Ryan Vogelsong fanned a season-high nine batters in beating the St. Louis Cardinals 6-1 on Sunday night: Vogelsong Strikes Out 9
San Francisco will host Game 7 Monday night, although there is rain in the forecast. In all of post-season play, only 11 of 76 teams have won a series, after trailing three games to one. The last two in the National League to do so were the Marlins in 2003 and the Atlanta Braves in 1996. The 1979 Pirates did it in the World Series against the Orioles.
Why are the Giants doing so well? One reason is they have stayed healthy, especially their pitching rotation. In 2012, the Giants starting five (Cain, Lincecum, Bumgarner, Vogelsong and Zito) missed only two starts. That’s significant because only one team, the 2003 Seattle Mariners, actually made it through the season without any of the starting five leaving the rotation.
In other words staying on the mound, instead of on the Disabled List, has enabled the Giants to stay competitive.
And going into Game 7, it’s Matt Cain on the mound for the Giants vs. Kyle Lohse for the Cards. Lohse is a Northern California native. He was born in Chico and played ball for Hamilton Union High School in Hamilton City, California. Lohse is one of the few Native Americans in Major League Baseball and is a member of the Nomlaki tribe.
