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| Kyle Lohse and Kris Medlen will start Friday's NL wild card game. (US Presswire) |
As we noted earlier, only one playoff matchup is set, and now too is its pitching matchup. After the Dodgers lost on Tuesday to clinch the wild card for St. Louis, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny announced that Kyle Lohse would start the wild-card game and Adam Wainwright would start Game 1 of the Division series, if the Cardinals got there.
Wainwright was scheduled to start Wednesday against the Reds, but rookie Shelby Miller instead will make his first big-league start.
In Friday's wild-card game, Lohse (16-3, 2.86 ERA) will face Atlanta right-hander Kris Medlen (10-1, 1.57 ERA). The Braves knocked Lohse around for five runs on nine hits, including two home runs, on May 30. Medlen appeared in three games against the Cardinals, but all three were before he moved to the rotation. All three of Medlen's appearances against St. Louis came in May. He threw a scoreless inning on May 11, allowing a run on two hits in two innings the next night and then giving up two runs on four hits in 2 2/3 innings on May 28.
Lohse, 34, is 0-4 with a 5.54 ERA in nine career playoff appearances, including four starts. In those four starts, he's put up a 14.54 ERA. Medlen has not appeared in a postseason game.
Matheny also told reporters (via the St. Louis Post Dispatch) that Wainwright could pitch on Friday if needed.
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