The Pittsburgh Pirates feel very confident, coming off their 6-2 National League Wild Card win over the Cincinnati Reds, as they prepare for their National League Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals - their first postseason victory in 21 years.
The Pirates will send A.J. Burnett to the mound Thursday afternoon, who has pitched well in his seven starts against the Cardinals going 3-1 with a 3.67 ERA. The former New York Yankee has postseason experience but says this playoff appearance is a whole different experience.
"I guess the main thing is, over in New York, it's expected every year, you know?" said Burnett. "You tend to get in there a couple of weeks before the season ends. And this one was more of a 'Shock the world, we're going to do it, we made it."
The Pirates went 10-6 against St. Louis, despite the Cardinals taking the National Central division title. The Cardinals, who ended the season with the best record in the National League, also bring a wealth of postseason experience with holdovers from the 2011 World Series championship team still on the roster. St. Louis will start Adam Wainwright Thursday afternoon, who went 19-9 with a 2.94 ERA, 1-0 against Pittsburgh in three starts with a 3.00 ERA.
"All in all, a Cy Young-caliber season," said Cardinals manager Mike Matheny. "We're not afraid to put him on the mound against anybody."
Home field advantage may be key in the series, with the Pirates going 7-3 at PNC Park against St. Louis and the Cardinals 6-3 at Busch Stadium.
"There are no secrets on what either club is trying to do out there," said Wainwright. "They have some very tough pitchers as we know and we have some very tough pitchers as they know."
TV Schedule
You can catch Game 1 of the Pittsburgh Pirates-St. Louis Cardinals National League Division Series Thursday at 5:07 p.m EST on TBS.
Live Stream (video)
Live stream coverage can be seen on MLB.tv.
Live Stream (audio)
Live stream coverage can be heard MLB.com Gameday Audio.
Live Score
Live scores could be followed by clicking here.
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