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Cards bust out, rely on 'pen to ink Game 1
win
Relievers toss 5
1/3 shutout innings to make early burst stand up
cardinals.com
SAN FRANCISCO -- Manager Mike Matheny gave the directive to bullpen
coach Dyar Miller, who summoned Joe Kelly to join him in a jog to the
'pen.
A once-seemingly safe six-run St. Louis lead had already shrunk to two,
and Lance Lynn was giving little indication that he was about to stop a
surging San Francisco offense. And so, as Lynn faced pinch-hitter
Aubrey Huff -- a batter he'd eventually walk -- Kelly rushed through
his warmup sequence.
Kelly had time for about 10 fastballs and another five offspeed
offerings before he was jogging again, this time to the AT&T Park
mound.
Wondering himself if he had had ample time to prepare, Kelly -- with an
assist from a diving Daniel Descalso -- closed the inning, setting off
a stellar bullpen stand that ensured the Cardinals would exit Sunday
with a 6-4 win to open the National League Championship Series.
"As young as they are, I look at their demeanor, and that's the coolest
thing about this," said David Freese, speaking specifically of Kelly
and fellow rookie reliever Trevor Rosenthal, who also came up clutch in
Sunday's game. "They get on that bump with 50,000 people roaring at
them, and they don't care."
Indeed, in a game that opened with the Cards racing out to a six-run
lead, it took a boost by the bullpen to pluck home-field advantage away
from the Giants. The same bullpen that posted a pedestrian 3.90 ERA
during the regular season has now allowed only six earned runs in 30
postseason innings.
That's after six relievers combined to toss 5 1/3 shutout innings
behind Lynn on Sunday.
"We've got a good bullpen, a strong bullpen, and we have to be ready,"
Edward Mujica said. "We have to be ready in different situations, no
matter what situations. If the starters go four or five, just try to
pick them up."
The needed pick-me-up came unexpectedly, as it appeared early that the
defending World Series champs were going to cruise. The Cardinals took
no time hushing the San Francisco crowd, and they chased left-hander
Madison Bumgarner from his start before he could finish four innings.
Freese's two-run homer -- his first postseason long ball since the
iconic blast he sent over the center-field wall in the 2011 World
Series -- gave St. Louis the early advantage.
"We were ready for mistakes," said Freese, whose six postseason home
runs are tied for the third most in franchise history. "Coming in here,
we were wanting to get a lead early."
The bottom of the Cards' lineup then sparked a four-run fourth.
Surprising postseason contributors Descalso and Pete Kozma delivered
consecutive one-out doubles. Jon Jay extended the inning with a
two-out, two-strike RBI single. Carlos Beltran, whose career made a
brief stop in San Francisco last season, then drilled a 3-2 slider into
the stands.
At the time, Beltran joined Albert Pujols and Babe Ruth as the only
players with at least 14 homers and a .325 batting average in the
postseason. It was his third home run in seven playoff games this month.
"I'm just really enjoying myself, honestly," Beltran said. "Right now,
I'm seeing the ball well. ... I'm not trying to do too much, good
things are happening. I feel good about that."
With Lynn having held the Giants hitless through three innings, a
six-run cushion seemed plenty substantial. But the club that overcame
that same deficit to send Washington to an early winter endured a
similar scare from San Francisco. Before the fourth inning ended, the
Giants had chased Lynn from the game and climbed back to within two.
They did it with four consecutive two-out hits, including a two-run
triple by Gregor Blanco and a subsequent RBI double by Brandon
Crawford. It wasn't until after Crawford's knock that the bullpen
stirred.
"I threw a lot of fastballs early, and then they started jumping on it
and got a lot of big hits in a row," Lynn said. "Before I knew it, they
had four runs. I wasn't able to make as quick an adjustment as they
did."
When Lynn walked Huff, Matheny made his move.
"His fastball looked good, but when he was working behind in the count,
it serves into a team like the Giants' hand," Matheny said. "And
they've got an explosive offense and made a strong run and put Lance in
a hard spot."
For this article and more, go to St. Louis Cardinals
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