The San Francisco Giants nearly mounted an amazing comeback against the St. Louis Cardinals in the opening game of the 2012 National League Championship Series between the last two World Series Champions.
Madison Bumgarner just didn’t have great stuff and was hit around to the tune of eight hits and six earned in just 3.2 innings. Both Carlos Beltran and David Freese hit two-run homers off the young lefty as St. Louis put up an early 6-0 lead in the fourth.
However, the Giants came storming back in the bottom half of the inning, putting up four runs as five consecutive players reached base, including Gregor Blanco.
That would be the end of the scoring as St. Louis posted a 6-4 win in the opener in San Francisco.
The Giants, who have yet to win a home postseason game, will be sending Ryan Vogelsong to the mound to matchup with the veteran Chris Carpenter. Let’s take a look at what tonight’s game has to offer.
Chris Carpenter (Cardinals) | Starts | Wins | Losses | ERA | SO | BB | Hits | WHIP | Away |
| 3 | 0 | 2 | 3.71 | 12 | 3 | 16 | 1.12 | 0-1, 3.27 |
Carpenter did not pitch against the San Francisco Giants this season, but has a career 4-1 record with a 3.57 ERA in eight starts against the team by the bay. The veteran pitched 5.2 innings of shutout baseball against the Washington Nationals in Game 3 of the division series.
Buster Posey, Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford have four combined hits in eight at-bats against Carpenter. Though the sample size really isn't too big here, it seems the Giants have had some sort of success against Carpenter in the past. Though, Hunter Pence has struggled against the righty. He is a career .185 hitter in 27 at-bats against Carpenter.
Ryan Vogelsong (Giants) | Starts | Wins | Losses | ERA | SO | BB | Hits | WHIP | At Home |
| 31 | 14 | 9 | 3.37 | 158 | 62 | 171 | 1.23 | 7-4, 2.86 |
Vogelsong faced the Cardinals once during the 2012 regular season and pitched a gem. He threw seven shutout innings, giving up just three hits and striking out three in a Giants victory. Career-wise, the veteran has gone 2-4 with a 6.51 ERA in 16 appearances against St. Louis. However, that takes into account his ineffective seasons as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Outside of Carlos Beltran and Yadier Molina, a combined 7-for-22 against Vogelsong, the sample size really isn't any indication here. Though it is important to note that Matt Holliday and Davis Freese have gone a combined 1-for-10 with zero RBI's against Vogelsong in their careers.
Prediction
I have the Giants coming up with their first postseason home win of the 2012 playoffs. Vogelsong pitches extremely well at home and should hold the Cardinals bats at bay. This will be a close, low-scoring affair between the last two World Series Champions.