The St. Louis Cardinals are trying to win their second of the decade and they will have to win today in order to keep those hopes alive. Here's the Cardinals' playoff schedule as they play Game 5 of the NLDS against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Game Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV- Channel: Watch on TBS
The Cardinals are trying to do what the Atlanta Braves could not do; win the final two games of the series and advance to the N.L. Championship Series. They will have their best, 19-game winner, Adam Wainwright on the hill to close out the series. He held the Pirates on check in Game 1, leading the Cardinals to an easy 9-1 victory.
However, in the last few games, few things have come easy as runs have been scarce for the Cardinals. It appeared as though the Cardinals' offense was ready to fire on all cylinders after scoring nine runs in Game 1. However, since then, the Cards have only scored six runs in three games. When confronted with good pitching, the Cardinals' bats have been extremely quiet.
St. Louis only scored one run off Gerrit Cole, two off Francisco Liriano and two in Game 4 against Charlie Morton. Morton is not the best pitcher, but he rose to the occasion and kept his Pirates close. However, the Cardinals' pitching was simply stronger in the most recent game played between the Pirates and Cardinals. Michael Wacha was simply better and kept his team in the race.
This will be the 24th meeting in 2013 between the Cardinals and Pirates. If the Pirates win, they take the season series and advance to the N.L. Championship Series. If the Cardinals win, they tie the season series, but they walk out with the true victory and that is a matchup against the Los Angeles Angels in the NLCS.
If the Cardinals advance, what are the chances that they can win the NLCS and wind up in the World Series?
They were 3-4 against the Dodgers in 2013, scoring 27 runs and allowing 30, meaning the matchup would be truly exciting and close.
For now, the Pirates are the main concern. Game 5 will be played at Busch Stadium. First pitch is a little after 8 p.m. ET. Do not miss the Cardinals as they attempt to compete for a chance of being the N.L.'s best.