On Wednesday night, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers will play this year’s National League Wild Card Game. The single-elimination contest will dictate who advances to the next round, wherein they’ll play a best-of-five division series against the San Francisco Giants, and who heads home to begin their offseason. You can view the full postseason schedule by clicking here.
With that throat-clearing out of the way, let’s get to the important stuff.
How to watch
Date: Wednesday, Oct. 6 | Time: 8:10 p.m. ET
Location: Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles, California)
TV: TBS | Stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
Odds: LAD -216; STL +196; O/U: 7.5 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Starting pitchers: Adam Wainwright vs. Max Scherzer
Follow: CBS Sports App
Preview
Both teams have been on a tear to get to this point, with the Cardinals recently reeling off the longest winning streak in the majors this season (17 games). One benefit of two hot teams meeting is that the quality of baseball should be high. That extends to the starting pitching matchup, which looks outstanding.
Wainwright started 32 games this season, amassing a 3.05 ERA (127 ERA+) and a 3.48 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He throws three pitches more than 20 percent of the time: his signature curveball, his upper-80s sinker, and his mid-80s cutter. When he needs a swing-and-miss, his curveball is his best option. Wainwright’s cutter, however, was his top pitch as it pertains to generating weak contact. Keep that in mind, seeing as how Wainwright is more of a contact manager than a big-time strikeout artist.
As for Scherzer, he posted a 2.46 ERA (165 ERA+) and a 6.56 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 30 starts overall. His 11-game run with the Dodgers was ridiculous even by his own lofty standards, as he accumulated a 1.98 ERA (207 ERA+) and an 11.13 strikeout-to-walk ratio. About half of Scherzer’s pitches are his mid-90s fastball. He also throws around 20 percent sliders, 15 percent changeups, and an assortment of curveballs and cutters. The slider is his top bat-missing weapon.
Prediction
Anything can happen in a single-game setting. On paper, the Dodgers have everything working in their favor: home-field advantage; the pitching matchup; overall team quality; and so on. Even then, their chances of winning this game are probably somewhere in the 55 to 60 percent range. As such, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if the Cardinals pull out the victory. Still, we’re paid professionals and we’re going to go with the odds and say the Dodgers advance to face off against the Giants.
Pick: Dodgers 3, Cardinals 1
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