St. Louis Cardinals: Four Keys to Game 5 of the NLDS

The St. Louis Cardinals have the chance to knock the World Series favorites, the Philadelphia Phillies, out of the playoffs with a win in Game 5 of the NLDS. This will certainly be a hard fought matchup between the two teams.

Roy Halladay presents a big challenge for the Cardinals, but they will need to get around him if they are going to play in the NLCS this season.

Matt Holliday Is in the Lineup

Matt Holliday has seen limited action in the NLDS because of a hand injury. He had pinch-hit appearances in Games 1 and 3, and he started in Game 4.

The St. Louis Cardinals need Matt Holliday in the lineup if they are going to beat the Phillies. All indications seem to be that Holliday will start, but he needs to be healthy in order to produce.

Albert Pujols Has One Big Hit

The Albert Pujols era could be coming to a close in St. Louis. If the Cardinals lose to the Phillies, then Game 5 of the NLDS could be the last time that Pujols dons a Cardinals jersey.

Pujols will need to come up with at least one big hit in Game 5 if the Cardinals are going to beat the Phillies. Big players come through in the clutch, and right now there is no one better in the game than Pujols.

Chris Carpenter Matches Roy Halladay

The St. Louis Cardinals will be facing one of the best pitchers in baseball during Game 5 of the NLDS. Roy Halladay has been absolutely dominant this season and presents a difficult matchup.

Luckily for the Cardinals, they also have one of the game's better pitchers on the mound as well. Chris Carpenter will need to be able to put up numbers that are similar or better than Halladay's to give the Cardinals a good chance to win.

The Cardinals Score First

Scoring the first run, especially in an elimination game, is very important. It is even more important for the Cardinals, considering how well they perform when they score first.

This season, the Cardinals are 64-36 when they score the first run. However, when their opponents score first, the Cardinals are 26-36. If the Cardinals are going to win, they need to come out strong.