NEWSLETTER
(From Brett: I had to drop in a comment up top to say … Go Dodgers. I don’t love the Dodgers. I don’t necessarily want to see them make a deep run. I still have some lingering 2017 bitterness, I guess? But it’s not like I’m gonna root for the Cardinals tonight, even as their victory would be kind of hilarious given the record disparities. OK, back to you, Patrick.)
Tonight is the NL Wild Card Game, setting the stage for the divisional series later this week. We have the streaking Cardinals, who were seemingly dead in the water just a few weeks ago before rattling off 17 consecutive wins to catapult themselves into a playoff spot. They had a mere 2.8% chance at doing so, according to FanGraphs, on September 10. We also have the 106-win Los Angeles Dodgers, who finished just one game behind the Giants in the NL West, hosting the Cardinals in a ballpark in which they won 58 games this season.
I didn’t find last night’s AL Wild Card game very entertaining at all. For starters, the Red Sox dominated the game from the jump, and I don’t feel the same way about the whole Boston-New York rivalry that I once did. It’s lost its luster for my taste. But the National League’s version of the Wild Card game tonight should be excellent.
We’re getting treated to a starting pitching matchup that features two guys with a combined 5,024 regular-season strikeouts, with each player having won a World Series in their career. Adam Wainwright versus Max Scherzer is going to be a blast. Could this be the last one-and-done postseason contest with the CBA expiring in December and changes to the playoff formatting a real possibility? If it is, this has the potential to be an excellent ending to the format that we’ve seen since the 2012 season.
Some interesting stats to consider tonight before we get into the details of tonight’s game:
Something has to give in Wednesday's NL Wild Card Game.
Cardinals:
– Won 8 straight Adam Wainwright starts
– Won 11 straight road gamesDodgers:
– Won 11 straight Max Scherzer starts
– Won 15 straight home games pic.twitter.com/WUlI1reoLz— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 5, 2021
Game Info
St. Louis Cardinals (90-72) at Los Angeles Dodgers (106-56) – 7:10 pm CT on TBS
Starting Pitchers
Adam Wainwright (RHP) 17-7, 3.05 ERA in 2021; 28 G, 15 GS, 2-5, 2.89 ERA in MLB Postseason
vs.
Max Scherzer (RHP) 15-4, 2.46 ERA in 2021; 22 G, 18 GS, 7-5, 3.38 ERA in MLB Postseason
Starting Lineups
St. Louis Cardinals
1. Tommy Edman, 2B
2. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
3. Tyler O’Neill
4. Nolan Arenado, 3B
5. Dylan Carlson, RF
6. Yadier Molina, C
7. Edmundo Sosa, SS
8. Harrison Bader, CF
9. Adam Wainwright, P
Los Angeles Dodgers
1. Mookie Betts, RF
2. Corey Seager, SS
3. Trea Turner, 2B
4. Justin Turner, 3B
5. Will Smith, C
6. AJ Pollock, LF
7. Matt Beaty, 1B
8. Cody Bellinger, CF
9. Max Scherzer, P
