Cardinals vs. Giants, 2014 NLCS Game 5 results: 4 things we learned from San Francisco’s 6-3 win
A string of unlikely heroes, led by a fantastic performance by their ace, has put the San Francisco Giants on their third trip to the World Series in the last five years.
Jason O. Watson
Travis Ishikawa lifted the San Francisco Giants to the World Series for the third time in five years with a walk-off home run to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-3, in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series on Thursday night.
The Giants won behind a solid effort from pitcher Madison Bumgarner. Bumgarner gave up three runs on two solo home runs and a double, but still managed five strikeouts in eight innings. Joe Panik hit the first Giants' home run in 242 at-bats to give his team a brief 2-1 lead, and Michael Morse hit a game-tying pinch hit home run in the bottom of the eighth that allowed San Francisco to stay in the game long enough to win it in the most dramatic way possible.
Bumgarner surrendered two home runs in the top of the fourth. The first was hit by Game 4 defensive scapegoat Matt Adams, and the second was driven out by Yadier Molina's replacement, Tony Cruz. Although he would eventually pitch through the eighth, his offense could never quite get back in the game against his counterpart, Adam Wainwright.
Wainwright's strong night was a bit surprising, considering the way he played this postseason. After struggling through two starts, one each in the NLDS and NLCS, he had seven innings of solid baseball Thursday, dropping his postseason ERA to 3.09 and giving his team the best chance to win. But, alas, even the 2013 NLCS MVP couldn't stop the Giants from realizing their destiny as Michael Wacha would give up the three-run homer to send the Giants to the World Series once again.
Cruz possibly a Molina brother?
Molina’s injury should have been a much more significant blow in Game 5, but the way that Tony Cruz played to keep the Cardinals alive was either the good kind of aberration or a possible sign of what Cruz can provide if given the chance. Either way, he nearly played a major role in keeping his team off the chopping block with a home run, a walk, and another run scored.
Wainwright gets it together
After a rough patch of starts to begin his 2014 postseason, Wainwright finally started pitching like an ace. Outside of a two-run home run -- the Giants' first since Brandon Belt's game-winner in Game 2 against the Nationals -- to Panik in the third, he was brilliant. He would strike out the side in the bottom of the sixth inning and stretch it to five straight punch outs before exiting the game after making it through the seventh. It would, unfortunately, be too little, too late; the Giants got to the Cardinals' bullpen and punched their ticket to the 2014 World Series.
Hard to find a quality start(er) these days
Before Thursday night’s game, the starters for each participating NL and AL Championship Series team had combined to throw exactly one quality start. Even with Wainwright and Bumgarner’s performances, that total of three is still the least since 2010, and just a year after 16 of 24 starters had quality starts.
20th time is the sweetest
The Giants will be making their 20th trip to the World Series as a representative of the NL, breaking a tie with -- you guessed it -- the Cardinals at 19.
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