Keys to the NLCS

This is what we have all been waiting for, in 22 hours the next step to the title begins. The Giants begin the NLCS at home against a tough and under-rated defending champion Cardinals team. There is little doubt that the Giants are the better team but the Cardinals will not be an easy out. Here are some of the keys to watch for, if you want the Giants to move on.

 1-Hit and score at home This has been a problem all year for the Giants and they need to improve if they want to continue their playoff run. They have the bats, one through 6 they are very good. What makes the Giants dangerous is that they have guys who know their roles. This is a Cardinal staff that you can expose if each guy does their job. Just battle and keep the line moving because the Cardinals will score.

 2-Get quality starts This may not sound like a problem, given the names the Giants throw out there but the rotation really had a rough time against the Reds and the Cardinals have a great lineup. The Giants offense is better than it was in 2010 so we don't need great starts but we need some quality. The bullpen is very strong but the rotation has got to set them up. If the Giants starters get into the 7th they will have a great opportunity to win.

 3-Get the top of the order going In the second half, Pagan and Scutaro set the table as well as any 1-2 combo in baseball and you saw Posey, Panda and Pence take advantage of RBI chances. If you don't get on, you can't score. Posey is, no doubt, our MVP but he needs to hit with guys on and less than two outs. In the regular season, the Giants went 51-18 when Angel Pagan scored and they went 2-0 against the Reds when he scored. Baseball is a game of numbers and you want the numbers in your favor.

 4-score first Logic would dictate that in baseball scoring first would be a huge advantage, for the Giants it certainly is. This team went 38-9 in the second half when they scored the first run. At home, this will be an even bigger key. AT&T park can get into hitters heads but, if you score early, you are able to relax much more. Pitching with a lead can lead to the Cardinals getting more aggressive and we have the strike out pitchers that could take advantage of this.
 Those are my keys, let's hear some of yours.