Score and situation: The St. Louis Cardinals overcame Carlos Beltran's early exit, an effective Matt Cain and a 3 hour, 28 minutes rain delay to secure a pivotal 3-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday. They now hold a 2-1 advantage in the series heading into Thursday night's Game 4 at Busch Stadium. Leading lads: Filling in for the injured Beltran , Matt Carpenter made an immediate impact when he connected for a two-run home run off Matt Cain in the third. Relievers Trevor Rosenthal and Mitchell Boggs were also key contributors in the win, wiggling out of separate jams in the sixth and seventh innings while bridging the gap to Jason Motte.