What's ahead? Cardinals postseason FAQ
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ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals defied the odds and found the postseason for the third consecutive year. As the NL Wild Card Game against the Dodgers in Los Angeles on Wednesday nears, let’s try and answer some frequently asked questions about these Redbirds in October:
What could the postseason roster look like?
Given the one-game nature of the Wild Card, the Cardinals can afford going position-heavy for the first round, meaning the likes of starters Miles Mikolas or Jon Lester could be a consequence of the roster squeeze before being added for a possible NLDS. Here’s a guess at where the Cardinals might turn, with 14 position players and 12 pitchers:
C: Yadier Molina, Andrew Knizner, Ali Sánchez
1B: Paul Goldschmidt
2B: Tommy Edman
SS: Edmundo Sosa, Paul DeJong
3B: Nolan Arenado
OF: Tyler O’Neill, Harrison Bader, Dylan Carlson
UTIL/bench: Matt Carpenter, José Rondón, Lars Nootbaar
SP: Adam Wainwright, Dakota Hudson, J.A. Happ
RP: Giovanny Gallegos, Alex Reyes, Génesis Cabrera, Jack Flaherty, Luis García, T.J. McFarland, Kodi Whitley, Andrew Miller
• How They Got There: Cards ride hot streak
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When do the playoffs start?
The NL Wild Card Game will take place at 7:10 p.m. CT on Wednesday at Dodger Stadium. The winner will advance to a best-of-five NL Division Series against the Giants, with Games 1-2 taking place on Friday and Saturday at Oracle Park, Games 3-4 set for Oct. 11-12 at the lower seed's stadium and any potential Game 5 scheduled for Oct. 14 back in San Francisco. All NL games up until the World Series will be broadcast on TBS.
As the lowest seed in the NL, the Cardinals will not possess any home-field advantage as far as they go, including the World Series, with the lowest seed in the AL owning a higher record than the Cardinals' 90-72 mark.
How do they stack up against the Dodgers?
Surprisingly, rather well -- all things considered. The Cardinals went 3-4 against the Dodgers this season, but two of those wins came at a colossally important time: the victories split a Labor Day series at the start of September and catapulted the Cardinals into their winning ways to close out the season. Inclusive of those wins over L.A., the Cards won 20 of their final 24 games of the season.
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As far as whom the Cardinals will face on the mound, the club scored a single unearned run off St. Louis native and L.A. ace Max Scherzer in 14 innings (two starts) against him as both a National and a Dodger this season, with that most recent outing with Los Angeles coming on Sept. 6. Scherzer has given the Cards fits in the past -- especially with Washington in the 2019 NLCS -- but St. Louis at least has the data on the NL Cy Young Award hopeful, who’s been shaky to close out the regular season.
Who will start the Wild Card Game?
What helps the Cardinals is who they have lined up to start this game, with Adam Wainwright (as expected) tabbed the starter. The veteran is no stranger to the big moment and will look to put a marquee touch on his stellar season. Behind him, the Cardinals are preparing to throw the kitchen sink with relievers and starters alike.
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Any injuries of note?
Outside of nursing Edmundo Sosa’s sore right wrist and Yadier Molina's right shoulder, right-handers Jack Flaherty and Dakota Hudson were the last reinforcements the Cardinals were expecting ahead of the postseason. Now both are back, albeit in limited capacities. Otherwise, the Cardinals boast pretty clean health, though they are without some key names in Jordan Hicks, Ryan Helsley, Wade LeBlanc and Carlos Martínez, all of whom are out with season-ending ailments.