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Cardinals aren't afraid of Wrigley

The St. Louis Cardinals have finished first in the NL Central for three straight years and they are in the postseason for the fifth straight season.

The Cardinals always seem to handle playoff pressure better than most teams, but the energy level at Wrigley Field in Games 3 and 4 of the National League Division Series promises to present a unique challenge.

"That's part of the beauty of it," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. "You talk about is there any advantage of having experience, and guys who have been here before and been able to play in different settings, maybe not necessarily in Wrigley but they've been in a lot of other cities where it's a lot of excitement. Part of it is the experience of understanding as much as it's built up, we go play the game."

The Cardinals might be a bit robotic in their approach, but Matheny said they enjoy the October environment.

"We don't deny that this stuff is special," Matheny said. "We don't deny that not everybody gets to play on this stage, so don't be afraid to look around and take advantage of the atmosphere and take advantage of how unique this is.

"But when it comes down to it, it's baseball. And when it comes down to it, our best chance to be successful isn't to try and be superhuman. It's to go out and do exactly what we've been doing all season long."

Bryant, Rizzo silent:

In the first two games of the NLDS, Cubs sluggers Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo are a combined 0-for-14 with 5 strikeouts.

"We go hitter to hitter," manager Mike Matheny said. "Guys have been executing pitches and sometimes you make mistakes and guys jump all over them. Sometimes players are off just a little when you do make a mistakes and you get away with it. (Bryant and Rizzo) are a couple good hitters, and we know that they're going to get theirs if we make too many mistakes. So far guys have made good pitches against them."

Game 4 starter:

Much like the Cubs, the Cardinals aren't tipping their hand about Tuesday's Game 4 starter at Wrigley Field.

The options appear to be bringing back Game 1 starter John Lackey on short rest, going with Lance Lynn, who pitched 1 inning of relief in Game 2, or letting Adam Wainwright pitch a few innings and match up after that.

"We're just going to look at everybody," Mike Matheny said. "We don't have to make that decision right now and we have all of our options open without hemming ourselves in right now."

• Follow Scot's reports throughout the playoffs @scotgregor.

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