St Louis Cardinals 3-6 San Francisco Giants: National League Championship Series - as it happened!

So the Wild Card was supposed to be exciting for fans, which it is, and it was also supposed to be a benefit for division winners to take a bye into the DS and wait for their opponent.

Well, the game has actually served as a springboard for San Francisco and for Kansas City, two teams that crushed favorites and will now play for the big trophy starting on Tuesday when the Fall Classic begins, amazingly, in KC!

We will have every single game, live, here, for you. Join us then - for now, good morning, good afternoon and goodnight.

The Warren C Giles trophy goes to the Giants, but they prefer the rounder uglier hardware that’s now within their grasp.

Giants GM Brian Sabean just referred to his team as cockroaches - see the top of this blog for more on that!

Bruce Bochy tells the fans “Nobody has it better than us!” which is dead right - it’s the best run for a Giants team since John McGraw was the skipper.

Madison Bumgarner is NLCS MVP for allowing three runs in 15.2 innings.

Cardinals 3-3 Giants, bottom 9th

But no - here is Ishikawa, and Wacha still struggles to find the plate - two straight balls to start the at-bat!

Cardinals 3-3 Giants, bottom 9th

Belt, left handed batter - Wacha, a righty.

It’s four straight balls, and Belt is on first, moving Arias to second base.

Now what does Matheny do now? He better go get him, but I said the same thing about Wainwright in the fourth...

He’s the new Shelby Miller, sort of.

Cardinals 3-3 Giants, bottom 9th

Wacha checks Arias at first looking to keep him close.

Pence hits a fly ball- for a second it looks like trouble but Tavares tracks it down for the first out. So Brandon Belt will bat now with Arias still at first base.

Cardinals 3-3 Giants, bottom 9th

Enter Michael Wacha, the 2013 NLCS MVP, making his first appearance of the series in what has been an injury riddled season.

His first test is Pablo Sandoval, and that’s a fail - Panda smacks a change up into all that green grass in right center field.

Arias promptly pinch runs for Sandoval...

The NLCS winning run is on for Hunter Pence!

Cardinals 3-3 Giants, top 9th

Affeldt, left handed pitcher. Tavares, the kid, also lefty. It’s his moment, what’s he going to do?

It’s a bounce out back to the pitcher - Affeldt runs to the bag and this inning is over!

No runs, one hit, three left on and to the bottom of the ninth we go!

I’m waiting for Cruz to rip off his mask and reveal Darrell Porter.

Cardinals 3-3 Giants, top 9th

Wow! Next pitch, another high throw, and Posey looked like he was crossed up there. More importantly, that’s ball four.

The bases are now full of St Louis Cardinals, and now we’re wondering if Bochy is going to get Casilla...

He is. Affeldt is on his way in, rookie Oscar Tavares has been announced as the pinch hitter. Cue the organ...

Cardinals 3-3 Giants, top 9th

Casilla airmails it, but Posey grabs it at the last moment, saving a run!

The count is full to Cruz...

Cardinals 3-3 Giants, top 9th

Wong takes off, Posey doesn’t care. So now he’s on second base and that kills the force out at second base.

Casilla is behind 2-1 in the count to Cruz...

Cardinals 3-3 Giants, top 9th

Jeremy Affeldt is warming up. He may want to warm up a little faster, because Grichuk singles through the hole on the left side.

Adams exits, Descalso comes on to pinch run.

Runners on first and second and one out. Here comes Wong. He sounds like a cigarette - “Pack of Kolton’s please...”

He likes to play the hero these days, quite the change from a year ago.

First pitch swinging - ground ball - Crawford, ranging to his right, deep in the hole - he has it and throws to second for the force out but the throw is not in time to get Wong at first.

So now we have two outs and runners at the corners and here is Tony Cruz...yes, that Tony Cruz.

This is too obvious.

Cardinals 3-3 Giants, top 9th

Casilla, the Giants closer, comes into a tied game...

Peralta is up. He hits a hard ground ball but it’s right at Crawford who fires to first for the out.

Now it’s Big Matt Adams, burly man, big bear, big boy. Looks mean, looks nasty. Left handed batter, right handed pitcher. The shift is on, everyone moves to the right.

Casilla is behind in the count, 3-1. FOX TV in the US says this is the first time since July Casilla has worked three straight days...

...here’s the pitch - it’s outside for ball four. That’s a one out walk. Here comes stikeout machine Grichuk...and you know what that means.

Cardinals 3-3 Giants, bottom 8th

Posey reaches out and tags one to center field where Peter Bourjos, who just came into the game, makes the catch and ends the inning - a big one for San Francisco as they tie it up heading to the ninth!

Cardinals 3-3 Giants, bottom 8th

Blanco is robbed of a base hit by a sliding Jon Jay in left, then Panik grounds out to second. Now it’s Posey at the plate...

There could not be a worse possible night for that.

Cardinals 3-2 Giants, bottom 8th

Exit Wainwright, enter Pat Neshek, and now, here is Mike Morse pinch-hitting...

Cardinals 3-2 Giants, top 8th

Holliday pops out to Blanco in center field, side retired. Here come the Giants.

Cardinals 3-2 Giants, top 8th

Jay - a little roller to the right side, Belt has it, steps on first, two down. Now manager Bruce Bochy is keeping in Bumgarner to face Holliday...

Cardinals 3-2 Giants, top 8th

Madison Bumgarner is back out for more, and he has a quick first out - it’s Carpenter, who has been stymied tonight, grounding out making him 0-3 on the evening.

Here is the white hot Jon Jay batting with one down and the bases empty...

Cardinals 3-2 Giants, bottom 7th

Wainwright in full control - it’s 1-2-3, and he’s through seven. Belt, a little pop to center that had Holliday on his horse before making the catch. Ishikawa went down looking, and then Crawford is out on a close play at first, Adams, flipping to the Cards ace to finish off SF in the seventh. Gutsy outing for Wainwright who is probably done.

Cardinals 3-2 Giants, top 7th

Wong grounds to second, Cruz pops to first and Wainwright strikes out.

Then we get what may be the worst version of God Bless America I may have ever heard, which serves them right for singing that instead of Take Me Out to the Ball Game.

Stretch time in San Francsico.

Cardinals 3-2 Giants, bottom 6th

Wainwright just destroyed the best hitters in the Giants lineup. Pence is down on strikes and here come the Cards in the seventh.

Cardinals 3-2 Giants, bottom 6th

Big bats coming up for the Giants here, and a big one going down - Wainwright makes Posey look silly with a nasty breaking ball away that Buster can’t touch.

One down. Here is Panda. There goes Panda. He is waving at more junk in the dirt away - back-to-back strikeouts for Wainwright, who is making my fourth inning call for his dismissal look like all-star analysis.

Pence is next.

There’s nothing to be afraid of, says son to father, before the sky falls in.

Cardinals 3-2 Giants, top 6th

Peralta drives one to deep center field - Gregor Blanco is back stepping to the wall but his able to make the catch. Then Matt Adams rips one, this time to right field, but Pence is there to make the catch.

Two hard hit balls to start the sixth for St Louis, but both stay in the park. Grichuk grounds out to end the inning and Bumgarner is through six...

Cardinals 3-2 Giants, bottom 5th

The beauty of not pitching around Crawford last inning is that the light hitting pitcher, Bumgarner leads off here for the Giants. He’s swinging for the downs, but goes down on strikes - a bit unfair with Wainwright throwing him a curve ball for the third strike...

Top of the order now for San Francisco and that means Grgor Blanco, who has hit tonight (a pair of singles) and played some great defense just moments ago in center field.

Here Blanco is retired for the first time tonight, a ground ball to Peralta over at short becomes out number one.

Wainwright seems to have recovered - he was on the brink just an inning ago before getting lucky, which FOX has seemed to forget about. Instead, they’re jocking him like he’s throwing a perfect game.

Anyway, the inning is over after Panik grounds out. That’s 1-2-3 for Wainwright.

Cardinals 3-2 Giants, top 5th

OK, let’s all just try to calm down here. Bumgarner is bit more relaxed anyway, he strikes out Carpenter to start the inning on a slider in the dirt.

Jay hits a routine fly ball to center, it’s a can-o-corn for Blanco...but the next play isn’t. Holliday hits a ball to shallow center and Gregor is on the run - he slides and makes a tremendous catch!!

The ball looked like it might pop out when the glove hit the turf but no, it’s out number three - inning over.

Cardinals 3-2 Giants, bottom 4th

Crawford waves at some junk in the dirt and Wainwright escapes. Let’s be honest, the man got lucky. He was wild and got hit and gave up zilch. How long can that last?

Cardinals 3-2 Giants, bottom 4th

Wainwright walks Ishikawa - so two on, two down for Crawford. Is he going to pitch around him with the pitchers spot coming up?

Who am I to argue?

Cardinals 3-2 Giants, bottom 4th

Oh, excuse me...I forgot. This is the Cardinals we are talking about here...

...and get this - Belt, socks one straight to Wong for one out, and then Sandoval is nailed sliding back into second - that’s two outs on one single play...just like St Louis drew it up. Talk about a pitchers best friend.

So now Pence is at first base with two down and it’s up Ishikawa.

Cardinals 3-2 Giants, bottom 4th

Wainwright loses Pence to a walk - Cards manager has to go get him, that’s if you ask me. He can’t mess around tonight. The guy is done.

Runners on first and second for Belt.

I’m telling you, go get him NOW!

Cardinals 3-2 Giants, bottom 4th

It’s not Wainwright’s fault that Sandoval can hit a ball close to Pluto down the left field line, so don’t hold it against him. Really, that was completely ridiculous.

Panda is on second with a lead-of double, and here comes Hunter Pence.

Cardinals 3-2 Giants, top 4th

The inning ends when Wainwright strikes out.

I’m going to go tumble around by dryer for a little while.

First a lefty hits a homer off Bumgarner, which is rare as my computer not exploding during a crucial NLCS Game 5, and then Cruz?

Yes, that is forfeit worthy.

Oh yeah.....now what?

Cardinals 1-2 Giants, bottom 3rd

Posey bounces out to third to end the inning but the rookie has his second Giants home run and the teams first in 243 plate appearances.

Cardinals 1-0 Giants, top 3rd

The Cards can’t get more - Holliday flies to center field, then Perlalta lines out to left - inning over. St Louis has a run but will regret not getting more.

Cardinals 0-0 Giants, top 3

Wainwright is down in the count 0-2, but he lays down a perfect bunt down on the dirt in front of the plate to successfully move Cruz down to second base. Wainwright is thrown out, and so there is one down for Matt Carpenter and a runner in scoring position.

Cardinals 0-0 Giants, top 3rd

Here is Tony Cruz in the eighth spot - he falls behind 1-2. The Cards substitute backstop looks overmatched, but finds a way to work the count full, and then takes ball four, off the inside corner.

So, a leadoff runner on for St Louis and here comes Adam Wainwright who will be looking to move him to second with a sacrifice bunt.

Cardinals 0-0 Giants, bottom 2nd

Ishikawa bounces to the right side and Adams is on the move, making a little backhanded stab before tossing to Wainwright, in time to end the inning. That’s 1-2-3 for Adam, who has needed 26 pitches to get through the first two innings - they’ll take it.

Cardinals 0-0 Giants, bottom 2nd

Hunter Pence hits groundouts to third.

Brandon Belt is mystified by a nasty curveball that seems to suspend itself in mid-air - it makes the count 1-2 - a pitch like that gives Cards fans hope. Can Wainwright get out of the fifth inning tonight?

So far so good - another breaking ball in the dirt is swung on and missed and the Cards ace looks good right now.

Two down, here’s Travis Ishikawa with no one on.

There is no way Kolten Wong is putting forks in his bat, it’s inconceivable.

Cardinals 0-0 Giants, top 2nd

Bright lights, big city, big whiff - Matt Adams down on strikes.

And there’s more of that - Randal Grichuk is nowhere near a low Bumgarner curveball, and that’s back-to-back K’s for Bumgarner. Now, here’s Wong.

Is there more magic in that bat?

Well, he hits a high fly ball...but it’s to the left side of the infield. Crawford calls off Sandoval and he makes the catch to end the Cards second.

From the universe to you Mr Edwards...PLEASE - only Evel Knievel has gotten more breaks than the Cardinals.

Cardinals 0-0 Giants, bottom 1st

Wainwright throws a filthy curveball on 2-2 that Panda manages to lay off. How? No idea. But now the count is full....

Sandoval grounds to second - Wong backhands, has it, throws to first, side retired.

Wainwright is through one, unscarred.

Cardinals 0-0 Giants, bottom 1st

So here is Wainwright, who has been kind of hammered lately. No change here, Gregor Blanco has a leadoff base hit to right, just to put a few more jitters into Cards fans. Yonkers native Joe Panik (my hometown, but there’s no bias, promise) is next...

He lines to center - one on, one out and here’s that baby faced assassin, Buster Posey.

Blanco is running, Posey grounds to short - Peralta makes a sliding stop, gets up and fires to first for the second out.

Blanco is at second, and now it’s up to the leaping [Kung Fu] Panda up with a runner in scoring position...

Care to elaborate?

Cardinals 0-0 Giants, top 1st

Bang- bang! Peralta lines to third - Pablo Sandoval leaps (itself a feat) and makes the catch! Then he fires to second base to complete a double play, just nailing Jay who couldn’t get back to the bag in time.

Threat over. Inning over. And when you’re hot, you’re hot.

Cardinals 0-0 Giants, top 1st

Hunter’s guy, The Federalist, aka Jon Jay lashes a base hit to left, ending the perfect game. Jay is now hitting .500 in the postseason.

But wait, there’s more...Matt Holliday is agressive - he goes to the opposite field, right in that gaping hole between first and second base, and we’ve got a little bit of a situation breweing here.

Jhonnny Peralta is up with two on and one out, and he’s greeted with high hard stuff just to remind the shortstop where he is.....

Predictions

I don’t know - I’m torn. As we know, there is a real breakfast issue without Molina in the Cards lineup, but Dempster picking San Francisco on that suit combined the Giants not bringing bags to the ballpark makes me thinks St Louis could have the edge. Take St Louis 6-2...whatever that means.

Fog

Either there was some pyrotechnics at AT&T Park just now or it’s really really foggy. Joe Montana is on the field leading the crowd in some per-game rah-rah stuff, and it’s certainly a bit misty...

Here they are, your San Francisco Giants!

1. Gregor Blanco, CF
2. Joe Panik, 2B
3. Buster Posey, C
4. Pablo Sandoval, 3B
5. Hunter Pence, RF
6. Brandon Belt, 1B
7. Travis Ishikawa, LF
8. Brandon Crawford, SS
9. Madison Bumgarner, LHP

MLB Network reports that the Giants have not brought their traveling bags to the ballpark - and they’ve done that before.

These guys have some stones. That kind of arrogance makes me think there’s no way the Cardinals can lose. See you in St Louis on Saturday?

Meanwhile, in the MLB Network studio...

Yes, I felt strongly enough to stop what I was doing, shoot it, tweet it and then post it to my own blog. Whomever is working wardrobe in Secaucus owes us all an explanation.

FYI, he likes the Giants tonight. How about you?

Tweet:

@lengeldavid

or email:

david.lengel.freelance@theguardian.com

St Louis Cardinals lineup...

1. Matt Carpenter, 3B
2. Jon Jay, CF
3. Matt Holliday, LF
4. Jhonny Peralta, SS
5. Matt Adams, 1B
6. Randal Grichuk, RF
7. Kolten Wong, 2B
8. Tony Cruz, C
9. Adam Wainwright, RHP

Mike Matheny is spreading out the lefty bats a bit in what amounts to a mini shake-up.

Yadier Molina

No Molina, no win, no surprise. The Cards trying to win a series without Molina is like corn flakes without the milk. I don’t really know what that means but you get the gist.

Do you think the Cards losing games three and four without their supernatural catcher was a coincidence? If so I have an arch to sell you...and he’s not in the lineup tonight with that oblique issue still reeking havoc on the St Louis lineup.

Instead, the Cards have Tony Cruz. Good luck with that.

When it comes to San Francisco, all year long we heard convenient throw away lines that go a little something like this...

You know, it’s an even year, so, Giants in the World Series right?

General response?

Ha ha, yeah, whatever.

Well, it seems the even year joke is on us...again.

These Giants are on the verge of going back to a third World Series in five years - that’s 2010, 2012, and now, possibly 2014, with one National League cockroach seemingly ready to squash another. San Francisco are the only National League bunch capable of beating these Redbirds, consistently finding a way to win against the peskiest NL opponents, just as they did back in 2012 when they rallied from a 3-1 deficit to oust the Cards in the NLCS.

Now it’s San Francisco that have St Louis in a 3-1 series hole, a gap that the Midwestern franchise has never recovered from at this stage.

The Giants always seem to answer when opportunity knocks. In Game 3 the Giants won on a walk off error. In Game 4 the Giants didn’t even need hits to score twice in the sixth inning, instead, taking advantage of Cardinals miscues before Buster Posey drove in a third run with an RBI knock. But don’t take it from me, see for yourself:

Their rally from a 4-1 deficit means that their ace, Madison Bumgarner, is on the mound to try and send his team to Kansas City for a World Series Game 1 next week.

Bumgarner was in a similar, series clinching position in Game 3 of the NLDS against Washington, but he allowed three seventh inning runs that meant the Giants would have to wait another day to clinch. Bumgarner followed that performance with 7.2 shutout innings in Game 1 vs St Louis, when he beat his opponent tonight, Adam Wainwright, in a battle of rotation aces.

Cards fans fears for Wainwright and his suspect right arm were realized when the 20 game winner gave up three runs, two of which were earned, along with three walks and six hits in just 4.2 innings of work. Now the battered ace is back, charged with getting his team back home to Busch Stadium for a would-be Game 6 on Friday.

Can he and his Cardinals do it? Well, that’s why were here, and if you stick with us, we promise to tell you all about it, just as it happens. First pitch will be at 8:07, and in the meantime, why not drop us a line? Remember - our blog is your blog, so tweet:

@lengeldavid

or email:

david.lengel.freelance@theguardian.com

OK, let’s talk soon. Standby.