Cubs-Cardinals: 3 things to know for Game 2 of the NLDS

Friday night, two Central Division behemoths squared off at Busch Stadium in St. Louis in Game 1 of the National League Division Series.

The St. Louis Cardinals, backed by 7 1/3 innings of two-hit ball from John Lackey, shut out the Chicago Cubs on their way to a 4-0 win.

Though the Cubs' young rookie hitters were in the spotlight, it was Cardinals youngsters Tommy Pham and Stephen Piscotty who homered, accounting for three of St. Louis' runs.

The series continues Saturday when right-hander Kyle Hendricks takes the hill for the Cubs. The Cardinals will counter with southpaw Jaime Garcia.

Here are three things to know for Game 2 of the NLDS:

RUNS AT A PREMIUM

Runs are going to be hard to come by in the postseason as pitchers really dial it in, and if Game 1 was any indication, the Cubs may need to manufacture some runs rather than wait for a long ball from Kyle Schwarber, Kris Bryant, or Anthony Rizzo.

Game 2 starter Garcia's 2.43 ERA in the regular season was the lowest of his career, so Chicago will be in tough.

Manager Joe Maddon might have to think back to his small-ball days working the bench with the Los Angeles Angels or his managerial reign with the Tampa Bay Rays and re-enact some of that magic to get the Cubs back into the series.

CARDINALS' MYSTERY MAN

Who's it going to be? You never know with the Cardinals.

Did anyone really expect Lackey, Piscotty, and Pham to be the difference-makers in Game 1?

That's just who the Cardinals are.

From David Freese's clutch hits in the 2011 World Series to Matt Adams' bomb off Clayton Kershaw last postseason, someone you'd least expect steps up for St. Louis when the game is on the line.

In Game 2, will a new mystery man earn the spotlight? Here's looking at Randal Grichuk, Mark Reynolds, and Kolten Wong.

KRIS BRYANT'S SLUMP

Just when it matters most, Cubs phenom Kris Bryant is in the midst of a terrible slump. He's gone 3 for his last 30 with no extra-base hits and hasn't recorded an RBI since Sept. 27.

Bryant set rookie franchise records for home runs and RBIs, and his big bat was responsible for 15 percent of the Cubs' home runs and RBIs in the regular season.

The 23-year-old has never faced Garcia, and he's had more success and pop against right-handers: he's batted .284/.376/.499 against them, and .246/.345/.452 against southpaws. If his slump continues against the left-hander, that's bad news for the Cubs' offense.