(AP)

ST. LOUIS — Rousing speeches and remarkably coiffed beards aside, Hunter Pence hasn't helped the San Francisco Giants all that much this postseason. Pence is 5 for 31 — for an all-singles batting average of .161 — with one walk, no runs scored and zero RBIs. In Game 3 of the NLCS on Wednesday night, Pence went 0 for 4 and personally stranded five runners in a frustrating 3-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

He's not the only one struggling once runners reach base. In all, the Giants stranded 11 after out-hitting the Cardinals 9-6 and drawing five walks against right-hander Kyle Lohse and the St. Louis bullpen. But after a reporter singled out the No. 5 hitter, manager Bruce Bochy wouldn't dismiss, out of hand, lowering him in the batting order for Game 4 on Thursday night. No one's going to give Pence a speech, but moving him down in the order might do something to take a bit of pressure off him against right-hander Adam Wainwright.

"We might talk about it," Bochy said before hedging. "He's a guy we want up there with men on base. ... He has a knack for knocking in runs."

Pence said, as quoted by MLB.com, said he expects to do better:

ST. LOUIS — If rookie Matt Carpenter happens to be unhappy with his representation, then teammate David Freese might be his best bet for an agent. Freese paid him a high compliment Wednesday night, probably the most meaningful platitude one player can give another.

"He's on the wrong team," Freese said. "This guy should be starting for somebody. He just works his tail off and it shows."

You hear that, GM John Mozeliak? Freese just more or less demanded that Carpenter be traded. Such a move could be in Carpenter's best personal interest someday, but the Cardinals might regret it, and they're probably not going to do it, considering what he has meant to the club this season, and especially in Game 3 of the NLCS.

[Y! Sports Fan Shop: Buy St. Louis Cardinals playoffs merchandise]

Called on to replace Carlos Beltran — simply the best hitter in postseason history — Carpenter connected for a go-ahead two-run home run against San Francisco's Matt Cain in the third inning that keyed a 3-1 victory for the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. They lead the best-of-seven series against the Giants 2-1 heading into Thursday night.

As soon as it became obvious that Beltran was injured with a sore left knee and couldn't play after his at-bat in the bottom of the first inning, the Cardinals dugout scrambled into fire-drill mode. Manager Mike Matheny pointed at Carpenter, who didn't freak out. He didn't have time. Plus, he grasps his role too well.

"It was definitely a surprise," Carpenter said. "I didn't even realize that Carlos had hurt himself and, next thing you know, Mike came up to me and told me to grab my glove and I was going into right field. Really there was no thought process. It just happened so quickly. I was really in the game before I had time to think about it.

"It's one of those things that you can't expect but still be ready for. And I think I was."

Matheny said Carpenter's home run was "obviously the difference-maker."

(Big League Stew)

ST. LOUIS — Ever wonder what a real Major League Baseball base looked like underneath? Regardless if the answer is yes or no, you do now. But these bases, like the one in the photo above used for Game 3 of the NLCS, are a little different. They've been retrofitted with microphones so Fox can better pick up its "Sounds of the Game." The microphone is located under the rectangular metal plate, screwed in on the right-hand side.

The worker in the photo was checking each set of bases made by Schutt Sports (there are at least two full sets) during batting practice to ensure the sound was coming through clearly. A technician on the other end of the microphone would advise him if the base sounded "dirty" or "clean" and the worker would whack the base and blow into it — really — to clean it out.

As he was finishing, Marco Scutaro of the San Francisco Giants saw him and asked if he were "blowing it up" like a balloon. Oh, you, Marco!

In case you're wondering what the writing on the sticker says, I transcribed one of them:

Carlos Beltran (left) is hurt and Matt Carpenter has replaced him. (AP)ST. LOUIS — Even the replacement for the best postseason slugger in history came out swinging in the playoffs.

Filling in for an injured Carlos Beltran, rookie Matt Carpenter lined a go-ahead two-run home run in the bottom of the third inning of Game 3 of the NLCS on Wednesday afternoon. Carpenter's homer came with two outs and gave St. Louis a one-run lead against San Francisco Giants right-hander Matt Cain.

Beltran left the game after his at-bat in the first inning. The club announced he has a strained left knee and is day to day.

Of course, Beltran's absence seemed like a big deal at the time — and would might be — but Carpenter filled in ably for one monster of a playoff performer.

(Big League Stew)

ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Cardinals seem to have done well for themselves without slugger Albert Pujols, who signed a $240 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels last offseason. After all, here they are ready for Game 3 of the NLCS. Allen Craig is the first baseman and hitting just fine. Carlos Beltran is the big-money guy in right field and is the best offensive player in the history of baseball in the playoffs. And Pujols is home, not playing in October.

The Cardinals are OK without Pujols and a lot of fans seem really OK without him. Take the gentleman with the sign in the photo above.

(AP)ST. LOUIS — After catching the Matt Holliday runaway train in Game 2, Marco Scutaro said he would be able to play in Game 3 of the NLCS.

Scutaro worked out Tuesday night with the rest of the San Francisco Giants at Busch Stadium and said he was feeling better after Holliday crashed into him trying to break up a double play in the first inning  on Monday.

Holliday's violent slide knocked over Scutaro and caused him pain on the left side — from his hip, to his groin, and down to his knee. Scutaro stayed in the game and later contributed a three-run single that (with the help of Holliday's error in left field) helped to bust open Game 2, which the Giants won 7-1 to even the series. The St. Louis Cardinals host up to three games starting Wednesday afternoon.

Scutaro said he strained muscles in his hip and around his knee. In giving his version of recent events, Scutaro showed a sense of humor. He said "saw this train coming" and it was Holliday. "I pretty much didn't have time to do anything," Scutaro said. "He was pretty much on top of me. I don't even know how I threw the ball to first — but I think I did, right?"

Scutaro's pain worsened and he didn't play the final four innings, he said, because he wasn't able to be effective on defense. Scutaro said he appreciated Holliday reaching out several times to check on his condition.

"Yeah, that was kind of nice to hear from him after he tried to kick my ass. He's only 6-4, 250," said Scutaro, who goes about 5-foot-9, 180.

He was joking. Mostly. But he was upset with Holliday after seeing replays of the crash, which happened well beyond the bag.

(AP)Alex Rodriguez has lately been off his game at the plate and everybody watching the New York Yankees knows it. He's been dropped in the batting order and even replaced in the lineup as he struggles to find his hitting stroke.

Meanwhile, his other skills remains sharp.

In a story that seems too ridiculous to be true, except that it's A-Rod, the New York Post quotes unnamed witnesses at Game 1 of the ALCS saying Rodriguez openly flirted with two female fans sitting near the Yankees dugout after he was taken out for a pinch hitter in the eighth inning. He even had a bat boy toss the women a ball with instructions to write their phone numbers on it — which they did. This is the same game in which Derek Jeter broke his ankle.

[Related: Alex Rodriguez becomes $29 million pinch hitter]

Oy-Rod. The Mighty Centaur truly has fallen.

Take it away, Post:

(AP)SAN FRANCISCO — A day before he took the mound in Game 2 of the NLCS, right-hander Chris Carpenter was asked if he believed in the baseball saying, "Momentum is only as good as the next day's starting pitcher."

That's probably malarkey, the 37-year-old Carpenter said.

"We were going into Game 5 against Washington [in the NLDS] with our stud, Adam Wainwright, out there and nobody expected him to give up six runs in [2 1/3] innings," Carpenter said. "And we still won that game, so I'm not sure. There's no question that [starting pitching] might set the tone a little bit. But at this time of the year, everything matters. It doesn't matter who's starting; you need breaks, you need a little bit of luck and you need to go out and do things the right way. So, I don't buy into that, I don't think."

If he's right, then the St. Louis Cardinals can consider Carpenter's wisdom as they prepare for Game 3 on Wednesday — because Carpenter gave a poor performance in a 7-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants, who evened the best-of-seven series at 1-1. Carpenter had pitched better in four starts, including one in the first round of the playoffs, since coming back from major surgery to repair nerve damage in his shoulder.

"It definitely didn't go in the direction that I wanted it to go, I can tell you that," Carpenter said. "I continue to get better as my starts have gone on, but tonight it was not there. I wasn't very sharp. My command of fastball was not very good."

He allowed five runs — two earned — and six hits along with a pair of walks over four innings. Angel Pagan led off the Giants first with a home run and Marco Scutaro cleared the bases with a three-run single in the fourth, coming with two outs. Earlier in the game, Scutaro was shaken up and injured his left hip on a hard slide by Matt Holliday, but he stayed in and turned in perhaps the key at-bat of the game.