The Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals will play at least 22 games this season. Find out where to enjoy the NLDS as the Pirates and Cardinals meet in Game 1 of the NLDS. Where to watch? Who's on the mound? What time is first pitch? All the info is here as MLB will once again enjoy an NLCS matchup in the playoffs.
Game Day: Thursday, October 3
Game Time: 5 p.m. ET
TV Channel- Where to Watch: TBS
Pitching Matchup: A.J. Burnett (10-11, 3.30 ERA) vs. Adam Wainwright (19-9, 2.94)
Two veterans take the mound and two teams, who have probably seen enough of each other in 2013, face off to find out who advances to the NLCS. The Pirates are fresh off their victory against the Cincinnati Reds. If the Cardinals had some senses, they would leave Wainwright for the third game in Pittsburgh. Did people watch yesterday's game?
Why test the nerves of a youngster like Shelby Miller or Joe Kelly on the road as Pittsburgh fans were extremely enthusiastic about their Pirates playing October baseball? Johnny Cueto an ace and a veteran could not get a hold of himself and eventually gave in to the pressures from the crowd. In the second inning, the Pirates were up 2-0. By the fourth inning, Cueto was gone after surrendering three earned runs.
The Cardinals are fresh, not having played since Sunday. They will try to repeat their September performance against the Pirates as they swept their division foe, scoring a total of 26 runs in a three-game series. Those three wins helped balance out the Cardinals vs. Pirates head-to-head matchups. The Cardinals were down 10-6 before winning all three games and securing first place in the N.L. Central.
Will the Pirates have what it takes to take at least one of two from the Cardinals at the new Busch Stadium? Can the Cardinals carry over their September run into October and make another run at the World Series? Only time and the final scores will tell. First to three advances to the NLCS and the series begin on Thursday at 5 p.m. ET.
