Cardinals 3, Giants 1: Matt Carpenter belted a two-run homer after replacing an injured Carlos Beltran and host St. Louis worked around a lengthy rain delay to take a 2-1 lead in the National League Championship Series.

Carpenter entered the game after Beltran left with a strained left knee and promptly hit a two-out blast in the second inning off Matt Cain (1-2) for his first career postseason home run. Jason Motte worked two perfect innings for the save after a rain delay of three hours and 28 minutes.

St. Louis starter Kyle Lohse (2-0) allowed one run over 5 2/3 frames and consistently worked out of trouble against the Giants, who were 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners on base.

The Giants grabbed an early lead when Angel Pagan scored on Pablo Sandoval’s groundout in the third before Lohse got Hunter Pence to hit into an inning-ending double play with runners at the corners.

San Francisco, which hit into two double plays, had two runners on with one out in the seventh when Mitchell Boggs came on to strike out Pence and Brandon Belt to end the inning.

The game was delayed after the Cardinals added an insurance run with one out in the seventh on Shane Robinson’s bases-loaded groundout. Cain allowed three runs on six hits over 6 2/3 innings.

GAME NOTEBOOK: San Francisco's Marco Scutaro, who started at second base after leaving Game 2 with a strained left hip, had two hits and is 6-for-13 in the series. …Beltran is listed as day-to-day after entering the game batting .414 this postseason with three homers. … Lohse had five walks after walking just 38 in 211 regular-season innings. … Carpenter had two hits and is 5-for-6 lifetime against Cain. …Pence was hitless in four at-bats and is 1-for-11 in the series.