Cardinals vs. Dodgers Odds
| Cardinals Odds | +190 |
| Dodgers Odds | -230 |
| Over/Under | 7.5 (-108 / -112) |
| Time | Wednesday, 8:10 p.m. ET |
| TV | TBS |
The St. Louis Cardinals tore through September, winning 17 games in a row to pull away from the rest of a crowded NL wild-card field and claim the second spot.
Their reward? A meeting with the 106-win Dodgers. Los Angeles couldn't overcome the behemoth Giants in the NL West, and thus, the defending World Series champions have been relegated to a winner-take-all meeting with the hottest team in baseball and one with more than a little postseason magic in its history.
This is a meeting of two of the most decorated franchises in baseball history. The Cardinals have 11 World Series titles, with the most recent coming in 2011. St. Louis has been a model of consistency this century. It's making its 15th playoff appearance since 2000 and third straight. The Cardinals lost to the Padres in the 2020 wild-card round.
The Dodgers are making their ninth-straight postseason appearance and are in search of their eighth World Series, as the defending champs look to repeat 2020's title. This will be Los Angeles' first appearance in the Wild Card Game, as the Giants were able to snap a streak of eight straight NL West titles.
The Cardinals and Dodgers met seven times during the regular season, with Los Angeles holding a 4-3 advantage.
St. Louis Cardinals
Top Position Players
- Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
- Tyler O'Neill, LF
- Nolan Arenado, 3B
- Harrison Bader, CF
Goldschmidt will undoubtedly earn down-ballot MVP votes for the seventh-straight year after going on an absolute tear down the stretch to fuel the Cardinals' run to the postseason.
O'Neill had the breakout campaign Cardinals fans have long been clamoring for in his age-26 season. The outfielder hit 34 home runs after combining for 21 in parts of three seasons entering the year.
The offense as a whole sits right in the middle of the pack in terms of production, with a 97 wRC+ that ranks 15th. That hardly tells the whole story, however, as the Cardinals have posted a 112 wRC+ since the start of August, which is right around the time they started their torrid run to put away the wild-card spot.
Projected Starting Pitcher
- Adam Wainwright, RHP: 206 1/3 IP, 17-7 record, 3.05 ERA, 3.86 xFIP, 164 Ks, 50 BBs, 3.8 fWAR
Age is but a number for Wainwright, as the newly minted 40-year-old put off retirement and put together his best season since 2014 with a workmanlike effort at the front of the Cardinals' rotation while erstwhile ace Jack Flaherty battled injuries all season long.
Wainwright crossed the 200-inning mark for the first time since that aforementioned 2014 campaign when he was but a sprout 32. He allowed fewer than one home run per nine and allowed weak contact all season long. Wainwright is already a Cardinals legend and inked a one-year deal late in the season that will keep him in St. Louis through 2022.
Key Bullpen Pieces
- Giovanny Gallegos
- Genesis Cabrera
- Alex Reyes
- T.J. McFarland
- Luis Garcia
- Kodi Whitley
Alex Reyes was the lone St. Louis All-Star selection in July, but sputtered in the second half of the season and was eventually replaced as closer by Giovanny Gallegos.
The latter has been a revelation in the back-end of the bullpen in the second half, helping fuel the Cardinals' run by missing bats at a solid rate all season long, and he's allowed just two home runs in the second half.
Bullpens are anything but predictable, especially in a wild-card game, and the Cardinals have plenty of options. Flaherty could be utilized, as could the also-recently-healthy Dakota Hudson.
All the Cards are on the table, I guess.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Top Position Players
- Max Muncy
- Will Smith
- Justin Turner
- Mookie Betts
- Corey Seager
The offense has had its fits and starts, but this is still among the most dangerous offenses in baseball when everything is clicking.
Despite some frustratingly inconsistent stretches, the Dodgers still ranked as a top-10 offense by wRC and wOBA.
The center of attention has, for the most part, been Muncy, who should get some down-ballot MVP love with a consistent campaign in which he approached 40 home runs and had a sturdy on-base rate. Muncy left Sunday's season finale with a wrist injury, however, and his status for Wednesday is unknown as of this writing.
Betts has had a down season by his lofty, MVP-caliber standards, but is still among the most talented all-around players in the league. He battled injuries throughout the year but held down both right and center fields and has even spelled second base a bit.
One guy missing from this list is Cody Bellinger. The 2019 MVP has been dreadful when he hasn't been injured, and Los Angeles will hope he turns it on at the right time on Wednesday.
Projected Starting Pitcher
- Max Scherzer, RHP: 179 1/3 IP, 15-4 record, 2.46 ERA, 3.23 xFIP, 236 Ks, 36 BBs, 5.4 fWAR
The Dodgers acquired the three-time Cy Young award winner for exactly moments like this. Well, they acquired him to try to avoid moments like this, but it's not a bad consolation to be able to have one of the best pitchers on the planet on the mound with your season on the line.
Scherzer, a postseason hero in D.C. two years ago, has been nothing short of brilliant since heading to the West Coast. In 68 1/3 innings, he has a 1.98 ERA with 89 strikeouts against just eight walks.
The Cardinals are going to have their hands full, to say the least, and it says a lot about the Dodgers' rotation that there was an argument to be made to not even start Scherzer on Wednesday, as Walker Buehler is a Cy Young candidate in his own right. Buehler started the season finale on Sunday, however, and is presumably unavailable.
Key Bullpen Pieces
- Kenley Jansen
- Blake Treinen
- Corey Knebel
- Alex Vesia
- Phil Bickford
Jansen has given Dodgers fans their share of stress-inducing moments over the years, but is entering the 2021 postseason in elite form. Jansen started the day on August 5 with a 3.27 ERA. Since then, he's made 27 appearances and has a 0.65 ERA, with 35 strikeouts against eight walks in 27 2/3 innings.
Behind him, the Dodgers' bullpen is a mixed bag. Treinen and Knebel are probably Dave Roberts' next most-trusted relievers, but Bickford, Vesia, Brusdar Graterol and Joe Kelly could all be seen, too.
Of course, in a winner-take-all game, everything is on the table. We could see Buehler in a key spot, or any number of arms. The one thing for certain is we won't see Clayton Kershaw, as he was placed on the IL on the second-to-last day of the regular season.
