The Los Angeles Dodgers saved themselves from the brink of elimination when they beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-4, at Dodger Stadium. Adrian Gonzales had two home runs and two others had one each, tying a team post-record set in 1977. Starting pitcher Zack Greinke had an excellent performance, pitching strong for seven innings.

With the Dodgers' bats suddenly catching fire, it became clear that the reports of the Dodgers' demise have been greatly exaggerated. But are they, really?

Despite the 6-4 win, St. Louis still managed to pull four runs, fighting back in the third and ninth innings. When they face off on Saturday morning (Australia time) back at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Clayton Kershaw must conjure up a performance better than his two-hit stint in Game Two. The Dodgers must also keep up their hot streak at the bat, something that has not happened in successive games in the 2013 NLCS. Hanley Ramirez is still not a sure-shot to suit up as a result of a rib injury he suffered in Game One.

The Cardinals need a stellar performance from Michael Wacha who was the winning pitcher in Game Two despite giving up five hits. If the Dodgers come out of the locker room inspired, Wacha could be in for a long afternoon on the mound. Matt Holliday and Carlos Beltran must also come up strong, especially the latter, who has been silent since Game One.

One more factor that could determine the result of Game 6 is the fact that the Cardinals are playing at home. During the regular season, the Cardinals had a 54-27 home record compared to a 43-38 away card. The Cardinals also draw an average crowd of 41,602 per home game, ranking second in Major League baseball.

Game Six could very well send the Cardinals back into the World Series for the second time in three years. In contrast, the Dodgers have not won the National League pennant since 1988 when they went on to win the World Series.

Watch the game LIVE here (10/19/2013 06:37 AEDT): LINK 1 LINK 2 LINK 3