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Adam Wainwright to start for St. Louis Cardinals in National League Wild Card game

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright, shown Sept. 8, has a 17-7 record and 3.05 ERA this season. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright, shown Sept. 8, has a 17-7 record and 3.05 ERA this season. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo

Sept. 30 (UPI) -- St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt named veteran right-hander Adam Wainwright as the starter in next week's National League Wild Card game against either the Los Angeles Dodgers or San Francisco Giants.

Wainwright has a 17-7 record and 3.05 ERA across 206 1/3 innings this season. He has won 10 of his last 11 decisions, with 11 quality starts during that stretch.

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"He gets better as the game goes. He goes deep in games," Shildt told reporters before the Cardinals' 4-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday. "He's a big-time pitcher."

The 40-year-old Wainwright has made 28 postseason appearances throughout his MLB career, including earning the save in the Cardinals' World Series-clinching win against the Detroit Tigers in 2006.

Wainwright has posted a 3-5 record in 11 playoff starts, and Shildt said the three-time All-Star selection will have backup if needed for his start Wednesday.

"Everybody will be ready to go for Wednesday," Shildt said. "We have two full days off, so it will be all hands on deck."

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Wainwright will be just the second player aged 40 or older to start a winner-take-all postseason game, joining Roger Clemens, who did so in the 2003 American League Championship Series and the 2004 NLCS.

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