NLDS between St. Louis, Los Angeles a must-see event

This year’s NLDS is a rematch of last year’s National League Championship Series. Friday night at Dodger Stadium, the NLDS will open with the best of the best. Meeting for the fifth time in postseason play, the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw and Cardinals’ Adam Wainright will open the show and it’s one you won’t want to miss. Both pitchers are expected to safely land themselves in the top three (if not two) contention spots for this year’s National League Cy Young Award.

Last year the Cardinals defeated Kershaw 9-0 in the deciding game of the NLCS, advancing Cardinals to the World Series. The Cardinals are 7-4 in Division Series openers and hope to take an early lead on the Dodgers. Wainwright is in the top five of most pitching statistics  – with three shutouts, five complete games, 20 wins, a 2.38 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. Yadier Molina, a two-time World Series champion and the third Molina brother to spend time in the show, brings a substantial amount of postseason help up to the plate – and behind it. Molina has the power to control the Dodgers’ running game but Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp and Dee Gordon are sure to be a challenge for the St. Louis backstop.

Clayton Kershaw leads Major League pitching with a 1.77 ERA. He also has the most wins (21), the most strikeouts per nine innings (10.85), the most complete games (6), the highest winning percentage of .875 and a league-leading 0.86 WHIP. The Dodgers have several World Series champions in their lineup and more than enough postseason experience.  Home field advantage is sure to play a part in tonight’s game as the Dodgers have performed well at Dodger Stadium, while St. Louis was three games under .500 on the road this year.

Regardless of the outcome, the mound matchup will be one for the ages.