23/3542744/giants-vs-cardinals-2012-nlcs-game-7Craig Powers2012-10-23T06:19:26-07:002012-10-23T06:19:26-07:00Giants fans react to strange Game 7 win
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<figcaption>Christian Petersen</figcaption>
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<p>The Giants won the NLCS, helped in large part to an odd hit from Hunter Pence, and their fans couldn't be happier.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">San Francisco Giants</a> had little trouble closing out the <a href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">St. Louis Cardinals</a> to win their sixth-straight elimination game and advance to the World Series. This wasn't a Game 7 that will live on in history. There weren't many twists and turns or a walk-off hit. The Giants blew out the Cardinals, 9-0.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2012-nlcs/2012/10/22/3541958/the-giants-win-the-pennant">Grant Brisbee of Giants blog McCovey Chronicles</a> had hoped for a Game 7 in AT&T Park some day, and he may have envisioned things differently. Still, he is not complaining:</p>
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<p>Ever since the new park opened, I thought about a Game 7. I would drift off into a little fantasy world like Calvin just for a second every so often during the baseball season. It was a little weird, a little childish, all fan-boyish, and sort of the reason for being a baseball fan. Maybe it would be Bonds with a walk-off home run. Maybe it would be <span>Matt Morris</span> with a complete-game one-hitter. Maybe Todd Linden in the conservatory with a wrench.</p>
<p>All of the scenarios were wrong, of course. Baseball doesn't let you write the future. It doesn't let you sniff the future.</p>
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<p>The Giants now move on to face the <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Detroit Tigers</a>, who took a much easier path to the World Series. The Tigers swept the <a href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Yankees</a> and have been resting, waiting, and planning their rotation. Ace Justin Verlander awaits the Giants, and they will see him at least twice, maybe more.</p>
<p>However, for a team that has just come back from 0-2 in the Division Series and 1-3 in the Championship Series, the hard-throwing right-hander is far from intimidating.</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/giants/2012/10/23/3542670/giants-cardinals-2012-nlcs-game-7Craig Powers2012-10-22T21:24:59-07:002012-10-22T21:24:59-07:00Marco Scutaro, 2012 NLCS MVP
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<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/">San Francisco Giants</a> second baseman <span>Marco Scutaro</span> is your 2012 National League Championship Series Most Valuable Player. Scutaro came up with timely hits, regular hits, and just wouldn't stop hitting en route to winning the MVP award.</p>
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<p>Scutaro piled up 14 hits in the series, compiling an incredible batting average of .500. Scutaro drove him four RBIs among those 14 hits, and also crossed home plate to score six runs on the game.</p>
<p>Scutaro scored the first run of Game 5 en route to a 5-0 victory over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">Cardinals</a>, and then scored the first run of Game 6 in a 6-1 win to tie the series at 3-3. He would score in the bottom of the 3rd in Game 7 in a 9-0 San Francisco win. Scutaro managed a hit in every game of the NLCS, going 2-5 in Game 1, 2-3 in Game 2, 2-5 in Game 3, 2-4 in Game 4, 1-4 in Game 5, 2-3 in Game 6, and then went 3-4 in Game 7.</p>
<p>Scutaro has been hitting at an incredible rate since joining San Francisco. He batted .314 in August and then raised that to .402 in September, finishing with a .362 mark and 44 RBI in 61 game</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/giants/2012/10/22/3541826/giants-vs-cardinals-2012-nlcs-marco-scutaro-wins-mvpAvinash Kunnath2012-10-22T20:43:45-07:002012-10-22T20:43:45-07:00Giants win the pennant
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<p>The <a href="https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">San Francisco Giants</a> are headed back to the World Series to face the <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Detroit Tigers</a>. The Giants rolled in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series, beating the <a href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">St. Louis Cardinals</a> 9-0.<br><br>The Giants started things out in the first inning with an <span>Angel Pagan</span> single. <span>Marco Scutaro</span> singled to advance Pagan to third, and <span>Pablo Sandoval</span> grounded out to the pitcher to bring home Pagan. In the second, <span>Gregor Blanco</span> singled, <span>Brandon Crawford</span> grounded out to advance Blanco, and then <span>Matt Cain</span> singled right up the middle to send Blanco home to make it 2-0 San Francisco.<br><br>The Giants broke things open in the third inning. <span>Kyle Lohse</span> was relieved after loading the bases on a single to Scutaro, a double to Sandoval, and a walk to Buster Posey. Then <span>Hunter Pence</span> cleared the bases with an incredible hit that bounced off his bat three times and went into shallow center. Three runs scored off a fielding error to make it 5-0, and that was pretty much the game. The Giants scored two more runs in the inning off of fielder's choices, added one more in the eighth, and <span>Brandon Belt</span> belted one to deep right.<br><br>Cain pitched 5<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">⅔ </span>innings, gave up five hits and struck out four. The Giants bullpen completed the shutout by getting 10 outs.</p>
<p>San Francisco will host Detroit in Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday night.</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/giants/2012/10/22/3541728/san-francisco-giants-cardinals-nlcs-world-series-2012Avinash Kunnath2012-10-22T19:34:58-07:002012-10-22T19:34:58-07:00Giants two innings away from World Series
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<p>Matt Cain and the <a href="https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Giants</a> are cruising past the <a href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">St. Louis Cardinals</a> right now as they lead, 7-0, after six innings.</p>
<p>The Giants scored five and chased Cardinals starting pitcher <span>Kyle Lohse</span> out of the game in the third inning as they took a 7-0 lead that still holds after six innings.</p>
<p>Cain has been stellar at holding the Cardinals at bay. After allowing two runners to reach base in the second inning, the Cardinals couldn't muster much offense against Cain. He allowed three hitters to reach base in the third through fifth innings, and it wasn't until the sixth that the Cardinals got two runners on base again. Cain struck out <span>David Freese</span> before he was pulled for <span>Jeremy Affeldt</span>.</p>
<p>Cain has four strikeouts, a walk and given up five hits through 5.2 innings. He was pulled after 102 pitches, 64 of which were strikes.</p>
<p>After the big third inning, the Cardinals' bullpen has settled down for a couple of innings. They struck out the side in the bottom of the fifth, but then the Giants started to threaten again in the sixth. Trevor Rosenthal walked <span>Pablo Sandoval</span>, and <span>Buster Posey</span> followed with a single to center to push Sandoval to second. He induced a <span>Brandon Belt</span> groundout to end the threat.</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/giants/2012/10/22/3541432/cardinals-vs-giants-nlcs-game-7-score-updatePeter Woodbrook2012-10-22T18:39:35-07:002012-10-22T18:39:35-07:00G-men lead 7-0 through three innings
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/">San Francisco Giants</a> chased <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">St. Louis Cardinals</a> pitcher <span>Kyle Lohse</span> out of the game early, as they lead 7-0 after three innings.</p>
<p>Lohse loaded the bases with no outs in the third inning and the Giants made him pay. <span>Marco Scutaro</span> singled to open the inning and <span>Pablo Sandoval</span> doubled to advance him to third. Lohse walked Posey to load the bases, and Mike Matheny pulled his troubled starter with the Giants leading, 2-0.</p>
<p><span>Hunter Pence</span> pounced on the first pitch from Joe Kelly and cleared the bases with an error off of John Jay to give the Giants a 5-0 lead. <span>Brandon Belt</span> then reached on an infield single, and Kelly walked <span>Gregor Blanco</span> to load the bases for the second time with no outs in the same inning.</p>
<p>Kelly got Cain to strike out swinging for the first out, but <span>Angel Pagan</span> picked up another RBI when he ground into a fielder's choice. Kelly continued the Cardinals' pitching struggles, walking Scutaro as he came up to bat for the second time in the inning to load the bases again. Sandoval lined out to finally end the inning for the Cardinals, but the Giants led, 7-0.</p>
<p>Matt Cain has given up three hits and a walk through three innings but has kept the Cardinals off the board. He also has two strikeouts. Cain has pitched 56 pitches through three innings and hasn't really gotten into too much trouble. He even helped his own cause in the bottom of the second inning, hitting an RBI single straight up the middle to score Gregor Blanco from second base.</p>
<p>Lohse did not have his best stuff when he needed it. He finished the game with five earned runs on six hits and one walk through only two innings.</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/giants/2012/10/22/3540982/cardinal-vs-giants-nlcs-game-7-score-update-giants-race-out-to-7-0Peter Woodbrook2012-10-22T14:02:07-07:002012-10-22T14:02:07-07:00Cardinals vs. Giants lineups, NLCS Game 7
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<p>The <a href="https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">San Francisco Giants</a> will attempt to complete their comeback in the NLCS with ace <span>Matt Cain</span> on the mound. The Giants were down 3-1 in the series against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">St. Louis Cardinals</a>, before winning the last two games to force a Game 7.</p>
<p>Cain is 1-2 in this post-season so far and lost Game 3 of the NLCS to St. Louis, 3-1. <span>Kyle Lohse</span> will start for the Cardinals. Lohse earned the win against Cain in Game 3, after giving up just one run on seven hits in 5-2/3 innings.</p>
<p>The complete Game 7 lineups for both teams are below.</p>
<p>St. Louis Cardinals:</p>
<p>1. <span>Jon Jay</span> (L) CF <br>2. <span>Carlos Beltran</span> (S) RF <br>3. <span>Matt Holliday</span> (R) LF <br>4. <span>Allen Craig</span> (R) 1B <br>5. <span>Yadier Molina</span> (R) C <br>6. <span>David Freese</span> (R) 3B <br>7. <span>Daniel Descalso</span> (L) 2B <br>8. <span>Peter Kozma</span> (R) SS <br>9. Kyle Lohse (R) P</p>
<p>San Francisco Giants:</p>
<p>1. <span>Angel Pagan</span> (S) CF <br>2. <span>Marco Scutaro</span> (R) 2B <br>3. <span>Pablo Sandoval</span> (S) 3B <br>4. <span>Buster Posey</span> (R) C <br>5. <span>Hunter Pence</span> (R) RF <br>6. <span>Brandon Belt</span> (L) 1B <br>7. <span>Gregor Blanco</span> (L) LF <br>8. <span>Brandon Crawford</span> (L) SS <br>9. Matt Cain (R) P</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/giants/2012/10/22/3540230/cardinals-vs-giants-lineupspardeeptoor2012-10-22T14:01:41-07:002012-10-22T14:01:41-07:00Cardinals vs. Giants lineups, NLCS Game 7: Cain, L
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/">San Francisco Giants</a> will attempt to complete their comeback in the NLCS with ace <span>Matt Cain</span> on the mound. The Giants were down 3-1 in the series before winning the last two games to force a Game 7. </p>
<p>Cain is 1-2 in this post-season so far and lost Game 3 of the NLCS to St. Louis, 3-1. <span>Kyle Lohse</span> will start for the Cardinals. Lohse earned the win versus Cain in Game 3 after giving up just one run on seven hits in 5.2 innings. </p>
<p>The complete Game 7 lineups for both teams are below. </p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">St. Louis Cardinals</a>:</p>
<p>1. <span>Jon Jay</span> (L) CF <br>2. <span>Carlos Beltran</span> (S) RF <br>3. <span>Matt Holliday</span> (R) LF <br>4. <span>Allen Craig</span> (R) 1B <br>5. <span>Yadier Molina</span> (R) C <br>6. <span>David Freese</span> (R) 3B <br>7. <span>Daniel Descalso</span> (L) 2B <br>8. Pete Kozma (R) SS <br>9. Kyle Lohse (R) P</p>
<p>San Francisco Giants:</p>
<p>1. <span>Angel Pagan</span> (S) CF <br>2. <span>Marco Scutaro</span> (R) 2B <br>3. <span>Pablo Sandoval</span> (S) 3B <br>4. <span>Buster Posey</span> (R) C <br>5. <span>Hunter Pence</span> (R) RF <br>6. <span>Brandon Belt</span> (L) 1B <br>7. <span>Gregor Blanco</span> (L) LF <br>8. <span>Brandon Crawford</span> (L) SS <br>9. Matt Cain (R) P</p>
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