Giants Defeat Nationals, 3-2, Advance To NLCS

The San Francisco Giants have qualified for the National League Championship Series for the third time in the last five years, after defeating the Washington Nationals, 3-2, on Tuesday night, to win their best-of-five game series, 3-1.

San Francisco got on the scoreboard first, taking advantage of a one-out single, an error, a bunt single, a bases loaded walk, and a fielders choice groundout in the bottom half of the second inning to take a 2-0 lead.

Washington scored their first run in the top half of the fifth inning, when Bryce Harper doubled to left, scoring Ian Desmond, to cut the San Francisco lead to 2-1.

The Nationals tied it in the top half of the seventh inning when Harper homered to right field, his third homer of the postseason, to make the score 2-2.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, with Hunter Pence at the plate, a wild pitch by Aaron Barrett with the bases loaded allowed Joe Panik to score, giving the Giants a 3-2 lead.

In the top half of the ninth inning, Santiago Casilla walked Bryce Harper with two outs in the ninth, then retired Wilson Ramos on a grounder to end it, sending the Giants to the NLCS.

The Giants will be facing the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS, a best-of-seven game series , which will get underway on Saturday, in St. Louis.

The Cardinals will be appearing in the NLCS for the fourth-consecutive year.