Phillies vs. Cardinals: NLDS TV Schedule, Live Streaming and Pitching Matchups

The St. Louis Cardinals had to exhaust all of their resources in September just to make the playoffs, and the reward for all that hard work is a Division Series matchup with the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Cardinals were buried 8.5 games behind Atlanta in the wild card race, but finished the season 18-8 to sneak into the postseason. Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday, who has been battling a thumb injury, will have to carry the offense like they have done all season long for this team to have a chance in the series.

The Phillies have been on cruise control for the last month of the season. They had the best record in baseball and boast the best pitching rotation in all of baseball. The only question about this team is whether or not their offense will hit enough to avoid another postseason letdown.

Schedule and Pitching Matchups

Game 1, Saturday, Oct. 1: Cardinals (Loshe) at Phillies (Halladay)

Game 2, Sunday, Oct. 2: Cardinals (Carpenter) at Phillies (Lee)

Game 3, Tuesday, Oct. 4: Phillies (Hamels) at Cardinals (Garcia)

Game 4 (if necessary), Wednesday, Oct. 5: Phillies (Oswalt) at Cardinals (Jackson)

Game 5 (if necessary), Friday, Oct. 7: Cardinals (Lohse) at Phllies (Halladay)

*All matchups according to Yahoo Sports

Watch: All games will air on TBS (Times, TBD); MLB.tv Postseason Packages available for $3.99 or $5.99

Listen: All games broadcast on ESPN Radio; KMOX 1120 AM (St. Louis); WPHT 1210 (Philadelphia)

Key Storyline

Will The Cardinals Be Able To Hit Enough Against The Phillies Pitching Staff?

The Phillies are going to go as far as their pitching staff carries them. The offense is not as strong as it once was, but you don’t have to score a lot of runs to win games when you have a rotation as good as they do.

The Cardinals offense performed better than you would expect considering they only have three above-average hitters. After Pujols, Berkman and Holliday, there is no one in that lineup who scares you.

If the Cardinals are going to win this series, those three players have to play out of their minds.

Cardinals' Player To Watch

Matt Holliday, LF

Lance Berkman and Albert Pujols have been rocks for the Cardinals this season, but Holliday has been dealing with a series of injuries all season long.

He only played in 124 games this season and missed time in September with a hand injury. He left Tuesday's game against the Astros when he aggravated his hand injury.

The Cardinals need him to play and produce like the middle-of-the-order hitter that he is when he is completely healthy.

Phillies' Player To Watch

Chase Utley, 2B

Ryan Howard has the big contract—which doesn't even kick in until 2012, so enjoy that albatross, Phillies fans—but Chase Utley is the most important player to the Phillies offense.

Utley only played in 103 games this season and really wore down in August and September. He has to be productive this postseason if the Phillies want to get back to the World Series.

Series Breakdown

The Cardinals had to play out of their minds in September just to get into the playoffs. They deserve a lot of credit for doing what they had to do, but they are at a disadvantage because they had to start Chris Carpenter against Houston on Wednesday night, which means he will likely not be able to pitch until Game 3.

The Phillies were the best team in baseball all season long. They have the deepest rotation in the majors, and the bullpen is rested because they did not have to pitch much this season. The lineup does have questions, but with pitching this good, they don't have to score a lot of runs to win.

Prediction

With Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels at the top of their rotation, it is going to be hard enough for the Cardinals to beat the Phillies three times in a five-game series. Add to that the fact that Chris Carpenter won't pitch until Game 3, and things become that much more difficult for them.

The Cardinals are not going to go down without a fight, but they are not strong enough on the mound and the lineup does not have enough punch to chase the Phillies starters out of the game early.

Phillies win series, 3-1