Pirates name Cole over Burnett for Game 5

John Perrotto | Special for USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Pirates will go with youth over experience in Game 5 of their National League Division Series.

Rookie Gerrit Cole will make the start Wednesday when the Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals in the finale of the best-of-five series at Busch Stadium.

Manager Clint Hurdle said after the Pirates' 2-1 loss to the Cardinals on Monday in Game 4 at PNC Park that he decided to go with Cole even though it is 36-year-old A.J. Burnett's turn to pitch.

Cole allowed only one run and two hits in six innings in winning Game 2 at St. Louis. In Game 1, Burnett was tagged for seven runs in two-plus innings, raising his ERA at this version of Busch Stadium to 15.50 in five career starts.

"We have one game to win," Hurdle said. "As challenged the guys to do, we need to do the best we can to win that next game. I believe that matchup is the best we can do to beat the Cardinals in Game 5."

St. Louis will start left-hander Adam Wainwright, who led the NL in wins while going 19-9 with 2.94 ERA in 34 regular season starts. He limited the Pirates to one run and three hits in seven innings in Game 1.

Burnett has generally been considered the ace of the Pirates' rotation in the two seasons since he was acquired from the New York Yankees in a trade. He won 16 games last season then went 10-11 this year with a fine 3.30 ERA in 30 starts.

Hurdle admitted it was tough breaking the news to Burnett.

"It's a difficult decision because he has meant so much, we've asked so much of him while he's been here," Hurdle said. "It has been a very challenging park for him. If this was any other venue, he would have gotten the ball. But for me, in this venue in this game, Cole is going to be our guy."