(My Sportsbook) - National League Cy Young Award candidate Adam Wainwright tries to even the National League Division Series at a game apiece this evening when the St. Louis Cardinals continue the best-of-five set against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.

Wainwright led the National League with 19 wins, while pitching to a 2.63 earned run average.

The 28-year-old eighty also finished the season strong, winning seven of his final eight decisions, surrendering three earned runs or less in all but one his starts from June 26 on.

Wainwright is 2-2 lifetime against the Dodgers, but is 1-0 against them this year with a 1.20 ERA in two starts.

Los Angeles, meanwhile, will rely on 21-year-old southpaw Clayton Kershaw, who was magnificent in his last start for the Dodgers, but is still winless in his last 11 starts.

However, he has given up more than three runs just once since May 12.

"I'll probably be nervous for sure," said Kershaw, who was 8-8 this season with a 2.79 ERA. "I'm nervous every time I pitch. I think its how you handle the nerves, how you channel it, how you can use it to your advantage sometimes."

Run support has been the biggest issue for Kershaw, as the Dodgers have supplied him with just 1.54 runs-per-start in his last 11 outings, including one total run in his four starts since the beginning of September.

Kershaw has faced the Cardinals four times and is 1-0 against them with 1.82 ERA.

Los Angeles drew first blood in this series on Wednesday, as Matt Kemp belted a two-run homer and the Dodgers received a yeoman effort from the bullpen, helping them to a 5-3 win at Chavez Ravine.

Rafael Furcal collected three hits, including a triple, and knocked in a run for the Dodgers, who are back in the postseason for the third time in the last four years.

Randy Wolf, making his first career postseason appearance, gave up two runs on six hits and walked five in 3 2/3 innings. Jeff Weaver (1-0) recorded the final out in the fourth and worked around a two-out double by Colby Rasmus in the fifth to get the win.

Ronald Belisario hurled a spotless inning for Los Angeles and Hong-Chih Kuo struck out pinch-hitter Troy Glaus to strand a pair of runners in the seventh. George Sherrill, a mid-season acquisition, retired two of the three batters he faced in the eighth before he was replaced by closer Jonathan Broxton, who earned a four-out save.

Mark DeRosa went 3-for-5 with an RBI for the NL Central champion Cardinals, who have dropped nine of their last 11 games dating back to the regular season.

Chris Carpenter (0-1), the NL Comeback Player of the Year, looked like anything but a Cy Young contender for St. Louis, surrendering four runs on nine hits and walking four in five innings of work.

"Chris' command at times was not as sharp as it usually is," said St. Louis manager Tony La Russa. "It's a credit to their hitters and you have to tip your cap to them. We had a bunch of hits, we just got beat by someone who was better."

The clubs established a postseason record by stranding a combined 30 men on base -- 16 for Los Angeles -- in a nine-inning game.

St. Louis won the season series between these teams, 5-2.