The St. Louis Cardinals appear to have settled on Joe Kelly to be their starting pitcher for Game 3 of the team's Divisional Series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
NLDS 2013: Joe Kelly to start Game 3 vs. Pirates
That sets up a rotation of Wainwright-Lynn-Kelly through the first three games for the Cardinals, with either Michael Wacha or Shelby Miller taking the fourth spot.
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St. Louis will have both Shelby Miller and Michael Wacha available in the bullpen for Game 1, when Adam Wainwright gets the start. The Cardinals have said they will go with a four-man rotation, meaning either one of those two could start Game Four, if needed. Lance Lynn is expected to take the mound in Game 2.
Kelly, 25, began the season pitching out of the Cardinals’ bullpen, making just one spot start through June and posting a 3.86 ERA. He entered the starting rotation beginning in July and finished the year having made a total of 15 starts. After joining the rotation, Kelly earned a 2.18 ERA while holding hitters to just a 659 OPS.
Though the Cardinals refrained from announcing who would start a potential Game 4, Miller seems like the safe bet. He has been in the rotation all year for St. Louis and is a top candidate to earn Rookie of the Year honors after a magnificent season.
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