Cardinals take NLCS lead over Giants with 3-1 victory in Game 3 LOUIS -- For the San Francisco Giants, this was the longest day. They burned their best pitcher. They sat around in the rain, waiting 3 1/2 hours, bemoaning all the runners they had left on base. Then the rain stopped, and so did their offense. With one swing from an unheralded rookie, the St. Louis Cardinals neutralized San Francisco ace Matt Cain and propelled themselves to a 3-1 victory in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series on Wednesday. The Cardinals lead the best-of-seven series two games to one, with the possibility of winning the next two games and clinching a World Series berth here. In Game 4, the Giants are expected to start Tim Lincecum, who was banished to the bullpen for the division series and has not started in 18 days. In Game 5, the Giants' choices are the recently ineffective Madison Bumgarner and the velocity-deprived Barry Zito. The Giants might well have worried that Carpenter would beat them. But not this one. The Giants beat St. Louis ace Chris Carpenter on Monday, but it was Matt Carpenter who beat the Giants on Wednesday. The Giants appeared to have caught a break when slugger Carlos Beltran left the game in the second inning because of a strained left knee. Beltran is batting .400 this postseason, with three home runs in nine games. The Cardinals replaced him with Carpenter, a rookie who had five at-bats in the division series and struck out three times. If every character has his kryptonite, then Cain has Carpenter. In his four previous at-bats against Cain, Carpenter had four hits. And, in the third inning, Carpenter made it five for five, with the two-run home run that gave the Cardinals all the runs they would need. From that point, Cain retired 11 of the next 12 batters. The Giants, meanwhile, had at least two men on base in every inning from the second through the seventh. St. Louis starter Kyle Lohse staggered, giving up seven hits and a season-high five walks in 5 2/3 innings. The Giants failed to take advantage, stranding 11 runners before rain halted the game with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Once the game resumed, the Cardinals summoned closer Jason Motte for a two-inning save. The Giants went six up, six down against Motte. Giants outfielder Hunter Pence, who left five men on base, is batting .161 with no runs batted in over his 31 postseason at-bats. Twitter: @BillShaikin