In must-win G5, Cards will turn to Flaherty
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ST. LOUIS -- After staving off elimination with a 5-4, 10-inning win over the Braves in Game 4 of the National League Division Series on Monday at Busch Stadium, the Cardinals will turn to Jack Flaherty once again to save their season.
? NLDS presented by Utz, Game 5: Wed., 5 p.m. ET/4 CT on TBS
| Game | Date | Result | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gm 1 | Oct. 3 | STL 7, ATL 6 | Watch |
| Gm 2 | Oct. 4 | ATL 3, STL 0 | Watch |
| Gm 3 | Oct. 6 | ATL 3, STL 1 | Watch |
| Gm 4 | Oct. 7 | STL 5, ATL 4 (10) | Watch |
| Gm 5 | Oct. 9 | STL 13, ATL 1 | Watch |
Shop for postseason gear: Prior to Monday's victory, Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said Flaherty would start Game 5 on Wednesday in Atlanta if his ballclub extended the best-of-five-series.
¡°I think it's pretty clear,¡± Shildt said about Flaherty starting. ¡°I look forward to it.¡±
? Dress for October: Shop Cardinals postseason gear
Flaherty gave up three runs in seven innings in the Cardinals¡¯ 3-0 loss in Game 2 on Friday. The first came in the first inning, and the other two on Adam Duvall¡¯s pinch-hit home run in the seventh inning. Otherwise, Flaherty shut the Braves down and struck out eight.
After Sunday¡¯s 3-1 loss in Game 3, the Cardinals needed to win Monday to be able to give the ball to Flaherty. Miles Mikolas, who started Game 1, threw a scoreless 10th inning that set up St. Louis' theatrics in the bottom half of the frame.
Will Martšªnez stay as closer?
A little more than 12 hours after Carlos Martínez allowed all three of the Braves¡¯ runs in the ninth inning on Sunday, Shildt wasn¡¯t ready to say definitively that Martšªnez would pitch the next time the Cardinals have a lead in the ninth inning. First, he wanted to have a conversation with Martšªnez.
¡°I just want to make sure Carlos' head is in the right place, make sure he's in the right frame of mind,¡± Shildt said. ¡°I'm not worried about Carlos' stuff. It's about his execution, making sure he's making the quality pitches and his head is in a present state of mind.¡±
Hours later, Martšªnez worked around trouble to keep the score tied at 4 in the ninth inning of Game 4. He has allowed six of the Braves¡¯ 16 runs over this series, and he blew his first postseason save opportunity on Sunday. After that game, Shildt said that he had confidence in Martšªnez, but it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if another reliever -- like Andrew Miller or Giovanny Gallegos -- shows up in the ninth with a close lead, especially with the Cardinals facing elimination.
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