"Zack Greinke has no problems telling his teammates how good he is.

On Sunday, he'll get a chance to prove it to them on the biggest stage he's experienced to date.

Handed the baseball by manager Ron Roenicke for Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, the Milwaukee Brewers' prized off-season acquisition will be charged with the task of shutting down the wild-card St. Louis Cardinals at Miller Park.

The challenge will be large.

St. Louis comes in not only playing great baseball, having already ousted the NL-favorite Philadelphia Phillies from the playoffs on Friday night, but also sufficiently motivated by the Brewers' NL Central Division title and Greinke's comments Saturday about the team not liking Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter.

Still, catcher Jonathan Lucroy, who has probably spent more time with Greinke this season than anyone else on the team, believes the right-hander will be more than ready to go when the lights come on.

"I think he lives for it," Lucroy said. "He's a big-game pitcher.""