Wouldn't it be great if Andres Torres or Brandon Crawford could hit grand slams every time out? Wouldn't it also be great if umpires developed a penchant for omniscience and never made terrible calls again? Both of these things would be pretty rad, though if the umpire in last night's game didn't blow the call that nullified what would have been seven innings of shutout ball for Madison Bumgarner, then Torres wouldn't have had to hit a grand slam. Still is nice, though.
Whether you consider it luck or something else, players like Torres will need to continue to come through in the clutch if the Giants are to sustain this level of play over the St. Louis Cardinals, one of the better teams in the league. They stand a chance to produce something not entirely unlike their game one performance in game two, though, as they'll be up against the struggling Chris Carpenter. He's 1-5 on the season with a 4.58 earned run average in eleven starts this season, and if the Giants can get him shaken like they did Kyle McClellan in game one, their outlook will be a good one.
Carpenter is on a three-game losing streak as it stands, but he did have a decent outing his last time out, pitching eight innings with three runs allowed (two earned) and six strikeouts. He has had his way with the Giants in his seven career starts though, with a 4-1 record and a 3.56 ERA. He'll have to contend with the juggernaut that is Ryan Vogelsong. Yeah, that's right: juggernaut.
Vogelsong is 3-1 in eight games (six starts), and his only loss came in his most recent outing, a 1-0 loss to the Florida Marlins in which he pitched exceedingly well. He's currently sporting a 1.77 ERA and is hoping for the same run support that Bumgarner received in game one.
Just, you know, without the bad calls from the umpire.