Archive for the ‘St. Louis Cardinals’ Category

Ryan Vogelsong makes me want to believe in things that I do not. He makes me want to imagine that fate can lead individuals to a point where wherein they will have every opportunity imaginable to succeed and perform past what their peak was previously imagined to be. He makes me want to believe in the stuff that makes sappy pop songs and movies about redemption.

He did all of this by pitching a no-hitter through four and two-thirds innings in the biggest game of his career, allowing only a single run in seven full innings of work, while striking out nine batters. Thanks to an early offensive explosion from the San Francisco Giants, Vogelsong’s efforts were more than enough to force an unlikely Game Seven in the NLCS, after the team’s second straight victory with their season on the line.

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There are few of items of note that I’d like to bring to your attention prior to Game Six of the 2012 Naitonal League Championship Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants:

1) Matt Holliday was a last minute scratch from tonight’s game due to back stiffness. The very effective Matt Carpenter takes his place. The man who filled in so admirably for Carlos Beltran when he went down to a knee injury, will play first base tonight, and push Allen Craig into left field. Craig has only played 265 and two thirds innings at left in his Major League career, and AT&T Park isn’t exactly the friendliest of places for corner outfielders.

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Because something is improbable does not make it impossible. It seems obvious and is anything but profound but, in times like these, it is important to remember. No matter how high the odds were stacked against the Giants tonight, no matter how unlikely it seemed that Barry Zito would stand tall against the mighty lineup of the St. Louis Cardinals, there always remained a non-zero possibility he might pull it off.

Non-zero came up large tonight. Non-zero showed that occasionally a pitcher once deemed worthy of a nine figure contract can scrape it all together and turn in a lights-out performance: one hell of a performance when his team needed it most.

Which is exactly what Barry Zito did tonight for the San Francisco Giants. Many times in recent memory, Barry Zito managed some “good except for that one inning” starts. Tonight Barry Zito did not have That One Inning against the Cardinals, he instead completely stymied the Cardinals, pitching
masterfully for the Giants, striking out six against just one walk and six hits. Seven and two-thirds shutout innings. From Barry Zito.

While the Giants defense helped Zito’s cause greatly, making at least three noteworthy plays behind him, the Cards defense betrayed Lance Lynn. More specifically, Lance Lynn’s defense betrayed Lance Lynn, causing his second consecutive fourth inning meltdown. It was all the Giants and Zito (!) would need, cruising to a 5-0 victory. The series goes back to San Francisco, where the Cards must win only one game.

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The time for Giants’ fans to rally behind their game 5 starter Barry Zito is now. The #rallyzito movement took over the Giants corner of twitter today as hopeful fans throw their support behind a very unlikely starter in what could be — down 3-1 in this series as they are — their final game of the season. Barry Zito, starting a game the Giants must win if they wish to carry on. Barry. Zito. That Barry Zito. Really.

The choice to start Zito is not really a good one but, on the other hand, it is no choice at all. Madison Bumgarner all but pitched himself out of a rotation spot this post-season. Is the cause a shifting release point by virtue of a mechanical flaw? Who knows? All we do know is Barry Zito starts this game against Lance Lynn with the Cardinals ahead 3-1 and on the precipice of a second consecutive World Series berth. Get used to the dynasty!

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It took Tim Lincecum an inning to get settled, and it was this inning that cost the San Francisco Giants dearly as the two runs that the St. Louis Cardinals scored on a Matt Holliday single that drove in Jon Jay, and a sacrifice fly from Allen Craig that brought Matt Carpenter home, seemed impenetrable for most of the game, even after the Giants got one back in the second inning off of a solo home run from the struggling Hunter Pence.

That feeling of helplessness was a testament to how well Adam Wainwright was pitching, using his curve ball as well as advertised, but also setting up with a sinker and a cutter combo that did well to avoid hard contact from the San Francisco lineup. By the time that the Cardinals added two more runs in the fifth inning, which finally chased Lincecum from the game, the three run lead seemed insurmountable.

The game didn’t truly get away from the Giants though until Jon Jay drove a Jose Mijares offering off the wall in center field to score Daniel Descalso and Pete Kozma to give St. Louis a 6-1 lead in the sixth inning. Then, in the seventh, Allen Craig scored on a double off the bat of Yadier Molina, who later scored on a Pete Kozma single to push the seemingly ever-expanding score to 8-1. A garbage time home run from Pablo Sandoval that also brought home Marco Scutaro in the ninth inning, made the score a slightly more respectable 8-3, but that was it for the Giants, and the game woulld mercifully end with a five run deficit.

The St. Louis Cardinals are now one win away from going back to the World Series. Nothing is going to come easy for the San Francisco Giants, who will send Barry Zito to the mound with the season on his shoulders Friday night. Lance Lynn will counter for St. Louis with the first pitch scheduled for shortly after 8:00 PM ET.

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Tim Lincecum is pitching. Nothing else matters.

Okay, maybe that’s a bit of an overstatement. Surely, Adam Wainwright matters, and the 2-1 series lead that the St. Louis Cardinals hold over the San Francisco Giants is also probably important.

However, there’s something endearing about the progression of the Tim Lincecum story, from his unlikely domination to his sudden down-fall this summer to his quest for redemption this postseason, that seems to take precedence over any other factor in a game. He’s fun. He’s different. And he’s almost impossible to root against. Unless, of course, you’re rooting for the St. Louis Cardinals tonight. In which case, Adam Wainwright! Whoo! No, it’s not the same.

After making three appearances out of the bullpen this postseason, Lincecum will be making his first start tonight at Busch Stadium. A Cardinals lineup that saw his change up heavy repertoire in Game One, will be prepared to take him on, even though it’s without the injured Carlos Beltran.

The first pitch of the game is schedule for 8:07 PM ET.

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