It has been a while since the Cardinals last made the MLB postseason. At least, that is in relation to how often they typically make it.
One of baseball's most consistently good teams, St. Louis had not reached the postseason since winning the NL Central in 2015, having watched the young Cubs and Brewers pass them in the standings in recent years. In their return to October baseball, they will face an exciting Braves team that has now won back-to-back NL East titles, led in large part by the play of dynamic stars Ronald Acuna and Ozzie Albies.
The Cardinals, on the other hand, bring a mix of new faces and seasoned veterans to their playoff roster. Yadier Molina has been behind the dish for St. Louis for both its recent World Series titles, and again, Adam Wainwright will be throwing to him as he has since that 2006 World Series title — though he missed the 2012 championship-winning season due to Tommy John surgery.
MORE: Watch the Cardinals vs. Braves live on fuboTV (7-day free trial)
Both teams found their way to playoff baseball in different ways. The Braves had one of the most dynamic lineups in baseball, with Acuna, Albies, Josh Donaldson and Freddie Freeman, while the Cardinals boasted a top trio of pitchers in Jack Flaherty, Miles Mikolas and Adam Wainwright that gave them a steady rotation of arms.
Of course, there will be the added drama of this being a rematch between a long debated call between the Braves and Cardinals in 2012, when Andrelton Simmons skied a popup that wasn't caught by any St. Louis players and would've resulted in a bases loaded situation in the eighth inning trailing by three runs had it not been called an infield fly. The Braves lost the game. Sam Holbrook, the umpire who made the now-infamous call, will be the crew chief for this series.
Here is everything you need to know to watch the NLDS between the Cardinals and Braves, including TV channels and first-pitch times for every game.
What channel is Cardinals vs. Braves on today?
- TV channel: TBS
- Live stream: fuboTV
All National League Division Series games will be on TBS, with streaming available on fuboTV, which offers a seven-day free trial.
On the call for TBS during the Cardinals-Braves series are Brian Anderson (play-by-play), Ron Darling (analyst) and Lauren Shehadi (reporter).
What time does NLDS Game 5 start?
- Date: Wednesday, Oct. 9
- First pitch: 5:02 p.m. ET
Game 5 of the NLDS between the Cardinals and Braves will start at 5:02 p.m. ET and be shown on TBS.
Jack Flaherty and Mike Foltynewicz are the scheduled starting pitchers.
Cardinals vs. Braves schedule, scores
| Game | Home | Away | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Braves 6 | Cardinals 7 | STL leads 1-0 | |
| 2 | Braves 3 | Cardinals 0 | Series tied 1-1 | |
| 3 | Cardinals 1 | Braves 3 | ATL leads 2-1 | |
| 4 | Cardinals 5 | Braves 4 | Series tied 2-2 | |
| 5 | Braves | Cardinals | Wednesday, Oct. 9 | 5:02 p.m. ET |
