The National League Central's dominance was front and center all season long and it will continue into the postseason Friday when the St. Louis Cardinals host the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium in Game 1 of the NLDS.
Right-hander John Lackey takes the hill for the Cardinals, while the Cubs counter with Lackey's former Boston Red Sox teammate, Jon Lester.
Here are three things to know for Game 1 of the NLDS:
YADI RETURNS
The Cardinals persevered through a number of injuries to key players throughout the season to finish with the best record in baseball.
All of that doesn't matter in the postseason and the Cardinals are wiping their brows after finding out Yadier Molina is set to return to the lineup.
St. Louis released their 25-man roster Thursday, and manager Mike Matheny told reporters that "Molina looks great and will be ready to go."
The veteran backstop had been sidelined with a ligament tear in his left thumb and hasn't appeared in a contest since Sept. 20.
THE LESTER EFFECT
Lester was brought in to be the ace of the Cubs staff, and although that role has been taken over by Jake Arrieta thanks to one of the most dominant pitching years of recent memory, Lester is still a big-game pitcher, whose postseason success headlines a sparkling resume.
The 31-year-old southpaw has been in this spot before, owning a career 2.57 ERA in 12 playoff starts.
Along with his postseason success, Lester turned it up against the Cardinals in his last two starts against them, so he'll have an idea of what he needs to do to keep them off the scoreboard.
| Date | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 6 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| Sept 9 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
WAINWRIGHT'S ROLE
Along with the return of Molina, the Cardinals also welcome back right-hander Adam Wainwright.
Though Wainwright will come out of the bullpen, he offers an incredible weapon, not only from a pitching standpoint, but from a leadership perspective.
The 34-year-old veteran has felt the pressure of pitching in big games as both a starter and reliever and is a 2006 World Series champion, so the addition of his experience alone should help calm the storm if things go awry.