Listen to the free radio stream of the Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals in Game 1 of the NL Division Series. Don't worry if you can't watch the action, especially for those heading home from work, listen to the game online at no cost as the N.L. Central highlights the first of two games this evening.
Game 1 of the NLDS will be the 20th between the Pirates and Cardinals in 2013. The Pirates won the series, 10-9, during the regular season, but they are looking to win three more games against their rivals as the Cardinals stand in their way from keeping their magical run alive.
Everybody knows the story already. It's been 21 years since the... blah, blah blah. The fans showed up on Tuesday, rallying their Pirates to their first playoff victory in over 20 years. Wisely, instead of unnerving their stars, they picked on the Cincinnati Reds. Reds' pitcher who took the PNC Park mound on Tuesday had over 40,000 fans chanting their last names. Pirates fans probably did not know who these guys were before Tuesday, but they surely learned their names well.
Pirates fans will not play a role in this battle. St. Louis might be a little too used to playoff baseball to pull the same stunt. With Adam Wainwright on the mound, the Cardinals' crowd will probably be very comfortable as their ace gets the ball to start Game 1.
Opposing Wainwright and playing in his third postseason will be A.J. Burnett. Owner of a World Series ring, Burnett will attempt to guide this team deep into the postseason. However, he will have to be very careful with a couple of these Red Birds as key players have hit Burnett very, very well in their careers. When looking down their roster, let's get our Sesame Street on, there are 1,2,3,4,5... Five batters with hitting .357 or better against Burnett.
Carlos Beltran is 5-14 (.357) with two home runs and eight RBI.
Matt Carpenter is 4-7 (.571)
Daniel Descalso is 2-5 (.400) with a RBI
Matt Holliday is also 4-7 (.571) with one home run and three RBI
Jon Jay is 2-4 (.400)
They are all small samples for the most part, but they have had their share of success against the veteran righty. Without a doubt, Beltran might get walked a few times if Burnett feels threatened, but do not expect the experienced right-hander to back down from any challenge.
If there's any time the Pirates would like Burnett to take the ball, it's in the Division Series. In two career ALDS starts, he is 1-0 with a 1.54 ERA, though he has shown signs of wildness, striking out nine, but walking nine batters as well. Depending on how far the Bucs go in the 2013 postseason, Burnett has hinted at retirement, so expect a valiant effort in case this is his last start in the majors.
Wainwright will have to watch out for a couple of hitters.
Pedro Alvarez: 1 home run in 11 at-bats
Clint Barmes: .357 14 at-bats with a home run
Russell Martin: .500 in 10 at-bats
Andrew McCutchen: .429 in 21 at-bats
Jose Tabata: .500 in 12 at-bats with a home run and three RBI
Neil Walker: .400 in 10 at-bats with 5 RBI
Wainwright might have been one of the better pitchers in baseball this season, but he will have to walk on eggshells all evening as the Pirates can cause damage up and down this lineup.
Click here for the Radio Stream as the Pirates and Cardinals play Game 1 of the NLDS.
Here is the schedule as ESPN announced it would cover the Pirates vs. Cardinals.