Los Angeles Dodgers vs. St. Louis Cardinals: Keys to Win NLDS Game 4

Up two games to one, the St. Louis Cardinals will host the Los Angeles Dodgers for Game 4 of the National League Division Series at Busch Stadium on Tuesday with LA's season on the line.

St. Louis will turn to homegrown starter Shelby Miller to clinch the series, while the Dodgers will go with ace Clayton Kershaw on short rest to avoid elimination.

It has been a back-and-forth series thus far, mixed with stellar pitching and offensive outbursts from both teams. The two teams have also dealt with shaky bullpens and slumping hitters. With Game 4 possibly deciding the Cardinals and Dodgers' fates, here is what each team will need in order to secure a win in St. Louis on Tuesday evening. 

Cardinals: Shelby Miller's Lack of Experience

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Last year, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny brought Shelby Miller along for the postseason ride but decided to keep him in the bullpen as St. Louis went on to lose the World Series. Miller pitched one inning of relief against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and that was it.

Now, at 23 years of age, Miller will make his first career postseason start with the series on the line.

It was an interesting year for Miller. He struggled with command and mechanics during the first few months of the season, showing inconsistency on the mound in April and May. Then, in July, the Cardinals moved him to the bullpen in an attempt to get the sophomore pitcher some rest. He moved back to the rotation before the month was over.

Overall, Miller went 10-9 with a 3.74 ERA in 183 innings pitched. His K/9, BB/9, HR/9 and K/BB ratios were all down from 2013 when he arrived on the scene as one of baseball's best young pitchers.

With the stakes high, the Cardinals are relying heavily on the youngster to advance the team forward.

Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw Going on Short Rest

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Before Game 3 was even decided, Dodgers skipper Don Mattingly announced that Clayton Kershaw would start Game 4 on three days' rest. Originally, Dan Haren was slotted to take the mound Tuesday night.

This is the second year in a row that Mattingly has done this; he sent his ace out on three days' rest against the Atlanta Braves in last year's NLDS. Kershaw went six innings, allowing two unearned runs. The Dodgers won 4-3 to advance to the NLCS.

Tuesday, the Dodgers are hoping for Kershaw to help them live another day.

Kershaw's Game 1 start did not go as planned. St. Louis lit him up for eight earned runs over 6.2 innings and eventually beat the Dodgers 10-9. The 26-year-old lefty became the first pitcher in history to allow at least seven earned runs in consecutive starts, a head-scratcher given his ranking as one of baseball's elite.

Kershaw had a phenomenal season, going 21-3 with a 1.77 ERA and 7.5 WAR despite missing a month of the season with injury. He is a lock to win the Cy Young and could be a front-runner for MVP.

On Tuesday, that is the pitcher the Dodgers will need to see.

Dodgers: The Bullpen

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With Kershaw going on short rest, the Dodgers bullpen must be prepared to come in with the game on the line.

Los Angeles' pen has not been sharp so far this series. Pedro Baez surrendered two earned runs after Kershaw was shelled for eight. Not to blame Baez after LA's ace failed to live up to his billing, but those two runs put the nail in the Dodgers' coffin, as they eventually lost 10-9.

In Game 2, lefty J.P. Howell blew the Dodgers' 2-0 lead in the eighth inning when he served up a two-run homer to Cards third baseman Matt Carpenter. He relieved Zack Greinke after seven shutout innings of two-hit ball.

Game 3 was no walk in the park either. Scott Elbert, in relief of Hyun-Jin Ryu, took the loss after allowing two earned runs. Brandon League, Brian Wilson and Howell were also used.

Throughout the series, Mattingly has been mixing and matching his relievers, something he did all season long as he tried to build a bridge to his closer, Kenley Jansen. The Dodgers came back in Game 2, and Jansen shut the door.

Mattingly is hoping that, if need be, his pen can keep it together long enough to reach his closer in Game 4.  

Cardinals: The Bullpen

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The Cardinals bullpen has been better than the Dodgers', but St. Louis' relievers have not been perfect either.

Game 1's slugfest saw Carlos Martinez and Randy Choate each get touched up for a run in the late innings. The game also saw St. Louis use seven relief pitchers: Sam Freeman, Seth Maness, Marco Gonzales, Martinez, Choate, Pat Neshek and closer Trevor Rosenthal.

Matheny used his pen more sparingly in Game 2, but Neshek made a fatal mistake. With the game tied at two in the eighth, Dodgers right fielder Matt Kemp teed off for a go-ahead, solo home run. The Dodgers went on to win the game 3-2, tying the series.

Neshek bounced back with a strong inning of relief in Game 3. Rosenthal was rather erratic with his pitches, but he managed to hang on and preserve the Cardinals victory.

If necessary, the Cardinals do have starter Michael Wacha on the playoff roster. He is not scheduled to start any games this series.

Dodgers: Will the Top of the Lineup Wake Up?

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Dee Gordon led off Game 3 with a single, only his second hit of this postseason. He then wasted no time, swiping second base immediately.

Later in the game, Yasiel Puig ripped a triple to right field. Before that, the Dodgers center fielder had been on a streak of seven straight strikeouts.

It appeared as if both of LA's young hitters, who bat No. 1 and 2 in the lineup, were going to snap out of their funks in Game 3. Instead, those two hits were only ones for them in the game. Gordon went hitless with a punch-out in his next three at-bats, and Puig went down on strikes in his other three plate appearances.

Between the two of them, they have three RBI this October. Gordon is batting .154, and Puig is at .250.

If the Dodgers want to make it to Game 5, it would help to have their top-of-the-lineup hitters contribute in Game 4.

All stats were obtained via Baseball-Reference.com.

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