The Cardinals and Nationals each faced elimination on Wednesday, but both teams survived to advance to the National League Championship Series, which begins Friday in St. Louis.

The Cardinals, who have home-field advantage because they won the NL Central title, advanced with a 13-1 romp of the Braves, while the Nationals edged the Dodgers, 7-3, thanks to Howie Kendrick’s 10th-inning grand slam.

It will be the Cardinals' 14th NLCS appearance and the Nationals' first, as Washington's NLDS series victory over the Dodgers was its first postseason series win.

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Here’s what you need to know for Game 1 of the NLCS.

When is the game and how can I watch it?
Game 1 will be Friday at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on TBS.

All games telecast on TBS, FOX and FS1 will be available to MLB.TV subscribers who are authenticated subscribers to the applicable network through a participating pay TV provider.

What will the starting lineups look like?
Nationals: Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto's back-to-back homers in the eighth inning off Clayton Kershaw showed why they are perhaps the most dangerous 3-4 lineup combo in the NL. Rendon has hit safely in four straight postseason games, and Soto is the fifth player in postseason history with multiple homers before the age of 21.

The Nationals' official starting lineup:

1. Trea Turner, SS
2. Adam Eaton, RF (L)
3. Anthony Rendon, 3B
4. Juan Soto, LF (L)
5. Howie Kendrick, 2B
6. Ryan Zimmerman, 1B
7. Michael A. Taylor, CF
8. Yan Gomes, C
9. Aníbal Sánchez, P

Cardinals: St. Louis uses the same lineup that broke out for 13 runs on Wednesday.

The Cardinals' official starting lineup:

1. Dexter Fowler, CF (S)
2. Kolten Wong, 2B (L)
3. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
4. Marcell Ozuna, LF
5. Yadier Molina, C
6. Matt Carpenter, 3B (L)
7. Tommy Edman, RF (S)
8. Paul DeJong, SS
9. Miles Mikolas, P

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Who are the starting pitchers?
Nationals: The Nationals will turn to Sánchez. They needed Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg to start Games 4 and 5 of the NLDS, respectively, and they used Patrick Corbin out of the bullpen in Games 3 and 5. In his lone start in Game 3, Sanchez struck out nine in five innings of one-run ball.

Cardinals: Mikolas, who started Game 1 of the NLDS and threw a scoreless 10th inning in Game 4, will get the nod. Mikolas faced the Nationals twice this season, throwing six innings of one-run ball on May 1 in a win and again on Sept. 17. The right-hander took the loss last month in St. Louis, allowing three runs over six innings.

How will the bullpens line up after the starter?
Nationals: To beat the Dodgers in the NLDS, the Nationals went with a desperate pitching strategy, treating each game with the urgency of an elimination game and using their starting pitchers to throw innings in relief each night. It’s unclear whether such a strategy can hold up for a seven-game series, but with Daniel Hudson on the postseason paternity list and Wander Suero replacing him until Hudson's return, manager Dave Martinez has only one reliever, Sean Doolittle, he has shown he can trust. Tanner Rainey saw action in Game 5 and could also earn himself a high-leverage role in this series.

Cardinals: The bullpen is in great shape heading into the NLCS. The Cardinals will still rely on Andrew Miller and Tyler Webb as their primary left-handed options, while Giovanny Gallegos will be used in high-leverage situations regardless of hitter. Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said on Thursday that he didn't expect any changes to the roster from the previous round, which means St. Louis will carry three lefties -- Miller, Webb and Génesis Cabrera -- and right-hander John Gant will miss out.

Are there any relievers who are unavailable?
Nationals: None

Cardinals: With Gallegos, Cabrera and John Brebbia only throwing an inning on Wednesday and the Thursday off-day, the Cardinals should have all arms available for Friday.

Any injuries of note?
Nationals: Despite a scary scene during Game 5 where Suzuki had to leave the game after being hit with an errant pitch, he was OK during the Nationals' celebration and should be good to go Friday. Robles missed the final three games of the NLDS with a right hamstring injury, but he lobbied to play at the end of that series and could return as early as Game 1.

Cardinals: Michael Wacha was the only health concern in the NLDS, and his right shoulder strain kept him off the roster. Shildt said that while Wacha's bullpen sessions are becoming more intense, the Cardinals don't want to risk his health by pushing him too soon, meaning he will be left off the NLCS roster.

Who is hot and who is not?
Nationals: Rendon is batting .500 (7-for-14) with a homer and five RBIs in his last four games. Soto has hit safely in four of his first six postseason games.

Cardinals: The offense came alive against the Braves in Game 5, starting with Fowler’s leadoff walk -- which the outfielder desperately needed after going 1-for-17 with a walk before Wednesday. Fowler also had a two-run double in Game 5. Goldschmidt and Ozuna are both hitting .429 in the postseason, so if Fowler and Wong (.250) can get going, the top and middle of the lineup can be dangerous.

Anything else fans might want to know?
The Cardinals won the season series against the Nationals, 5-2. St. Louis won three of four in Washington from April 29-May 2 and two of three at Busch Stadium in September.

These two clubs have met once before in the postseason. That was in 2012, when the Cardinals stunned the Nationals with a come-from-behind victory in Game 5 of the NLDS.