Giants trim deficit to 3-2

ST. LOUIS—The San Francisco Giants stayed alive in the National League Championship Series with a 5-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday, cutting the series deficit to 3-2 thanks mostly to a commanding pitching performance by Barry Zito.

Zito used his precise placement and canny pitch selection to hold the Cardinals scoreless for 7 2-3 innings, putting the series back on an almost even keel as it returns to San Francisco for the last two games.

Zito looked like the same guy who won the 2002 AL Cy Young award with the Oakland Athletics. He retired 11 batters in a row in one stretch while finishing with six strikeouts.

It was Zito’s first postseason win since 2006, shortly before he left the A’s and signed a $126-million, seven-year contract with San Francisco.

“A lot of people were saying stuff about A’s days,” Zito said. “And for me, the most important thing is doing everything for San Francisco right now.” AP