The St. Louis Cardinals have home field throughout the NLDS and as long as they stay alive for the NLCS, they will be playing that at home too. Here is there playoff schedule for the 2013 MLB Playoffs as they prepare to find out who their challenger will be after tonight's N.L. Wild Card game.
Who are the Cardinals playing?
Either the Cincinnati Reds (90-72) or the Pittsburgh Pirates (94-68). These two teams hook up at 8 p.m. Tuesday evening
Game Dates & Times: Game 1- Thursday, Oct. 3, 5 p.m. ET
Game 2- Friday, Oct. 4, 1 p.m. ET
Game 3- Sunday, Oct. 6, TBD
Here we come to a stop. The Cardinals are capable of sweeping any team in baseball, especially when they are on a roll. Armed with some of the best pitchers in baseball, the Cardinals can freeze any team's best hitters. Overall, the Cardinals had a 3.42 ERA, fifth best in baseball this season. Their starting pitching was noticeably better than their bullpen, winning 77 games, the most in baseball. Adam Wainwright is the clear ace, while Lance Lynn and rookie Shelby Miller backed him up with 15 wins each.
The pitching sets them up and the hitting knocks them out. Not only are the Cardinals deadly with their pitching rotation, but they can also knock in runs. Their .269 batting average was the fourth best in baseball, their 745 RBI and 783 runs were third in baseball this season. The Cardinals will not hit a ton of home runs, smacking only 125 in 2013, fourth worst in baseball, meaning they beat teams by making contact and playing wisely, striking out 1,110 times, the fifth best in the majors.
What's the Cardinals records against the Reds and Pirates?
Cardinals loyalists should feel good about their chances of advancing to the NLCS. The Cardinals won their regular season series against the Reds, 11-8. However, they lost their season series against the Pirates 9-10. But, it's no biggy since it was only one game. It's not like the Pirates blew them out during the regular season. Both the Reds and Pirates gave the Cardinals their shares of trouble during the regular season, it would be interesting to watch an NLCS battle between two teams that know each other well and whoever surfaces out of the N.L. Wild Card Game should present an exciting matchup.