Adam Wainwright faced the Giants twice in the regular season. On May 17, he allowed five runs and walked four in a Cardinals loss. On Aug. 9, he allowed a run in seven strong innings for a Cardinals win. After a shaky start against the Nationals in the NLDS, the Giants were hoping they'd get the earlier version of Carpenter.

Nope. They got dominant Carpenter. Through five innings, Carpenter has allowed two hits: a home run to Hunter Pence, and a two-out triple to Angel Pagan. The Cardinals' right-hander has thrown 67 pitches, with 49 of them for strikes, and he's struck out four without allowing a walk.

Most impressive for Carpenter is his curveball. He's throwing it early, and he's throwing it often, using it not only to set up left-handers and right-handers, but also to put them away. It's been an impressive start and a nice rebound for Carpenter after getting bludgeoned by the Nationals in Game 5 of the NLDS.