MLB Playoffs 2013: How Dodgers Can Take Game 3 from Cardinals

With the Los Angeles Dodgers being down 0-2 against the St. Louis Cardinals heading into Game 3 of the NLCS, they are going to need to do a lot of things right in order to make this a competitive series and avoid getting swept.

Despite Clayton Kershaw getting the start and pitching a great game, the Dodgers were unable to come up with the win in Game 2. He pitched six innings, allowing just two hits and one run while striking out five batters—but that one run was the deciding factor. The Dodgers couldn't score a single run on Saturday, giving them just two in total over 22 innings in the series.

With the Dodgers currently on pace to get swept, here are the keys for them to take Game 3 and start turning things around in the NLCS.

Rattle Adam Wainwright Early

The Cardinals will be bringing their ace out in Game 3, and that is not good news for the Dodgers.

Adam Wainwright was terrific in his two NLDS starts. He pitched seven innings in Game 1 of that series, with just three hits and one run allowed. Then, in Game 5, with everything on the line, he pitched a complete game and allowed just one run, helping the Cardinals advance to the NLCS.

Everything is going to depend on getting Wainwright rattled and out of the game early. In order to do that, the Dodgers are going to need to lock in on his curveball, which is one of the best in the MLB. According to FanGraphs.com, Wainwright's curve had the second-highest pitch value in the majors at 17.1, with A.J. Burnett's breaking ball coming in first at 20.0.

Along with a powerful fastball and cutter, Wainwright is one of the best pitchers in the business. He doesn't get rattled often, but when he does, it can get ugly.  

His last bad start came on Sept. 2 against the Cincinnati Reds, when he gave up six earned runs in six innings. The start before that, he allowed nine earned runs in two innings in a 10-0 loss to the Reds.

This won't be an easy task, but taking Wainwright out early will almost certainly mean a win for the Dodgers.

Yasiel Puig Must Get Involved Offensively 

The fans in Los Angeles have fallen in love with the rookie sensation Yasiel Puig this season, but he needs to turn it around after an ugly start in the NLCS to get the offense rolling.

After hitting .319 with 19 home runs and 42 runs batted in during the regular season and having a solid outing in the NLDS, Puig has just not looked comfortable in this series. He's gone 0-for-10 against the Cardinals, striking out six times. In Game 2, he struck out in all four at-bats while hitting out of the cleanup spot.

Getting on base is obviously important for every player on this team, but it's different with Puig due to his popularity. When the Dodgers play at home on Monday, any big plays from Puig will get the fans fired up and motivate the players even more.

We know that Puig has a rocket arm in the outfield, but now, he needs to start getting on base and driving in some runs.

Hyun-Jin Ryu Must Be Nearly Perfect

There's a lot of pressure on the rookie pitcher, as this is clearly a must-win game for the Dodgers.

Hyun-Jin Ryu had a terrific first season in the majors. He started 30 games, posting just a 3.00 ERA and striking out 154 batters with a 14-8 record.  

Things weren't so great in his first career postseason start, however. Ryu lasted just three innings, giving up six hits and four earned runs. Fortunately for him, the Dodgers were still able to manage a 13-6 win over the Braves.

The good news for Ryu is that he had success against the Cardinals in the regular season. In his one start against them back in August, he pitched seven innings and struck out seven batters while giving up five hits and just one unearned run.

It's really important the Ryu pitches at that kind of level against the Cardinals again on Monday. As of right now, the Dodgers are hitting just .184 in the NLCS with just two runs scored. Keep in mind that all of that has been against Cardinals pitchers not named Wainwright.

This is a lot to ask of a rookie pitcher, but we've seen what Ryu can do, and he's certainly good enough to be able to shut down the Cardinals if he's on.