“It got a little of the plate,” Carpenter said, and he crushed it, his first postseason homer.
In that span, the game changed. The Cardinals led 2-1, and no matter how many runners the Giants put on against Lohse, they couldn’t push across any more runs. They stranded two in the second, two in the fourth, two in the sixth and two more in the seventh — after Lohse had departed. They hit into two double plays. Right fielder Hunter Pence, one of the Giants’ best run producers, went 0 for 4, stranding runners three times.
“We had our chances,” said Giants Manager Bruce Bochy, who announced after the game he will start two-time Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum in Game 4 and lefty Barry Zito in Game 5, replacing Game 1 starter Madison Bumgarner.
“We feel that it’s time to give Madison a little break,” Bochy said.
Lincecum and Zito would do well to turn in the same numbers as Cain. He followed Carpenter’s homer by retiring 11 of the next 12 hitters, and finished with 62
/
3 innings of three-run ball.
But the Giants couldn’t get the big hit, and 30 minutes before the game resumed, Matheny approached Motte. Because the Cardinals used setup man Mitchell Boggs early, Motte would have to pitch the eighth and the ninth.
“Okay, sure,” Motte said. And he did so flawlessly, retiring the six men he faced on 19 pitches. It finished off another stellar, shutout performance from the St. Louis bullpen, and a typical Cardinals’ effort in which the man of the moment was a replacement for someone who’s used to that role.
“Stuff like this can happen,” Carpenter said. It happened to him Wednesday, and he didn’t waste the chance.
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