It really boiled down to just one pitch:
In the 2nd inning, Matt Carpenter hit a two-run bomb to lift the Cardinals to a 2-1 lead over the Giants – a lead they would never relinquish. Ironically, Carpenter wasn’t even supposed to play in Game 3, but he replaced outfielder Carlos Beltran, who suffered a knee injury. Carpenter is something of a Giants killer whenever Matt Cain is on the mound. He is 4-4 against Cain lifetime.
For the Giants, there’s hope in Tim Lincecum, the likely Game 4 starter.
But there is this sobering statistic: Since 1985, teams that take a 2-1 lead in the National League Championship Series have advanced to the World Series 16 out of 21 times. Overall, in best of seven postseason series tied 1-1, the Game 3 winner has won 60 out of 83 times, a winning percentage of 72%.
