Matt Adams drives in two runs with his single in the second. He would later give back two runs in the field. (photo/MLB)
I’m not going to throw Cardinals first baseman Matt Adams in front of the bus this postseason. His bat has come up big in this postseason and despite having a build that screams DH for the American League, Adams glove work at first base as been above average.
Granted, he was ineffective on two plays in the sixth inning that led to a three-run rally by the San Francisco Giants, but the pitching failed to hold a lead. Now the Cardinals face a 3-1 deficit in the NLCS following their 6-4 loss on Tuesday night.
The Giants had runners at second and third with one out when Adams backhanded Gregor Blanco’s chopper, but it took him an extra step or two before he threw home. His throw bounced into Tony Cruz as Juan Perez slid in for the tying run. Adams made a nice play charging the ball…I’m not even sure he gets Perez if he throws right away.
Then a mental error by Adams. Joe Panik hit a grounder right to Adams, who stepped on first base, but his throw was off the mark down to second trying to get a 1-6 double play. Brandon Crawford was able to score easily when Adams threw wide of the bag. Adams should have take the second out and kept Crawford at third.
It should have never gotten to that point. The pitching failed the Cardinals. Shelby Miller was ineffective and unable to go deep. Spotted with a 4-1 lead, thanks to a two-run single by Adams, Miller gave most of it back when he allowed two runs in the bottom of the third on a single by Hunter Pence. Miller couldn’t finish the fourth inning.
In the sixth, rookie Marco Gonzalez walked the lead off hitter, Perez, and gave up a single to Crawford. The inability to get outs to start an inning hurt the Cardinals all night as the Giants got the leadoff man on base in six of their eight innings. Seth Maness later gave up a single to Buster Posey who finished the three-run rally with his third RBI of the night.
