The Nats Are Gone: Giants and Cards Duke it Out in NLCS

With the series tied up at 1-1, the NLCS heads to St. Louis

(AP Photo)

By Hannah McCaffrey

The St. Louis Cardinals won the NLDS 3-2 against the Washington Nationals.  The Cardinals did not have much time to celebrate their big win; the team was scheduled two days later to play Game 1 of the NLCS in San Francisco against the Giants.  The Cardinals won the first game of the series 6-4, but could not pull out a win in Game 2, losing 7-1 to the Giants.

In the first inning, Cardinals left fielder Matt Holliday slid into Giants second baseman Marco Scutaro causing Scutaro to injure his hip resulting in leaving the game early.  Many Giants fans saw Holliday’s slide as an intentionally dirty play in an attempt to injure Scutaro.  However, Holliday’s slide seemed to be more of an accidental play rather than intentional.  Antonio Gonzalez of the Associated Press reported on Holliday’s statement about the slide after the game:

“In hindsight, I wish I would have started the slide a little earlier, but it happened so fast,” Holliday said. “I hope he’s OK, he’s a good guy. I was more interested in breaking up the double play.”

Another controversial play occurred in the eighth inning when Cardinals center fielder Jon Jay made a diving catch and fired the ball to first for a double play, which unfortunately resulted in a missed call by the umpire.  While the game certainly did not hinge on this play, a missed call by the umpire can be frustrating and change the game’s momentum significantly.

Giants pitcher Ryan Vogelsong pitched a great 7 innings making it tough for the Cardinals hitters.  However, Cardinals right fielder Carlos Beltran provided an offensive spark.  Beltran is arguably one of the most clutch playoff hitters of all time, hitting 2-3 in Game 2 with two doubles and one walk.

However, his teammates did not support Beltran’s offensive momentum, and Vogelsong seemed to get the best of the Cardinals.  Beltran is an offensive force to be reckoned with, but he cannot do the job alone; the rest of the Cardinals offense needs to wake up if they want to beat the Giants and win the NLDS.  Hopefully the next two games at home will give the Cardinals the momentum they need to succeed.

Game 3 of the series is currently underway. You can follow the action here: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/boxscore?gid=321017124