Breaking down the National League Championship Series

Oct 4, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Mandatory Credit:

-USA TODAY Sports

The Cardinals, much like the Kansas City Royals in the American League, struggled to hit home runs in the regular season and, just as the Royals did, the Cardinals found their power stroke for the playoffs. The Cardinals homered seven times in the four-game NLDS, taking Clayton Kershaw deep three times and piling it on against the Dodgers bullpen. The Giants were able to pick up a timely home run from Brandon Belt but were anemic otherwise.

The Giants hit just .125 with runners in scoring position on 40 at-bats. Of the runs scored in the clinching game four, the Giants scored three runs on plays that never left the infield: a bases loaded walk, a groundout to first and a wild pitch.

The Cardinals regained some of the RISP magic of the 2013 season, hitting .310 with RISP in 29 at-bats. They strung together hits against Kershaw, often ending their rallys with multi-run home runs. The Cardinals swatted two three-run home runs and a pair of two-run shots. If the Cardinals can carry this power into the NLCS, they will have a big advantage.

The Cardinals appear to have a large advantage, bringing the much hotter offense into the series.