Giants-Cardinals Preview

Giants-Cardinals Preview

Published Aug. 9, 2012 8:41 a.m. ET

(AP) -- It appears getting out of town was all the San Francisco Giants needed to get back on track.

They could struggle to keep it going in the final game of their trip, though, with a matchup against the St. Louis Cardinals' Adam Wainwright in store.

Runs could be at a premium as Wainwright takes the mound against Madison Bumgarner in the conclusion of this four-game set Thursday afternoon.

San Francisco (61-50), which was limited to 19 runs while losing seven of eight to conclude its last homestand, has plated 56 while going 5-1 thus far on its trip.

The Giants continued their recent success in Wednesday's 15-0 rout of St. Louis. They went 8 for 16 with runners in scoring position and are batting .388 in RBI situations during their trek.

"You see this lineup, and I don't see any reason why we can't continue doing that," said the recently-acquired Marco Scutaro, who hit a grand slam and drove in a career-high seven runs.

The Cardinals (60-51), who took Monday's series opener 8-2, have since gone 0 for 12 with runners in scoring position while losing the last two games.

"We got to have a short memory on this one and look forward to getting out here tomorrow and changing what we looked like tonight," manager Mike Matheny said.

St. Louis surely must like its chances of bouncing back with a resurgent Wainwright (9-10, 4.03 ERA) on the hill. The right-hander has compiled a 1.84 ERA over his last four starts while striking out 28 and walking two in 29 1-3 innings.

Wainwright threw his 10th career complete game in Saturday's 6-1 win over Milwaukee. He scattered five hits, walked none, struck out seven and also came through with an RBI double.

Wainwright threw 73 of his 98 pitches for strikes, improving to 5-2 with a 2.40 ERA over his last eight home starts. He's allowed two runs or fewer in all but one of those outings.

"He's one of those guys that throws strikes," Milwaukee's Corey Hart said. "It's tough because you don't want to swing at every first pitch he throws, but he's not a guy you want to get beyond in the count with."

Wainwright has gone 0-4 despite a 3.19 ERA over five career starts versus San Francisco. He was tagged for five runs - two earned - and four walks over 5 2-3 innings of a 7-5 road loss May 17.

Bumgarner (12-6, 3.03) has given up either one or two earned runs in five consecutive starts - a stretch during which he's limited opponents to a .188 average. He yielded five hits and struck out seven over six innings of one-run ball Saturday in an 11-6 victory at Colorado.

The left-hander won his first two career matchups against St. Louis - both at Busch Stadium - before surrendering four runs over 7 1-3 innings of a 4-1 home defeat May 16.

"Bumgarner, he's tough," Cardinals third baseman David Freese, who homered off Bumgarner in May, told the Giants' official website. "He crossfires it in there and sneaks them past you. He's the type of guy you have to grind an at-bat out against."

Bumgarner, though, hasn't been his sharpest this season on the road, where his 4.03 ERA is more than two runs higher than his 1.98 mark at home.

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