NLCS Game 5 Schedule & Predictions: San Francisco Giants Lead St. Louis Cardinals 3-1
Are the San Francisco Giants closing in on another World Series appearance?
The Giants and St. Louis Cardinals face off on Thursday, Oct. 16 in Game 5 at 8:07 p.m EST.
San Francisco lead the series 3-1 in this best-of-seven National League Championship Series . Both of these teams are no strangers to greatness and postseason success lately. Either the Cardinals or Giants have won the National League every season the last four years.
The winner of this series will play the Kansas City Royals, who defeated the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Championship Series. Will the Giants return to the Fall Classic or can St. Louis force the series to a Game 6?
Latin Post breaks down the teams, schedule and predicts a winner:
San Francisco Giants
The Giants have won the National League Pennant two of the last four seasons. It must have been great for Giants fans watching their team advance to the NLCS, and their rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, not even make it out of the second round.
The Giants won their Wild Card elimination game against the Pittsburgh Pirates thanks to Madison Bumgarner, who pitched a complete nine-inning game shutout against the Pirates that day. In their next series, the Giants swept the Washington Nationals in four games. So far, the Giants have looked dominant in the NLCS against the Cardinals.
Buster Posey and Hunter Pence have been hitting great this postseason so far, along with Branden Belt. As usual, Venezuelan slugger Pablo Sandoval is showing up in the playoffs. Sandoval has a team high two doubles hit this postseason and a .308 batting average. The Giants can always count on him in October. The Giants are 3-1 this postseason at home so far, and Game 5 will be played by the Bay.
Madison Bumgarner will be starting Game 5 for the Giants.
St. Louis Cardinals
It's do-or-die for the St. Louis Cardinals. After reaching last year's World Series, and two of the last three overall, the Cardinals won the National League Central with a 90-72 record. The last time the Cardinals won the World Series in 2010, they also had a 90-72 record. Possibly good luck, or maybe just a coincidence.
The Cardinals opened their postseason with a series win against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Despite having this year's Cy Young Award winning pitcher Clayton Kershaw, the Cardinals simply dominated the competition. The Cardinals won the series 3-1, defeating Kershaw in both games he played. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they find themselves just one game away from elimination.
Jon Jay, Matt Carpenter and Matt Holliday lead the Cardinals in hits this postseason. Carpenter has a team-leading four home runs and eight runs batted in. Ace pitcher Adam Wainwright had a terrific season with 20 wins and a 2.38 ERA, but he is battling an elbow injury. Wainwright has been very reliable in the playoffs for the Cardinals in the past, but health remains a concern.
Adam Wainwright will be starting Game 5 for the Cardinals.
Schedule, Where to Watch
The Giants and Cardinals will play one another at 8:07 p.m. EST on Thursday, Oct. 16. Game 5 will be played at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California. The game can be watched on Fox Sports 1. Live stream coverage of the game can be seen here.
Predictions
The Cardinals have to win one road game in this series, right? There's no shame in losing to the Giants, but to lose three consecutive games and drop the NCLS 4-1 would look really bad for such a proud franchise. Wainwright is facing an elbow injury, but he's had plenty of rest.
Cardinals win 4-3
For up-to-date sports news, scores, and more, follow Latin Post Sports on Twitter
Subscribe to Latin Post!
Sign up for our free newsletter for the Latest coverage!
