Cardinals vs. Giants: Game 4 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2014 MLB Playoffs

The San Francisco Giants aren't interested in a 1985 rematch.

Buster Posey went 2-for-3 with three RBI, and Bruce Bochy's squad fought off an early deficit against the St. Louis Cardinals Wednesday night to secure a 6-4 Game 4 win. The Giants, leading the National League Championship Series 3-1, are now one victory away from booking a spot alongside the Kansas City Royals in the World Series and crushing any hopes of the "Show Me Series."

It didn't start well for the Giants, who turned to the normally reliable—especially in October—Ryan Vogelsong. In his first five postseason starts, Vogelsong, who was so critical in the Giants' 2012 World Series run, had a 1.19 ERA and 0.99 WHIP.

On Wednesday, however, he lasted just three innings and was knocked around for seven hits, two walks and four earned runs.

Matt Adams had an RBI single in the first, A.J. Pierzynski did the same in the second and Kolten Wong delivered the knockout punch in the third with a solo home run just short of McCovey Cove, giving the Cardinals a 4-1 lead.

As ESPN Stats & Info and SportsCenter's Twitter feed noted, it was the continuation of an absolute white-hot stretch for the 24-year-old second baseman:

The Giants had answers, though. Posey hit a sacrifice fly in the first, then he and Hunter Pence each came through with two-out RBI singles off St. Louis starter Shelby Miller to make it 4-3 in the bottom of the third.

According to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group, those pair of hits doubled San Francisco's total postseason output in clutch situations (Posey's single before Pence was also with two outs and a runner in scoring position):

Three innings later, the Giants did their best Royals impression: walk, single, sacrifice bunt, a pair of RBI groundouts, with the latter two being made possible by a couple of wayward throws from Adams at first base.

Adams' fundamentals clearly weren't up to par with Fred McGriff's former coach, as Grantland's Jonah Keri joked:

Posey followed with another two-out RBI single, giving San Francisco the 6-4 lead, and the Giants bullpen did the rest. Yusmeiro Petit remained lights-out and pitched three scoreless innings to earn the win, while Jeremy Affeldt, Javier Lopez, Sergio Romo and Santiago Casilla combined to shut the door.

Fox Sports had Hunter Pence's thoughts on Petit's effort:

MLB.com's Anthony DiComo praised the latter, who earned his fourth save of the playoffs:

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, Thursday's elimination game will come against Madison Bumgarner, who has been nearly untouchable in the postseason, per Fox Sports' Erik Malinowski:

"

A reminder that Madison Bumgarner, he of the 0.76 ERA in 23.2 innings this postseason, pitches tomorrow.

— Erik Malinowski (@erikmal) October 16, 2014"

St. Louis will counter with its ace, Adam Wainwright, but the 20-game winner has looked anything but this postseason. Owner of an 8.00 ERA in two 2014 playoff starts, he's going to have to right the ship quickly.

Otherwise, San Francisco will be headed back to the World Series for the third time in five years.