Cardinals hand ball to Lackey for NLDS opener
The St. Cardinals named right-hander John Lackey as their starter for Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Friday night in Busch Stadium.
The Cardinals will play host in the series opener to the winner of Wednesday night’s NL wild-card game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs in Pittsburgh.
The 36-year-old Lackey posted a 13-10 record with a 2.77 ERA in 218 innings and 33 starts this year. He fared better at home than on the road during the season with a 1.93 ERA.
Lackey is likely to be opposed on Friday night by Pittsburgh’s Francisco Liriano or Chicago’s Jon Lester.
Cardinals manager Mike Matheny has yet to name the rest of the St. Louis rotation for the NLDS, but the contenders are Michael Wacha, Lance Lynn and Jaime Garcia.