NLCS: Giants Win Game 6 and Force St. Louis Cardinals to Winner-Take-All Game 7

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Date/Time: Mon, Oct 22 / 08:10:00 PM ET, AT&T Park, San Francisco, California

Against all expectations, the San Francisco Giants climbed out of the wreckage and forced the National League Championship Series to a decisive Game 7.  For second straight game, the Giants dodged elimination and refused to let go their aspirations for the 2012 MLB Title, handling the St. Louis Cardinals a 6-1 victory Sunday night in Game 6.

While this is a remarkable achievement for the Giants, San Francisco already knows what’s coming from behind this post season.  Just days ago, the Giants overcame a 0-2 deficit to take the best-of-five NL Division Series against the Cincinnati Reds. Then the team trailed 3-1 in this series against St. Louis before striking back with two consecutive victories and get the series even.

Last Friday, the never-say-die Giants halted St. Louis’ momentum in a superb Game 5 that kept the Championship Series alive.  Friday’s 5-0 victory gave Giants the chance to take the series back to AT&T Park and give the Cardinals a devastating blow. And that’s exactly what happened on Game 6…

San Francisco jumped on Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter for five runs in the first two innings; on top of that, Giants’ starter Ryan Vogelsong stifled the Cardinals’ batters for over seven innings, giving St. Louis its first back-to-back losses since Sept. 14-15.

Now the Giants will look to seal their second comeback of the postseason and become the seventh team in the MLB to win a League Championship Series after trailing 3-1 since the best-of-seven format was implemented in 1985.

The final game of the series is expected to be close according to the currents odd on MLB. Both teams need to win, but despite the good results for San Francisco on Game 5 and 6, the two squads have proved to be equally capable of overcoming though scenarios.  After beating the Braves in the first National League Wildcard Game, the defending World Series champion Cardinals were on the verge of elimination in their divisional Series against the Washington Nationals. St. Louis kicked the series with a 3-2 home loss vs. the Nats, but by Game 4, things were pretty much even. In the decisive Game 5, the Nationals had the game in their pocket thanks to a 5-7 lead that lasted until the 9^th Inning. Washington was just one strike away from winning this game, but suddenly, everything changed, the Cardinals responded by hitting four runs in the top of the ninth inning, putting the score on their favor 9-7.

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Kyle Lohse (1-0, 1.59 ERA) vs. Giants RH Matt Cain (0-1, 4.05)

San Francisco's Matt Cain and St. Louis' Kyle Lohse are set to pitch in a rematch of Game 3, won by St. Louis 3-1.

Lohse needs to improve his control after allowing one run with five walks on 108 pitches over 5 2/3 innings in Game 3.  Lohse is 2-0 with a 1.96 ERA in three starts this postseason. Lohse was 16-3 with a 2.86 ERA in 33 starts and a career-best 211 innings during the regular season, and he’s 3-2 with a 3.78 ERA in five career starts against the Giants.

Giants’ right hander Matt Cain didn’t allow an unearned run over 21 1/3 innings in the 2010 playoffs during the 2010 World Series, but hasn’t been able to replicate his success this postseason. He’s 1-2 with a 4.67 ERA in three starts after yielding three runs over 6 2/3 innings in Game 3.  Cain is also 2-3 with a 4.94 ERA in eight career starts against St. Louis.

Game Odds:
St. Louis Cardinals: +1.5-180, ML +130
San Francisco Giants: -1.5+160, ML -140
Game Total: 7, o/+110, u/-130

The Giants have lost all three Game 7s in their history since moving to San Francisco in 1958. The Giants fell to Anaheim in the 2002 World Series, the Cardinals in the 1987 NLCS and the New York Yankees in the 1962 World Series.

In the other hand, the Cardinals have won their last three Game 7s since falling to Atlanta in the 1996 NLCS, the only other time St. Louis led 3-1 in the NLCS.

The winner of the NL Championship Series will host American League champion, the Detroit Tigers, in Game 1 of the World Series scheduled to take place this Wednesday afternoon.

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