With their National League Division Series tied at two games a piece, the Pittsburgh Pirates head to St. Louis for a deciding Game 5, facing Adam Wainwright (19-9 with a 2.94 ERA).
Wainwright is 3-0 with a 1.09 ERA in three postseason starts (seven appearances) for St. Louis and posted a 1.71 ERA over his last five starts and has the complete faith of Cardinals manger Mike Matheny in their must-win situation.
"We're always excited to see Adam Wainwright on the mound," said Cardinals manager Mike Methany after their 2-1 victory over the Pirates in Game 4 on Monday. "He's the ace of our staff. These guys, they get a lot of energy every time he has the mound."
The Pirates could have gone with veteran A.J. Burnett to start he crucial game, but instead went rookie Gerrit Cole. The 23-year-old rookie gave up only one run in six innings, putting away 11 consecutive hitters in a row in their Game 2 victory compared to Burnett's seven runs in two-plus innings.
"This is obviously an exciting time, a high- pressure situation, and this is what you prepare for all year," said Cole. "This is why you work out in the off-season, for moments like this, to be mentally and physically ready to go. It's extremely exciting and I can't wait."
The Pirates are looking to win their first postseason series since 1979 while St. Louis looks to go to their third straight National League Championship Series.
"You live for those situations," said Pittsburgh star Andrew McCutchen. "This is the game that we play. They didn't say it was going to be easy getting here to where we are. We've done a good job of getting in this position. We live for all those moments. Anything can happen in this game."
TV Schedule
You can catch Game 5 of the Pittsburgh Pirates - St. Louis Cardinals National League Division Series Sunday at 8:07 p.m EST on TBS.
Live Stream (video)
Live stream coverage can be seen on MLB.tv (subscription required).
Live Stream (audio)
Live stream coverage can be heard MLB.com Gameday Audio.
Live Score
Live scores could be followed by clicking here.