Giants win to keep series alive

The San Francisco Giants kept their World Series hopes alive with a 5-0 win over the St Louis Cardinals on Friday evening.

Barry Zito pitched into the eighth inning for the Giants, whose win saw them narrow their deficit to 3-2 in the National League Championship Series.

Pablo Sandoval hit a home run for the second straight night and Zito also made an extremely rare offensive contribution with a perfectly executed bunt for an RBI single.

Game Six will be in San Francisco on Sunday, with Ryan Vogelson pitching for the Giants against Chris Carpenter.

The Detroit Tigers have already secured their place in the World Series after a 4-0 sweep of the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series.