The Pittsburgh Pirates play the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday in Game 5 of their NL division series.  The game starts at 8:07 p.m. ET.  Listen to the live radio broadcast HERE.

After dropping two straight, St. Louis came back on Monday to force a fifth game against Pittsburgh.  The Cardinals are relying on starting pitcher Adam Wainwright (19-9, 2.94 ERA) to help push the team to the NL championship.  Now two seasons removed from his reconstructive elbow surgery, Wainwright feels more confident than last year's inconsistent postseason performance.

"This year I have all the confidence in the world in my stuff," said Wainwright, via ESPN.  "It's a completely different situation."

Wainwright admitted that experience has taught him the "urgency of each pitch," according to ESPN.

"Going out there and getting a guy out one time like it's going to be the last time you ever face him, that mentality I took into starting," he said.  "I have to give it everything I've got every pitch until they take the ball from me."

For Pittsburgh, the team is starting rookie pitcher Gerrit Cole (10-7, 3.22).  Cole impressed during his postseason debut in Game 2, where he retired 11 straight hitters.  In his first postseason, Cole is relishing the opportunity to help his team reach the NL championship.

"This is obviously an exciting time, a high-pressure situation, and you know, this is what you prepare for all year," said Cole.  "Yeah, it's extremely exciting, and I can't wait."

Still, Cole isn't letting the moment get too big to seize.

"So it's just going to come down to executing a handful of pitches," Cole said, "being able to hit the spot or execute the pitch when I need to."

The winner on Wednesday will meet the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL championship series.