NLCS Bracket 2019: Dates, TV Schedule, Early Odds and Picks

The St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals both advanced to the 2019 National League Championship Series in epic fashion.

While one sealed the victory in the first inning, the other needed 10.

St. Louis jumped all over the Atlanta Braves, scoring a mind-boggling 10 runs before the Braves even had a chance to hit. The Cardinals cruised to a 13-1 victory in Atlanta.

In the nightcap, Washington recovered from a 3-0 deficit to stun the Los Angeles Dodgers. Howie Kendrick blasted a grand slam in the 10th inning to secure the Nationals' place in the NLCS, a seven-game series that will begin Friday, Oct. 11.

The Cardinals went 5-2 against the Nats in the regular season.

2019 NLCS Schedule (TV in parentheses)

Game 1, Oct. 11: Nationals at Cardinals, 8:08 p.m. ET (TBS)
Game 2, Oct. 12: Nationals at Cardinals, 4:08 p.m. ET (TBS)
Game 3, Oct 14: Cardinals at Nationals, TBD (TBS)
Game 4, Oct. 15: Cardinals at Nationals, TBD (TBS)
Game 5*, Oct. 16: Cardinals at Nationals, TBD (TBS)
Game 6*, Oct. 18: Nationals at Cardinals, TBD (TBS)
Game 7*, Oct. 19: Nationals at Cardinals, TBD (TBS)

* - if necessary

2019 NLCS Odds

Nationals: -110

Cardinals: -110

Odds from Oddschecker

What the Cardinals Do Well

In a word: pitching.

While the immediate 10-run explosion caught the nation's attention―and for good reason―Cardinals ace Jack Flaherty quietly spun six innings and allowed one run. The bullpen went three scoreless to wrap up a dominant Game 5 victory.

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

That followed an impressive showing in Game 4 when, despite allowing plenty of runners, St. Louis made the pitches when needed. Atlanta stranded seven runners―including five in scoring position―from innings five through nine. The Cardinals ended up winning in walk-off fashion during the 10th inning.

St. Louis will rely on Flaherty later in the NLCS, first turning to some combination of Adam Wainwright, Dakota Hudson and Miles Mikolas. That quartet combined to surrender only six earned runs in 31.1 innings against the Braves.

The final inning looks a little dicey, though.

Atlanta rocked closer Carlos Martinez for three runs in two separate NLDS appearances. St. Louis escaped Game 1, but his ineffectiveness cost the Cardinals in Game 3.

And as the Nats showed Wednesday, they won't go down easily.

What the Nationals Do Well

Washington has a star-studded pitching staff, but this lineup does an excellent job at creating scoring chances. The Nats scored the sixth-most runs in 2019; St. Louis finished 19th.

MVP candidate Anthony Rendon racked up 34 homers and 126 RBI during the regular season and continues to lead the way in the playoffs. He batted a team-best .350 in the NLDS, smacking three doubles, one homer and driving in five.

Timely contributions come from all over, though.

Juan Soto tallied two homers and six RBI against the Dodgers. Ryan Zimmerman launched a pivotal three-run blast in Game 4. Kendrick crushed his grand slam in Game 5.

Washington will need a bit more production from leadoff man Trea Turner, who ended the NLDS with a decent .333 on-base percentage. However, he swiped zero bases after stealing 35 in the regular season. Against the Cardinals' exclusively right-handed rotation, Turner's speed must be a factor.

The Nats surely would like a comfortable victory or two, because manager Davey Martinez clearly has limited trust in the bullpen.

Patrick Corbin (two), Max Scherzer (one) and Stephen Strasburg (one) all made relief appearances opposite the Dodgers. Because of that, Anibal Sanchez will start Game 1 of the NLCS.

NLCS Prediction

St. Louis has a superb rotation and limited the Nats to 17 total runs in seven regular-season matchups. While exceptional, that also appears unsustainable given the strength of Washington's lineup.

On the other hand, the Nationals have relied heavily on their starters this postseason. Can they navigate a seven-game series with only Daniel Hudson and Sean Doolittle as trusted relievers? They're desperate for good innings from Wander Suero, Tanner Rainey, Fernando Rodney and Hunter Strickland.

That limitation is too much to overlook.

St. Louis has a similarly strong group of starters but a much deeper bullpen. Although the Nationals will be a constant threat behind Rendon, Soto and others, the Cardinals have a better chance of quieting them while also protecting the staff.

Prediction: Cardinals in six

Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.