SAN FRANCISCO (Ticker) -- The St. Louis Cardinals can only hope that Game Three of their National League Championship Series is a glimpse of things to come.

After dropping the first two games at home and playing the first two innings of Game Three like a team put together earlier in the day, the Cardinals regrouped and rallied for a crucial 5-4 triumph over the San Francisco Giants.

The Cardinals got back in the series by getting it together against Giants starter Russ Ortiz (2-1), who had won his previous eight starts. After a solo homer by Eli Marrero snapped a sixth-inning tie, St. Louis got a stellar effort from its bullpen to preserve the victory.

Dave Veres tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings in relief of starter Chuck Finley (1-0), who went the first five. After Steve Kline got three outs, Rick White escaped an eighth-inning jam by getting red-hot Rich Aurilia to ground out.

"I was able to make my pitches and he hit a harmless ground ball," Kline said. "Our pen didn't want to give anything away today. You're awfully jacked up in that situation, so it was good for us all to shut them down."

Closer Jason Isringhausen took over in the ninth and struck out Jeff Kent and Benito Santiago around a walk to Barry Bonds. Isringhausen sealed his third postseason save by getting Reggie Sanders - who is 0-for-13 in the series - to fly out weakly to right field.

"I'm seeing the ball the same, I'm just not getting at it," Sanders said. "I just have to start over again. Darn, I need a blooper or something to get me going. I'm being too aggressive up there and need to step back a bit. I'm pressing too much. I need to start all over again."

The Cardinals have participated in six NL Championship Series and are 6-0 in Game Threes. But they still face the daunting task of becoming the first team to win an NLCS after dropping the first two games at home.

Ortiz allowed four runs and five hits in 4 2/3 innings with three walks and three strikeouts.

"I just had a bad game at the wrong time," the righthander said. "I felt fine out there. I was sharp in the first two innings. But the last couple of innings, I didn't feel real sharp out there. It was really about them getting timely hits in a timely manner."

Jay Witasick (0-1) surrendered the solo homer to Marrero in the sixth and was charged with the loss.

"Every pitch counted today and I couldn't get (Marrero)," Witasick said. "I have to go after every hitter. This time, he got the best of the deal. Anyone can take you deep at any time, and it happened today. I know Eli. ... He's a lowball hitter and he got my fastball. It was four-seamer. I'm not going to second-guess anything I threw today."

Game Four is Sunday, with the Giants sending postseason ace Livan Hernandez to the mound against fellow righthander Andy Benes.

Bonds was a factor yet again, hitting a three-run homer in the fifth inning that erased a 4-1 deficit. He also walked three times but popped up with the bases loaded and two outs in the second.

The Giants' slugger had just six RBI in his first 27 postseason games but has nine in eight playoff contests this year.

"You always want to drive in runs, but in the playoffs it's a different situation," Bonds said. "Everyone is anxious and pressing."

After Ortiz got J.D. Drew to fly out with two runners in scoring position to end the opening inning, the Cardinals nearly came apart in the bottom of the first.

Kenny Lofton reached on an error by shortstop Edgar Renteria and was bunted over. Kent flied out and Bonds was walked on four pitches. Santiago grounded to Renteria, who fired to second baseman Fernando Vina. Vina was nowhere near the bag and Santiago beat the relay to first to load the bases.

Finley escaped the inning when Sanders popped to shallow center - a flyout complicated by Vina, who nearly collided with center fielder Jim Edmonds.

The Cardinals' adventures continued in the second when J.T. Snow and David Bell singled. Ortiz dropped down a bunt that Finley did not move on, loading the bases with none out.

Lofton bounced into a forceout at the plate, but Aurilia made it 1-0 with a line drive to center field. On Edmonds' throw into the infield, no one was at second base to field the ball. Kent singled, but Ortiz had to hold at third, setting the stage for Bonds, who popped to right on another fly ball complicated by Vina's roving.

"After that first inning, we all came in and said, `Let's tighten it up a bit, guys, we're not sloppy players,'" Finley said. "There's just so much adrenaline flowing, sometimes everything gets too fired up. I wouldn't want us to play that way every game."

"It was a strange game defensively," Vina admitted. "We were fortunate not to get in a huge hole, especially in the first inning. I thought Edgar was throwing to first with two out, so I didn't cover the bag. You always cover the bag, I should have been there. You get so excited in the playoffs, sometimes those things happen."

Finley reached on a wild third strike to open the third and Vina doubled. Renteria knotted the contest with a sacrifice fly and Edmonds put the Cardinals ahead with a grounder to shortstop.

St. Louis had a chance to pad the lead, but Tino Martinez, who is 1-for-22 in the postseason, left two aboard.

Mike Matheny, who had not homered since April, hit a solo shot in the fourth to extend the Cardinals' lead to 3-1. Edmonds homered in the fourth, but Finley struggled in the fifth.

Aurilia drew a leadoff walk, Kent singled and Bonds drilled a 1-0 pitch over the right field wall to tie it.

"That homer fired up the dugout a little," Bonds said.

Witasick started the sixth and Marrero launched his second pitch over the left field wall for a 5-4 lead.

Aurilia opened the seventh with a double and, one out later, Bonds was intentionally walked. Santiago again beat out an infield hit to load the bases, but Veres struck out Sanders on four pitches and Kline got Snow to bounce to second.

After White got Aurilia to ground out with a runner at second to end the eighth, Isringhausen pitched carefully to Bonds in the ninth but cruised otherwise.

"One or two different pitches and we could have been down by four or five runs," Finley said. "Our bullpen just came up huge. After any of us got in trouble, we made the right pitches."