The table is set for the National League Championship Series. The Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals are the final National League teams to remain alive and they will go head-to-head in a seven-game series that will decide who advances to the 2013 World Series. Here's a look at how these teams stack up after their regular season matchups and first postseason series as the 2013 MLB Playoffs roll along unforgivingly.
The Dodgers owned the Cardinals 2013, but not by much. Both clubs met seven times during the regular season and the Dodgers won the series 4-3.
Oh! is that an omen? Both teams meet seven times in the regular season and now they mean in a best of four series? Here's a breakdown of all their games this season and how both series in Busch Stadium and Dodger Stadium played out.
May 24-26 Cardinals Crush on the Road
The Cardinals went into L.A. and did as they pleased. Lance Lynn shutout the Dodgers and Chris Capuano had no response for the Cardinals' offense. St. Louis won 7-0.
In the second game, the Dodgers slowly added runs and were able to beat the Cardinals 5-3. At this point, it was a huge win since the Dodgers were in last place in the N.L. West, but the triumph would not last long.
The Cardinals returned the favor, beating Clayton Kershaw 5-3 and taking the series 2-1.
Aug. 5-8 Dodgers Detonate Win Streak
By this point, the Dodgers were looking good. They had just reached 10 games over .500 for the first time in the season after sweeping the Chicago Cubs. The Dodgers won Game 1 at St. Louis, lost Game 2, Kershaw took the L again, but then used the final two games of that series to start a 10-game win straight that took them to sweeps in Tampa Bay and New York.
Regular Season Analysis Leading to Playoffs
It's huge for the Dodgers to have defeated Wainwright, but it is important for the Cardinals to know they can defeat Kershaw, who was unhittable in his NLDS performances, winning Game 1 and keeping the Dodgers close in Game 4.
The biggest problem for the Cardinals in the N.L. Championship Series is that they miss their top RBI producer in Allen Craig. The Dodgers' offense was firing at all cylinders and with Wainwright on the shelf after starting Game 5, the Cardinals will need their young pitchers, Joe Kelly and Michael Wacha, to find a way to slow down Hanley Ramirez, Yasiel Puig and Adrian Gonzalez.
The Cardinals struggled to get past the Pirates. If these struggles persist in the NLCS, they might fall behind and not have a chance to get back in the series. The Dodger starters struggled, but with their offense, their pitchers have plenty of room to work with.