Lester vs Lackey matches former Red Sox teammates

John Lackey (13-10, 2.77 ERA) and the St. Louis Cardinals meet Jon Lester (11-12, 3.34 ERA) and the Chicago Cubs in Game 1 of the Divisional Playoffs at Busch Stadium. (All games on TBS).

The Cardinals are without righty Carlos Martinez, who went 14-7 with a 3.01 ERA (130 ERA+) on the season.

WALKING MAN: In late September 2011, the Cardinals stayed alive in the NL wild-card race by keeping their bat on their shoulders. Even the St. Louis Post-Dispatch questioned their reaction of Cardinals fans to the mediocre finish of a 100-win season, calling it “weird and warped” that the fan base gravitates toward the team’s shortcomings instead of applauding the fact they’re the winningest team in baseball.

It’s already enough for Cubs’ fans to deal with their eternal rivals the Cards.

Kyle Hendricks (8-7, 3.95) will oppose Jaime Garcia (10-6, 2.43) in Game 2 Saturday.

“This is my first taste of postseason baseball”, Bryant said. Virtually every regular-season game is a sellout at both ballparks regardless of the standings, and the intensity will only ramp up in October….

The Cardinals and Cubs played 19 times this year.

The Cubs, as we all know, are the franchise most synonymous with failure, based on the fact they haven’t won a World Series in 106 years, or before the invention of radio. The Cubs were 5 and 4 at Wrigley against the Redbirds.

The St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs are meeting in the postseason this year for the first time ever. He fared better at home than on the road during the season with a 1.93 ERA. Now, it’s time for him to deliver. Lester was 2-0 with a 0.59 ERA and Lackey won the clincher. Later that night the Cardinals learned they will be playing the Cubs, who beat the Pirates in the NL Wild Card game.

Lackey has the distinction of pitching World Series-clinching games for the Angels (2002) and Red Sox (2013). Arrieta tossed a four-hitter in yet another dominant start, and the Cubs won a playoff game for the first time since famously squandering a 3-1 lead in the 2003 NLCS against the Florida Marlins.

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw looks on during… It now features a massive video board above the left-field bleachers and a smaller one in right…. “So we just watched (the game) as unbiased as we could and tried to look at it through the eyes of scouting out the team that we’re going to play next”. The 46 victories were the most in the majors during that span….

If a Game 5 is needed, it will played on Thursday, October 15 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The Cardinals gave Wacha extra rest whenever possible down the stretch.

Texas asked Joey Gallo and Ed Lucas to leave its Arizona Fall League team and travel to Toronto after star third baseman Adrian Beltre strained a muscle in his lower back during the Rangers’ 5-3 win Thursday.

For one thing, this Cubs team is good. The composition of the roster was complicated by numerous players coming off injuries, including Molina, Wainwright, Holliday, Grichuk and Adams, but the Cardinals filled big holes all season….