The Cardinals and San Francisco Giants are not foreign to the wild-card concept of making the playoffs. They were the National League wild-card teams in 2001 and 2002, respectively, and the Giants parlayed that wild-card appearance into only their third World Series appearance since the franchise moved to the Bay from New York in 1958.
With six weeks and change remaining, teams are still more concerned with finishing first in their division than first in the runner-up pool. But since the Giants started Friday night's play six games behind the San Diego Padres in the National League West and the Cardinals were 3 1/2 behind Cincinnati in the Central, both teams would be advised not to ignore potential wild-card complications of the three-game series being conducted at Busch Stadium.
The Giants got a leg up with their 6-3 win. While they did gain a game on San Diego, they also kept pace with wild-card leader Philadelphia at one game behind and shoved the reeling Cardinals back another game, to two games behind the Giants and three behind Philadelphia.
"We're well aware of (the wild-card race)," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.
"It's got more attention early in the season. Even in early August, it's being talked about. It's not just your division race.
"And as you get deeper in the season, it's going to get even more interesting. We just finished with Philly and now we've got St. Louis and Cincinnati. We know this is a critical part of our schedule."
The Padres and Giants have seven games remaining and, Bochy said, "You never take your eye off what you're hoping for — and that's to win your division.
"But if it goes the other way (wild card), that works, too."
The Giants have lost nine of 11 games to San Diego, accounting for all their deficit in the standings and then some.
"Some things are hard to explain," Bochy said, "but our biggest issue has been scoring."
In the 11 games with the Padres, the Giants scored two runs or fewer an astonishing nine times, and only once did they score more than three runs.
And the Cardinals thought their offense was having trouble lately.
San Francisco's victory Friday night was achieved by a lineup in which only three of the nine were signed by the Giants, including third baseman Pablo Sandoval, who hit his fourth homer in the last eight games, and doubled.
But more important there were lefthander Madison Bumgarner, 21, and catcher Buster Posey, 23.
Bumgarner (5-4) knocked in a run with a single when the Cardinals were expecting a bunt in the second inning. "It wasn't a very pretty hit, but whatever works," Bumgarner said.
More significant, he held the Cardinals to one run over seven innings before Albert Pujols chased Bumgarner with his 32nd homer in the eighth inning.
Posey, hitting .342, doubled twice, knocking in one run and scoring another.
Together they represented the top picks by the Giants in the 2007 and 2008 drafts. By contrast, the Cardinals' top pick in 2007, shortstop Pete Kozma, a high schooler like Bumgarner, is playing in Class AA. Third baseman Brett Wallace, the top choice in 2008, is with Houston now, although he helped net Matt Holliday in a trade with Oakland last year.
Bumgarner "did a terrific job all night," Bochy said. "He got a big hit to get us on the board. It was quite a game.
"He's got great poise out there. He's got that quiet confidence you like. This was a big game."
Add fellow rookie Posey to the mix, said Bochy, and "It's a nice young battery to have."
