There might be another chance of rain in St. Louis for Game 4 of the NLCS, but there is an even bigger chance of excitement.
The series is at 2-1 in the Cardinals’ favor, and though it is not an elimination game, it is a must win for the San Francisco Giants. To ensure themselves of a chance to tie it, Bruce Bochy has made the right choice of bringing Tim LIncecum out of the bullpen and back to the starting rotation.
Even with a 10-15 record, Lincecum made a strong argument to be in the starting rotation for the playoffs. Instead, he has shown his worth and dominated out of the bullpen so far.
So far in the playoffs, Lincecum has gone 1-0 with nine strikeouts and only one walk as a reliever. Now it is time for him to continue his freakish ways right from the start of the game.
The Cardinals are sitting in a pretty good position right now. In the past 25 seasons of the NLCS, the team that has gone up 2-1 in the series have gone on to win 17 of 21 times. Not to mention these are the defending champs.
Luckily for San Francisco, Carlos Beltran is out of the starting lineup with a left knee injury. Unfortunately, the bearded Matt Carpenter does not care at all (Just ask Matt Cain).
Lincecum has been called a “Freak” among many other things. One thing he has proven this postseason, he is a Gamer. Lincecum never complained about his role out of the bullpen and he is ready to continue to perform when it matters most.
Bochy has shown trust in Lincecum and there is no doubt the fans should continue to trust one of their favorites. What’s hard to trust right now is the Giants meat of the order.
In the NLCS the No. 3-5 hitters have been awful:
Pablo Sandoval, Buster Posey and Hunter Pence: 6-for-33 with only one RBI.
The Cardinals heavy hitters have actually been worse and tonight Lincecum must take advantage of their struggles and the absence of Beltran.
Game 4 is a must win for the Giants and nothing could possibly be more exciting than Lincecum’s hair flowing and making the return of “The Freak” complete.
Categories: Sports
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