ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Madison Bumgarner pitched shutout ball into the eighth inning and the San Francisco Giants combined just enough hitting with a couple of defensive flubs by St. Louis to beat the Cardinals 3-0 Saturday night in the NL Championship Series opener.
Bumgarner set a major league postseason record with 26 2-3 consecutive scoreless innings on the road.
The Giants lefty was in complete command while 20-game winner Adam Wainwright failed to last even five innings for the Cardinals.
 
Bumgarner tames Cardinals, Giants take NLCS lead
 
San Francisco has won 12 of its last 13 in the postseason, including three straight to erase a 3-1 deficit in the 2012 NLCS against St. Louis.
Jake Peavy gets the Game 2 start for the Giants on Sunday night against Lance Lynn.
Bumgarner, who began the playoffs by throwing a shutout at Pittsburgh in the wild-card game, gave up four hits in 7 2-3 innings.
Bumgarner bested the mark of 23 straight postseason scoreless innings on the road set by Art Nehf of the New York Giants from 1921-24.
The Cardinals' threatened against him only in the seventh on consecutive one-out singles by Yadier Molina and Jon Jay, but Kolten Wong tapped out and pinch-hitter Tony Cruz fanned.
The Giants' bullpen finished with hitless relief as Sergio Romo got the last out in the eighth and Santiago Casilla closed for a save.
Wainwright failed for the second straight postseason start. And this time, there was no late comeback against a lefty for the Cardinals - they twice did it against Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw in the NL Division Series.
 

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