ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt named Adam Wainwright as the starter in the NL wild-card game next week against either the Los Angeles Dodgers or San Francisco Giants.
Wainwright is 17-7 with a 3.08 ERA this season.
“He gets better as the game goes, he goes deep in games, he’s a big-game pitcher,” Shildt said before the Cardinals’ game on Thursday.
The Cardinals clinched the second wild-card spot earlier this week and will face either the Dodgers or Giants, whichever does not win the NL West, in the winner-take-all game next Wednesday. The postseason trip will be the third in a row for the Cardinals.
Wainwright has won 10 of his last 11 decisions this season, with 11 quality starts during that span including Tuesday’s clincher.
The 40-year-old right-hander is no stranger to the postseason, with 28 appearances throughout his career, including earning the save in the World Series clincher against the Detroit Tigers in 2006.
Wainwright has a 3-5 record in 11 postseason starts and will have plenty of backup if needed.
“Everybody will be ready to go for Wednesday,” Shildt said. “We have two full days off, so it will be all hands on deck.”
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