Kenny Lofton’s ninth-inning single off reliever Steve Kline broke a 1-1 tie and knocked the Redbirds out of the playoffs as San Francisco topped St. Louis 2-1 in Game 5 of the NLCS last night. Lofton attracted the ire of St. Louis fans in Game 1 with his outburst after Mike Crudale pitched inside to him and the benches cleared. Matt Morris started for the Cardinals last night and pitched 8 and 2/3’s innings. He pitched every at-bat with the exception of Lofton’s game-ending performance. Morris worked around six hits, two walks and three other runners who reached after getting hit with one of his pitches. Fernando Vina put the Cardinals on the board in the seventh with a sacrifice fly. In the eighth inning, Barry Bonds drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to tie it. Lack of run production was a theme for St. Louis in the NLCS. They were just 3-39 with runners in scoring position. With the win, the Giants advanced to their first World Series since 1989 and only their third since moving from New York to San Francisco. They’ll face the Angels, who are making their first trip to the fall classic.
