Phillies at Cardinals, 5:07 p.m. on TBS
Starting Pitchers
Phillies: Cole Hamels (14-9, 2.79) is looking for his seventh career postseason victory. He did give up nine home runs in 38 innings in September and he concluded the regular season by winning just two of his final 11 appearances. In nine career starts against the Cardinals, Hamels is 2-3 with a 3.27 ERA. He struck out nine Cardinals without a walk in his last matchup against them - a 5-0 loss on Sept. 18.
Cardinals: Jaime Garcia (13-7, 3.56) had nine of his 13 wins at home this season. He also closed strong, going 3-0 with a 2.64 ERA in September. In his last 15 innings against the Phillies, Garcia has given up one run. For his career, Garcia has held the Phils to a .178 average.
Previous games
The Phillies took Game 1 by an 11-6 final. Roy Halladay gave up three runs early but the Phillies stormed back with the longball to take the lead and the early series lead. The Cardinals evened things up on Sunday night, notching a 5-4 victory despite an early 4-0 hole against Cliff Lee.
Head-to-head
The Phillies were 3-6 against the Cardinals in the regular season and were outscored, 34-32.
Who's hot?
Jimmy Rollins is 5-for-8 with five runs scored in the series. In his last seven games, dating back to the regular season, he has six multi-hit efforts. Ryan Howard knocked in six runs in Games 1 and 2. For the Cards, Albert Pujols is 3-for-8 in the series, while Rafael Furcal is 3-for-9.
Storylines
The Phillies haven't faced an elimination game in the NLDS since 2007, though they would be in that position with a loss today. On the contrary, they could potentially wrap up the series tomorrow, should they defeat St. Louis today. ... Shadows could be a factor, particularly at the start of the game. ... The Cardinals' bullpen, among the most inconsistent in baseball during the regular season, shut down the Phillies in Game 2. ... Matt Holliday (finger) is not expected to play once again for St. Louis.
Sound off
Given Cole Hamels' struggles in September and how well Jaime Garcia closed the season - and how well he's pitched at home - which team do you think has the pitching advantage this evening?