St. Louis Cardinals vs Pittsburgh Pirates: Keys to Winning NLDS Game 4

With Game 3 of the 2013 National League Division Series now in the past, the Pittsburgh Pirates are poised to clinch an NLCS berth. With that said, if they expect the St. Louis Cardinals to go to roll over and play dead they will be sadly mistaken.

The Cardinals have a lot to overcome, but if there's anything we've learned over the years, it's that they shouldn't be counted out until the last out.

With only one game to win, the Pirates have the Cardinals exactly where they want them: backed into a corner. The problem is, sometimes that's where they perform the best.

When the two teams take to the field in Pittsburgh on Monday afternoon, the Cardinals fate will rest in the hands of rookie pitcher Michael Wacha who only 15 months ago was pitching for Texas A&M.

The Pirates will send right-handed hurler Charlie Morton to the mound in hopes of clinching. If it doesn't happen on Monday, however, they have confidence in Gerrit Cole who dominated the Cardinals Friday afternoon at Busch Stadium.

The Cardinals want a Game 5--the Pirates should not.

Even with Cole on the mound, the Cardinals would throw Adam Wainwright in front of their home crowd and that's not a good situation for either team.

Following are a few thought on what it will take for the Cardinals to win NLDS Game 4.

RISP--what got them to October

The first key for the Cardinals is to keep doing exactly what got them into the postseason to begin with--hit well with runners in scoring position.

The Cardinals .330 RISP average had a lot to do with their domination in the regular season. A lack a batting with RISP has everything to do with the hole they're in right now.

Through Game 3 of the NLDS, the Cardinals are batting .150 with RISP (3-for-20). While they have 10 runs when batting with RISP, that consistency has to be in place for them to stay alive in October.

It's not a luxury anymore--it's a must-have.

Wacha needs to be at his best

The Cardinals are putting their entire season in the hands of Michael Wacha Monday afternoon. In many cases this would sound berserk, but not for the Cardinals.

This team's youth has been their saving grace all year. They have depended on young talent not only to come fill a roster spot but make significant contributions to the team.

For the most part that's worked well.

This a big weight to put on the shoulders of Michael Wacha, but there's a reason manager Mike Matheny wants him on the mound in this game--he has the stuff to win it.

Come back...again and again

The Cardinals came from behind for a win 29 times in the regular season. They came from behind twice on Sunday, but obviously didn't get the win.

While their ideal situation would be to score early and often, that doesn't always happen. The Cardinals need to keep their focus if they wind up down by a run or two.

Those things happen, and they've overcome it plenty of times. The best situation for the Cardinals would be to get on the board early and don't get into a situation where a comeback is necessary.

The Cardinals need the Pirates chasing them Monday to bring the series back to St. Louis on Wednesday. If they can keep Sunday in their rear-view mirror, there's no reason to expect anything less from them.