NLCS Schedule 2013: When and Where to Catch Every Game of the Series

The St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers have a tough task ahead if they're going to match the drama of their respective NLDS wins.

St. Louis is fresh off a hard-fought 3-2 series win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, via the Cardinals' official Twitter account.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers have had some time to relax, after locking up the series over the Atlanta Braves in four games as a result of Juan Uribe's go-ahead two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth on Monday. Los Angeles has had a little bit more time to settle in and prepare.

Yasiel Puig is already planning on how he'll leave his mark on the Gateway Arch.

These two teams met in the NLCS just once before, with the Cardinals winning in six games in 1985, via ESPN Stats and Info.

Here's the schedule for the 2013 NLCS, via MLB.com.

Game	Date	Time (ET)	Matchup	TV	Live Stream
Game 1	Fri., Oct. 11	8:30 p.m.	Dodgers at Cardinals	TBS	Postseason.tv
Game 2	Sat., Oct. 12	4 p.m.	Dodgers at Cardinals	TBS	Postseason.tv
Game 3	Mon., Oct. 14	8 p.m.	Cardinals at Dodgers	TBS	Postseason.tv
Game 4	Tues., Oct. 15	8 p.m.	Cardinals at Dodgers	TBS	Postseason.tv
Game 5*	Wed., Oct. 16	4 p.m.	Cardinals at Dodgers	TBS	Postseason.tv
Game 6*	Fri., Oct. 18	8:30 p.m.	Dodgers at Cardinals	TBS	Postseason.tv
Game 7*	Sat., Oct. 19	8:30 p.m.	Dodgers at Cardinals	TBS	Postseason.tv

Biggest Storylines

Which Yasiel Puig Is Going to Show Up?

Puig played well in his first postseason series. In the NLDS against the Braves, he hit .471, had an on-base percentage of .500 and drove in two runs. When he was able to get on base, he was able to score often, with five runs in just 18 plate appearances.

It's an encouraging sign for the Dodgers, after Puig's numbers took a big hit in September.

With a guy like this, though, there's always that chance he goes into a bit of a funk. The star rookie might struggle in the first couple of games. Then he'd start pressing, which would make the strikeouts rear their ugly head.

His defense can also be hit or miss. He has a cannon for an arm, but the way he approaches balls in the outfield can be frustrating. For instance, in Game 4 against Atlanta, Puig misjudged a hit by Elliot Johnson, preferring to try and throw the runner out at second rather than just giving up the double. The ball ended up getting past him, and Johnson had a triple instead.

Plays like that can cost a team runs, and just one can be enough to turn around a series.

On the whole, if Puig continues his NLDS play against the Cardinals, the Dodgers will be in business.

Which 1-2 Punch Is Better: Clayton Kershaw/Zack Greinke or Adam Wainwright/Michael Wacha?

Good pitching always beats good hitting. It's one of the most tried and true axioms of baseball. Time and again, you see an otherwise lethal offense stifled by a great pitching performance.

That's what will make this series so interesting. Both teams have very good pairings at the top of the rotation. The Dodgers have Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, while the Cardinals are countering with Adam Wainwright and Michael Wacha.

It's a bit of a shame that Mike Matheny isn't throwing Wainwright against Kershaw in Game 2, opting instead for Wacha.

While these four pitchers aren't going to be facing one another head to head, their performances will still swing this series one way or the other. Teams find it hard to advance in the postseason when their aces don't perform up to expectations.

Will the Cardinals Get Timely Hits?

Against the Braves in the NLDS, the Dodgers hit .333 as a team. St. Louis, on the other hand, only managed a .209 batting average.

But the Cardinals were able to get hits when they most needed them.

Carlos Beltran went 4-for-18, but two of those hits were home runs. David Freese was 3-for-16; however, one of those hits was the two-run blast that gave the Cards a 2-0 lead in the decisive Game 5. You can forgive a key player for having such a poor average if he's able to change the game when he does get a hit.

With Los Angeles' pitching, the Cardinals may only get a few openings. If the NLDS is any example, St. Louis won't have any problem taking advantage of those opportunities.