By Derrick Goold, St. Louis Post-Dispatch –
SAN FRANCISCO — When neither starter could contain the opposing lineup, Game 1 of the National League championship series became a measure of the dueling bullpens, a test of relief.
The St. Louis Cardinals benefited from having won like this before.
Echoing the bullpen-heavy route the Cardinals took to the pennant in last year’s NLCS, the Cardinals turned to a parade of six relievers to hold a two-run lead and carry them to a Game 1 victory Sunday night at AT&T Park. All of the scoring in the game came off the two starters, but it was the Cardinals who got enough early to give their relievers a 6-4 victory to close late.
The Cardinals lead the best-of-seven series, 1-0.
San Francisco brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning after leadoff hitter Angel Pagan’s two-out single past a diving Daniel Descalo. Motte got No. 2 hitter Marco Scutaro to poke grounder to first baseman Allen Craig and finish the game. Motte claimed his second save of the postseason, his 44th of the season. Combined the final five relievers the Cardinals used—Marc Rzepczynski, Trevor Rosenthal, Edward Mujica, Mitchell Boggs, and Motte—retired 13 of the final 15 batters of the game for the Giants.
Mujica earned the win by striking out the side in the seventh inning. Boggs also faced the minimum in the eighth.
The Cardinals struck early for a 6-0 lead against lefty Madison Bumgarner (0-2). David Freese and Carlos Beltran hammered two two-run homers as part of the Cardinals early burst. Freese claimed a lead in the second inning with his first homer of this postseason, his fourth in the NLCS in his career. Beltran added to a four-run rally in the fourth inning with his 14th postseason.
He has 14 homers in 29 playoff games in his career.
The Cardinals received more innings from their bullpen during the 2011 NLCS against Milwaukee than they did from their starters. That trend is still alive through one game. Lance Lynn was ejected in the fourth inning after the Giants put eight hitters to the plate in that inning and scored four runs against the right. The Giants got four consecutive hits with two outs, including Gregor Blanco’s two-run triple, to chase Lynn from his first postseason start.
In three tries this October, the Giants have yet to win a home playoff game.
The second game of the NLCS will be Monday at 7 p.m. St. Louis time. Chris Carpenter is set to start for the Cardinals opposite Ryan Vogelsong of the host Giants.
