Game 2 was played without No. 2, and yes, that did seem odd. The Yankees have played dozens of games without Derek Jeter over the years, rarely though has his absence been so conspicuous as it was Sunday afternoon.

After a strong performance from starter Anibal Sanchez on Sunday, Tigers manager Jim Leyland handed the ball to Phil Coke, who finished the 3-0 win with a two-inning assault on the strike zone.

Hiroki Kuroda blew past expectations in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series on Sunday at Yankee Stadium. Too bad most of the Yankees’ lineup can’t get past the Mendoza Line.

As if this National League Championship Series did not come preloaded with enough praise for the Cardinals’ and Giants’ sensational starting catchers, St. Louis pitcher Chris Carpenter heaped some more on Yadier Molina on Sunday.

The Cardinals’ rookie manager, Mike Matheny, employed 122 different starting lineups during the 162-game regular season. In seven postseason games, Matheny has employed only one.

With the Cardinals limiting the Giants’ big-name hitters in Sunday’s NLCS opener, the Giants got their offensive production from the bottom of their lineup.

Following the early departures of both starters on Sunday, both bullpens ruled for 5 1/3 innings. Cardinals relievers brilliantly allowed two hits while throwing shutout ball. Giants relievers were even more brilliant: No hits at all.

If the last time you saw the St. Louis Cardinals for any length of time was last fall, then it’s likely no surprise to you that their bullpen is mowing down hitters and bringing home wins.

Tim Lincecum gets it. He got a crash course in the real world this season. And he has handled it well, thanks in no small part to the counseling of Barry Zito.

This year’s National League Championship Series is historic in more ways than the comebacks that got the competitors here. Turns out, this is only the fifth postseason series to pit winners of the previous two World Series.

Ryan Vogelsong’s 2.86 ERA in 15 regular-season home starts ranked 10th in the National League and was a full run lower than his road ERA, so it’s with that background that he takes the ball Monday for Game 2 of the NL Championship Series, meeting an all-time postseason star in the Cardinals’ Chris Carpenter.

A missed call on Omar Infante left New York with additional frustration following a 3-0 loss that gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. It also left Joe Girardi pleading for expanded use of instant replay as soon as possible.

When Chris Carpenter takes the mound in Game 2 of the NLCS on Monday, he will do so as a talisman for a city, a leader in his clubhouse, and the heart of a battle-tested roster.

Second baseman Daniel Descalso used his bat to save the Cardinals’ season in Game 5 of the National League Division Series, and he used his glove to put them on top in the NL Championship Series on Sunday.

Maybe you’ve heard the expression that “sometimes the save comes in the eighth inning.” Or even the seventh or the sixth. But the fourth, well that’s taking it to a bit of an extreme.

Though manager Bruce Bochy declined to name his starting pitcher for Wednesday’s Game 3 of the National League Championship Series at St. Louis, all signs pointed to Matt Cain receiving the assignment.

He was wearing a camouflage hat during the postgame postmortem, which did nothing to disguise the fact that Madison Bumgarner has a problem. Which means that the Giants also have a problem. Or at least a difficult decision to make.