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发帖数: 10208 | 1 Once again, the Giants and Cardinals will square off with a National League
title on the line. They've met three times before, and their fourth meeting
will make the matchup the third-most played NL Championship Series in
history. Believe it or not, only Pirates-Reds and Phillies-Dodgers have been
played more frequently.
Here's a position-by-position breakdown of the two clubs, who have combined
to win each of the last four NL pennants:
Date Time Matchup Network
Gm 1 Oct. 11 8 p.m. ET SF vs. STL FOX
Gm 2 Oct. 12 8 p.m. ET SF vs. STL FS1
Gm 3 Oct. 14 4 p.m. ET STL vs. SF FS1
Gm 4 Oct. 15 8 p.m. ET STL vs. SF FS1
Gm 5* Oct. 16 8 p.m. ET STL vs. SF FS1
Gm 6* Oct. 18 4 or 8 p.m. ET SF vs. STL FOX
Gm 7* Oct. 19 7:30 p.m. ET SF vs. STL FS1
*if necessary.
Catcher: The age-old Buster Posey vs. Yadier Molina debate renews itself yet
again. This time, however, Molina simply hasn't been himself at the plate
since sustaining a thumb injury in July. He hit just .250 in September, and
he has managed just six extra-base hits -- postseason included -- since
returning to action in late August. He has continued to play Gold Glove-
caliber defense, however, picking Andre Ethier off third base with a great
throw in the sixth inning of St. Louis' 3-2 series-clinching win on Tuesday.
Posey, meanwhile, has been arguably the NL's best hitter in the second half
of the season (.354/.403/.575), and he's batting .391 in the postseason.
Advantage: Giants
First base: The lasting moments from both NL Division Series were provided
by first basemen. Brandon Belt's 18th-inning homer gave the Giants a 2-0
Series lead over Washington, while Matt Adams' shot off Kershaw sent Busch
Stadium into a frenzy Tuesday and was the difference in the deciding Game 4.
It's been a better postseason thus far for Belt, but Adams' raw power can
be a difference maker at any time. Plus, he hit .288 during the season,
second among all NL first basemen. Advantage: Cardinals
Second base: Among rookies with at least 250 plate appearances this season,
Joe Panik and Kolten Wong ranked third and sixth, respectively, in OPS. And
they continued their breakout seasons on the biggest stage. Panik is tied
for second overall with seven hits this postseason, and Wong hit the two-run
homer off the Dodgers' Scott Elbert in the seventh inning Monday night to
tilt the series in St. Louis' favor. During the regular season, Panik hit 56
points higher than Wong, and his bat hasn't cooled one bit. Advantage:
Giants
Third base: You'd be hard-pressed to find two more clutch hitters on the
planet right now than the Giants' Pablo Sandoval and the Cardinals' Matt
Carpenter. Sandoval came up big in the NL Wild Card Game with a pair of hits
, and again in Game 2 of the NLDS with his game-tying double in the ninth.
But, thus far, Carpenter has him beat. The Cards' leadoff man hit .500 in
the NLDS, including a home run and a three-run double off Clayton Kershaw.
Of his six playoff hits, three are doubles and three are homers (a 1.500
slugging percentage). Plus, he works the count as well as any hitter in the
league. Advantage: Cardinals
Shortstop: Jhonny Peralta set a record for the most home runs by a Cardinals
shortstop with 21 this season, although he has struggled a bit in the
playoffs. Brandon Crawford, meanwhile, not typically known for his pop,
helped put the Giants in the NLDS with his grand slam against Pittsburgh in
the NL Wild Card Game. Crawford can flash the leather with the best of them,
too -- but so can Peralta. In fact, this season, Peralta ranked ahead of
Crawford in fielding percentage, double-play involvement, range rating and
dWAR. Advantage: Cardinals
Left field: Matt Holliday is a seasoned vet in these situations. Travis
Ishikawa, meanwhile, had made just three starts in left field before the
playoffs. In 13 at-bats this postseason, Ishikawa has just two singles.
There's a chance the Giants' Mike Morse will be ready in time for Saturday's
Game 1, but he's still a major question mark, having not started a game
since August because of an oblique injury. As for Holliday, he may not have
put up his usual numbers during the regular season, but he hit .295 in
September and crushed a three-run homer in Game 1 of the NLDS. Advantage:
Cardinals
Center field: Gregor Blanco has wheels and can cover a lot of ground in AT&T
Park's spacious center field, but that hasn't made up for his anemic bat
this past week. He's just 2-for-22 (both singles) this postseason, the polar
opposite of St. Louis' Jon Jay, who hit .455 against the Dodgers with a .
571 OBP. Plus, Jay has shored up his glove from this time a year ago, when
he was a defensive liability. Advantage: Cardinals
Right field: No matter who starts in right for the Cardinals, this matchup
is a no-brainer. Hunter Pence played all 162 games for the Giants during the
regular season, leading the NL with 650 at-bats. He's been the club's
sparkplug since arriving in 2012, and he hit .278 with a pair of doubles
against the Nationals. St. Louis will most likely go with Randal Grichuk,
who homered against Kershaw in Game 1 of the NLDS, but didn't do much else.
Advantage: Giants
Bench: Neither team boasts a particularly impressive bench. The only pinch-
hit for either team this postseason was a single off the bat of St. Louis'
Oscar Taveras. The Giants' bench is still depleted because of injuries to
Morse and Angel Pagan. The St. Louis bench may not offer much in terms of
pop, but several of those Cardinals subs have serious postseason pedigree,
and with Taveras, Peter Bourjos, Pete Kozma and Daniel Descalso, the Cards'
bench is certainly deeper. Advantage: Cardinals
Rotation: Come October, it's never a good idea to bet against either of
these rotations. We've learned that much from the past five postseasons.
Veterans Jake Peavy and Tim Hudson have once again turned the Giants' staff
into a force to be reckoned with, and Madison Bumgarner is becoming one of
the best clutch pitchers of his generation. The Cardinals, meanwhile, have
the most proven starter on either side in Adam Wainwright, and Lance Lynn
turned himself into a bona fide ace in the second half with his 2.22 ERA.
Plus, it looks like John Lackey is up to his usual October tricks, and
Shelby Miller was solid in his first playoff start Tuesday. This one's
extremely close, but Wainwright struggled against the Dodgers and there has
been some question about soreness or stiffness in his arm, giving the Giants
the slightest of edges. Advantage: Giants
Bullpen: No relief corps has thrown more innings this postseason than the
Giants' 'pen, which has been up to the task every step of the way. The San
Francisco bullpen finished fifth in the Majors with a 3.01 ERA, while St.
Louis finished 17th at 3.62. Don't be fooled, though. The Cardinals' bullpen
is loaded with talent. Trevor Rosenthal's 45 saves were the second most in
the NL, and Pat Neshek, Seth Maness and Marco Gonzales had great regular
seasons and have thus far carried that over into October. But the Giants
have a great closer in Santiago Casilla, a handful of great matchups options
-- both left and right -- for the late innings, and Yusmeiro Petit as a
proven long man. Advantage: Giants |
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