SAN FRANCISCO — Official word will come in St. Louis, but indications are that Tim Lincecum will be the Giants’ starter in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series.

Bruce Bochy delivered his hint Monday when asked if he was leaning toward using the two-time Cy Young Award winner, assuming the right-hander could avoid relief duty in Game 2.

“That’s fair to say,” the manager replied.

Bochy said he will make his announcement after Game 3 on Wednesday. He has been cautious about announcing his rotation during the postseason, repeatedly saying that his plans must be kept in pencil because he never knows who might be needed in relief.

Bochy’s bullpen options have included Lincecum, who pitched two more scoreless innings in Game 1, strengthening his case for a postseason start. He was not needed in Game 2, which the Giants won 7-1.

In three relief outings this postseason, Lincecum has given up just one earned run in 8﻿1/3 innings. He has nine strikeouts and one walk during that span and looks like a different pitcher from the one who struggled during the regular season.

Bochy said Lincecum has been open to whatever the Giants ask him to do.

“And I think that’s one of the reasons why he’s thrown so well,” he said. “You have to accept your role to be good at it, just like a role player during the season.”

Lincecum said after Sunday’s game that he didn’t care what his role is.

“I just want to help the team win,” he said. “I don’t want to have a growing expectation of starting and then not start. I just want to do what they want me to do.”

Lincecum last started Sept. 30 when he gave up four runs in six innings to the San Diego Padres.

Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford and Cardinals second baseman Daniel Descalso have been going head to head for years — albeit with a lot less network television coverage. The Bay Area natives faced each other in Babe Ruth League play and in AAU competition. Crawford grew up in Pleasanton; Descalso grew up in San Carlos. “He’s a great player. He’s scrappy,” Crawford said. “He’s kind of the definition of the Cardinals and how they play — just grinds hits, has power and plays good defense.” They weren’t always rivals. Before moving to the East Bay, the Crawford family lived in Menlo Park. Mike Crawford, the shortstop’s dad, has told his son that he and Descalso were on the same soccer team for 5-year-olds. “My dad would know better than me,” Brandon said.

When Angel Pagan led off the bottom of the first with a home run, it marked the first time this postseason that the Giants had led at home. They had gone 27 innings without a lead. Pagan now owns the only two leadoff home runs in Giants franchise history (including New York). He also hit one in Game 4 against Cincinnati. One more bit of history: Pagan and the Philadelphia Phillies’ Jimmy Rollins are the only two players to hit two leadoff homers in the same postseason.

Carlos Beltran’s hand was heavily wrapped after the game Monday, according to a tweet by St. Louis Post-Dispatch writer Joe Strauss, but the Cardinals outfielder quickly tweeted that his hand is fine. “Beltran may have aggravated left hand injury Monday. Hand heavily wrapped afterward,” Strauss tweeted. To which Beltran responded: “My hand feels super good. nothing to worry” Beltran went 2 for 3 with two doubles to raise his career postseason batting average to .378 (42 for 111). That’s the highest in major league history among players with at least 100 postseason at-bats.

Former Giants catcher Benito Santiago, the MVP of the 2002 NLCS, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. He did so a night after ’89 NLCS MVP Will Clark did the honors, raising the question of whether Jeffrey Leonard (’87 MVP) or Cody Ross (2010 MVP) might be next up should the series return to San Francisco.