Bring on Game 4 for St. Louis Cardinals

A very well-rested Shelby Miller will take the mound for the St. Louis Cardinals this afternoon in Game 4 of the NLDS at Busch Stadium.

This will be the 23-year-old’s first postseason start since joining the big club. He’s had a couple of relief appearances but was in the dog house when it came to starting.

This season saw a dramatic improvement in Miller’s pitching. With the advice of his fellow rotation mates and Yadier Molina, he’s felt more confident in adding a curve ball to his repertoire of pitches. And it’s really throwing hitters off. Take at look at this chart from Brooks Baseball.

Over the past couple of months, it shows that as he throws his curve more, the fastball has become more effective at striking hitters out. Small sample size, I know, but I find it a pretty dramatic difference. I believe the more confident Shelby gets with that second pitch, the better he will be. I am really excited to see what he can do against the Dodgers this afternoon.

Another thing I’m looking forward to in today’s game? Matt Carpenter. Take a look at his stat line for this NLDS.

He’s having an amazing series and I’m looking forward to more!

I also hope to see more from his supporting cast. Kolten Wong’s home run in the seventh was amazing. Take a look.

Matt Carpenter’s reaction was pretty great!

Screen Cap Via Twitter

Here’s hoping for more great moments as the Cardinals take the field against the Dodgers at 4 p.m. Central. Tune in on Fox Sports One. Go Cards!