Giants vs. Cardinals: NLCS Game 1 TV Schedule, Preview, Prediction

By Steve Ungrey on October 8, 2014

National League Championship Series Game 1: San Francisco Giants at St. Louis Cardinals

Game Time/TV: Saturday Oct. 11, 2014 — 8:07 p.m., Fox

Probable starters: Madison Bumgarner (18-10, 2.98 ERA) vs. Adam Wainwright (20-9, 2.38)

It is the championship series no one expected to see. Although the Cardinals had more than a fighting chance against the Los Angeles Dodgers, everyone anticipated the Washington Nationals to beat the Giants. It didn’t happen, and baseball is left with this playoff series as a consolation prize. Worse things have happened to the sport, and this is not one of them.

The matchup pits two solid pitchers against each other. Wainwright is slated to go for St. Louis, but elbow issues could cause him to miss the start. Lance Lynn would take Wainwright’s spot if Wainwright is not healthy enough to make it. Wainwright has a 1-1 record and a 5.25 earned run average against San Francisco, and the Giants batted .267 against him. These are easily some of the worst stats Wainwright has put up all season, and St. Louis has to be concerned about that if it has any shot at reaching the World Series.

Bumgarner is 11-4 with a 2.22 ERA on the road, and that sparkling record was on display when he shut down the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Wild Card matchup. He is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA against St. Louis, with just four walks to his 16 strikeouts.

Obviously, this game hinges on Wainwright. If he cannot go in the first game or he misses the NLCS completely with elbow issues, the Cardinals are dead in the water. There isn’t enough pitching to back up the perennial Cy Young candidate.

Should Wainwright be healthy, he will have an excellent shot at shutting down the Giants’ vaunted offense. If not, Clayton Kershaw‘s meltdowns could look like peanuts compared to what happens in St. Louis.

Projected final: St. Louis 2, San Francisco 1