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For a team that made the playoffs on the last day of the regular season, the Toronto Blue Jays are on a roll.

The power bats of Edwin Encarnacion, Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista and Troy Tulowitzki may be the most notable factors in the Blue Jays’ postseason surge, but there is a lot more to manager John Gibbons’ team that could lead to yet another victory over the Cleveland Indians in the American League Championship Series.

The Indians may have been even more impressive than the Jays, as they disposed of the American League East champion Boston Red Sox in a three-game sweep. Cleveland’s depleted starting pitching staff shut down the booming bats of the Red Sox.

The first game of the American League Championship Series at Cleveland Friday night figures to be a taut pitcher’s duel between Toronto’s Marco Estrada and Cleveland strikeout machine Corey Kluber.

Kluber was 18-9 with a 3.14 earned run average while striking out 227 batters in 215.0 innings this season. He also had an excellent 1.056 WHIP.

Estrada was 9-9 with a 3.48 ERA, and those numbers don’t compare with Kluber. However, Estrada had a 1.119 WHIP, and that indicates he should be up to the task of starting the series opener for the Jays.

The key for Cleveland is that there should be less pressure on Kluber (and subsequent starters) because of the Indians’ superior bullpen.

Andrew Miller may not throw quite as hard as Aroldis Chapman of the Chicago Cubs, but he may be a more effective pitcher. Manager Terry Francona can use him at any time from the fifth inning on for up to 40 pitches. 

Miller was 4-0 with the Indians after coming over from the New York Yankees in a trade. Miller had a 1.55 ERA in 26 appearances, with a sensational 0.552 WHIP.

Even though Miller is Cleveland’s best pitcher out of the bullpen, Francona uses Cody Allen (32 saves) to close out most games and get the save. That gives the manager the opportunity to use Miller in the most dangerous situations.

Game 1 also features two of MLB’s best shortstops.

Tulowitzki‘s all-around play may be the key for the Blue Jays. He’s a big man (6’3″, 205 lbs) who hit 24 home runs and knocked in 79 runs this season, but it’s his athleticism at shortstop that often separates him from the competition.

“He brought a different element of poise and calmness to our club,” right fielder Bautista told Richard Justice of MLB.com. “Most of us are the excited, fiery type player that plays with a lot of emotion and experiences a lot of ups and downs. He’s kind of the guy that stays even. It’s great to have him in the dugout and clubhouse.”

The Indians have their own stud at shortstop in 22-year-old Francisco Lindor. His home run in Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Red Sox lit a fuse in the Cleveland dugout and lifted the confidence of the Progressive Field crowd.

Lindor had a .301/.358/.435 slash line in 2016 while hitting 15 home runs and driving in 78 runs. He also stole 19 bases in 24 attempts, but it is his defense that sets him apart.

“It’s just how smooth and under control he is in a lot of aspects of his game that’s so impressive,” second baseman Jason Kipnis told Justice. “He just glides. He’s a very quick learner, and the moment doesn’t get too big for him. He has a right way of approaching the game.”

Keys for Toronto to win Game 1 

The Blue Jays need to get their power bats going against Kluber. That won’t be easy, but with sluggers like Encarnacion, Donaldson, Bautista and Tulowitzki in the lineup, the big names must produce.

Additionally, Estrada must come through with a strong starting effort. Gibbons probably needs six full innings from him before he can go to his bullpen with any comfort.

Keys for Cleveland to win Game 1 

Kluber is a dominating starting pitcher, and he must pitch like one as the Indians open the series at home. He needs to show he can shut down Toronto’s big bats the same way he did against Boston.

The Indians are not the slugging team that the Blue Jays are, but they showed they could deliver clutch hits in the Boston series. They need sluggers Carlos Santana and Mike Napoli to deliver key hits, and they also need production from Lindor, Jose Ramirez and Tyler Naquin.

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The Chicago Cubs have been waiting for nearly a full year to get back to the National League Championship Series.

Last year, that exercise did not go well for Joe Maddon’s team, as they were swept in four games by the Mets and denied the opportunity to go to their first World Series since 1945.

Of course, it has been much longer than that since Chicago’s National League representative won the World Series. The 108-year wait for the Cubs has been tortured for many generations of fans, and they have good reason to believe that this is the year they can get to the World Series with an excellent chance of winning it.

By beating the San Francisco Giants in four games in the National League Division Series, the Cubs preserved their starting pitching rotation. They will be able to start left-handed ace Jon Lester in the opener and follow with Cy Young candidate Kyle Hendricks if Maddon chooses to go in that direction.

The Los Angeles Dodgers will fly into Chicago on a tremendous high themselves. They edged the Washington Nationals 4-3 in Game 5 of their NLDS, and that allowed them to advance to the National League Championship Series.

The Dodgers got gutsy relief performances from Kenley Jansen and Clayton Kershaw, and that allowed Los Angeles to survive and advance.

The Cubs are favorites to represent the National League in the World Series. According to Odds Shark, the Cubs range from prohibitive minus-310 to to minus-160 favorites to win the NLCS. The Dodgers range from plus-450 to plus-530 underdogs to win the National League pennant.

Chicago was a dominating team during the regular season, winning the National League Central Division by 17 ½ games over the St. Louis Cardinals, and they were a remarkable 57-24 at Wrigley Field. That’s another problem for the Nationals, because the seventh game would be played in Chicago if the series goes that long.

The confidence in the Cubs’ well-appointed locker room is peaking. “This is exactly where I envisioned our team being when I was deciding who to sign with,’’ Cubs infielder-outfielder Ben Zobrist told Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times. “My ultimate goal here is to win a championship. And that’s what everybody’s is. We’re close to that.’’

Prediction

The Cubs were the best team in baseball during the regular season by winning 103 games, and then they faced a tough test in the NLDS against the San Francisco Giants.

After losing Game 3 that allowed the Giants to get back in the series, the Cubs trailed in Game 4 until the ninth inning. That’s when they rallied for four runs to take the lead. They secured the victory in the game and the series when Aroldis Chapman struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth.

That showed the mettle the team has, and as Zobrist pointed out, the team is confident and ready to play. The Dodgers are a fine team that might have a good chance of advancing most years. However, this Cubs team is one for the ages.

Chicago wins the series in five games.

For tickets information, go to ScoreBig.com.

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After blowing a three-run lead in the seventh inning, the Dodgers got an RBI single from Chase Utley in the bottom of the eight inning to retake the lead and send the series back to Washington for a decisive fifth game.

Utley’s single drove home Andrew Toles gave the Dodgers a 6-5 lead. Manager Dave Roberts summoned closer Kenley Jansen from the bullpen in the ninth and he retired the Nationals in order as the Dodgers to preserve the one-run victory.

The series is tied at 2-2, with each team winning a home and a road game. The fifth game will be played in Washington Thursday.

The Dodgers held a 5-2 lead with Clayton Kershaw pitching in the seventh inning, and with a runner on first and two outs, Washington’s Trea Turner lined an infield single that kept the inning alive. Roberts left Kershaw in the game to face Bryce Harper, and he walked the 2015 MVP on a 3-2 pitch. 

Roberts pulled Kershaw at that point, and Jayson Werth was hit by a pitch to drive in one run and Daniel Murphy followed with a game-tying two-run single.

Joe Blanton came on to put out the fire for the Dodgers, and one inning later, Utley got his game-winning hit.

Max Scherzer will be the fifth-game starter for the Nats, while it appears that Rich Hill or Julio Urias will get the ball for the Dodgers.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers will be fighting for their lives when they take the field at Dodger Stadium Tuesday afternoon.

After winning Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Washington Nationals, they have dropped the last two and must come up with wins in Games 4 and 5 if they are going to advance to the National League Championship Series.

The Nats rode the power bats of Anthony Rendon and Jayson Werth to record an 8-3 victory in Game 3 in Los Angeles Monday. Rendon hit a two-run home run in the third inning off Dodgers starter Kenta Maeda, while Werth crushed a 450-foot homer off Los Angeles closer Kenley Jansen in the ninth inning.

The Dodgers will either go with Clayton Kershaw or Julio Urias on the mound in this potential elimination game, but the team had not made an official announcement as of Tuesday morning.

Kershaw pitched five innings Friday and was credited with the win in the series opener, but he did not control or dominate the Washington hitters.

Urias is well-rested and quite talented, but he would be getting the start in an elimination game, and it seems likely that manager Dave Roberts will want to go with his best pitcher in such an important game instead of a 20-year-old, relatively untested pitcher.

However, Kershaw spent more than two months on the disabled list this year with a lower-back injury, so the Dodgers may not want to push him on short rest.

“With an elimination game, we still have to win two games,” Roberts said after the loss, per Doug Padilla of ESPN.com. “So the thought of having Julio pitch at home, versus the road is something we’re thinking through, and what gives us the best chance to win two games. And obviously, yeah, you have to win [Tuesday] to win on Thursday.”

The Nationals have not announced their starter, either. It is possible that they could go with Joe Ross (7-5, 3.43 ERA) and save Max Scherzer (20-7, 2.96 ERA) for Game 5—if that scenario is required.

Tuesday’s game will be played at 5:05 p.m. ET and will be televised by Fox Sports 1.

Both the Nationals and Dodgers are still considered underdogs to win the World Series, according to Odds Shark. The Dodgers are +1200 (bet $100 to win $1,200) to be crowned world champions, while the Nationals are +700.

Prediction 

There are many variables since neither side has announced its starting pitcher. However, the Dodgers need to win to stay alive, and they will be the more desperate team.

It would take a lot for Roberts not to go with his ace, and the feeling is that Kershaw will get the ball. Kershaw has struggled throughout his postseason career and is not at his best right now, so it may not be the proper time to expect a remarkable effort from him.

That may be the key. While some may see Kershaw as vulnerable, this will be the time that he comes through with a postseason gem. The Dodgers win Game 4 and square the series.

Chicago at San Francisco, Chicago leads series 2-1

It took 13 innings for the San Francisco Giants to get their first victory of the series against the Chicago Cubs, and by winning the third game, manager Bruce Bochy’s team is back in the NLDS.

The Giants rallied for three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to take a 5-3 lead into the ninth as a result of a two-run triple by Conor Gillaspie and an RBI single by Brandon Crawford off flame-throwing closer Aroldis Chapman.

With the Giants poised to win, NL MVP candidate Kris Bryant hit a game-tying, two-run homer in the top of the ninth to tie the score at 5-5.

The two teams remained locked up until the bottom of the 13th, when Joe Panik doubled home Crawford with the winning run. The Cubs lead the best-of-five series by a 2-1 margin.

“Just because we’re down, we’re not out,” Panik said after the game, per Janie McCauley of the Associated Press (h/t CBSSports.com). “If we’re breathing, we’re still fighting.”

The Cubs will send John Lackey to the mound Tuesday night at 8:40 p.m. ET against Matt Moore. The game will be televised by Fox Sports 1.

The Cubs remain favored to win the World Series with odds of +210. Chicago is looking for its first World Series title since 1908. The Giants are +1600 underdogs to win the World Series, and they have won three championships since 2010.

Prediction 

The Giants succeeded in putting the heat on the Cubs by winning a game in this series in front of their rabid fans.

However, the Cubs won 103 games in the regular season because they were the best team in baseball, and they will have a strong pitcher on the mound in Lackey.

He was 11-8 with a 3.35 ERA this season along with a 1.057 WHIP. Additionally, Lackey has been a part of two World Series-winning teams (2002 Anaheim Angels and 2013 Boston Red Sox), and he should be able to pitch effectively in a closeout game on the road.

Moore was 6-5 this season with a 4.08 ERA and 1.332 WHIP in 12 starts for the Giants. It may be much harder for him to limit Chicago’s offense.

Look for the Cubs to pull away in this game and earn the series victory.

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There was maximum tension in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Boston Red Sox twice stayed alive with two outs and two strikes, but they could not push the tying run home, and the Cleveland Indians emerged with a 4-3 victory to sweep their American League Division Series.

Travis Shaw popped out to right field on a 3-2 pitch with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, and Lonnie Chisenhall settled under the ball to seal the Indians’ victory.

Cleveland swept the series in three games, winning the first two at Progressive Field before securing the final contest at Fenway Park.

Indians manager Terry Francona beat the team he led to World Series titles in 2004 and 2007 before he was fired after the 2011 season.

Josh Tomlin earned the win for Cleveland, while Clay Buchholz took the loss.

Former Red Sox Coco Crisp hit a two-run homer, and that hit proved decisive.

The Indians will face the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series.

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It’s now or never for the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers.

Both teams are down 0-2 in their respective playoff series against the Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays, and they must come up with wins Sunday if they are to remain alive in the postseason.

While the Red Sox are at least back at Fenway Park for Game 3 (and Game 4, if necessary), the Rangers are on the road at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

Texas at Toronto, 7:38 p.m. ET, Toronto leads 2-0

That’s clearly a difficult task for the Rangers, but it’s one that is not impossible to overcome. Just one year ago, these same two teams met in the ALDS, and the Rangers took a 2-0 lead by winning the first two games in Toronto. The Blue Jays went on the road for Games 3 and 4 and won both of those games before returning home for Game 5 and winning that as well.

If the Rangers are going to pay the Blue Jays back, it will start with getting a strong effort from starting pitcher Colby Lewis. The Rangers starters have been hit hard by Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Troy Tulowitzki, and that has allowed the Blue Jays to earn early leads and play with confidence.

Lewis, who was 6-5 with a 3.71 earned run average and a 1.126 WHIP, will need to be at his best to keep the Toronto bats in check. 

Aaron Sanchez will be on the mound for the Blue Jays, and he had a sensational 15-2 season with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.167 WHIP. Sanchez was at his best in the regular-season finale when he shut down the Red Sox at Fenway Park, and that helped the Blue Jays earn their spot in the playoffs.

In addition to getting a top effort from Lewis, the Rangers will need the big hitters in their lineup to pick up their production. Rougned Odor and Adrian Beltre are the keys to the Texas attack, as those two combined for 65 home runs this season. Neither player has hit a home run in the first two games of the series.

None of their teammates have hit a home run, either. That needs to change in Game 3.

Prediction: The Rangers should be at their best in this elimination game. Look for them to stay close throughout, but Sanchez can be a shutdown pitcher, and he should get the job done here. He will give the Blue Jays eight strong innings, and Toronto sweeps the series with a 2-1 victory.

Cleveland at Boston, 4:08 p.m. ET, Cleveland leads 2-0

Clay Buchholz will get the ball for the Red Sox on Sunday afternoon, and that’s quite a turnaround for a pitcher who was dropped from the rotation earlier this year.

However, when he got his second chance from manager John Farrell, Buchholz did a much better job in the final weeks of the season. Buchholz made a mechanical change to his delivery, as he decided to pitch from the stretch throughout the game.

After eliminating his windup, Buchholz became a much more effective pitcher. He was 3-0 in his final four starts with a 3.14 ERA and a 1.151 WHIP. Those numbers represent a significant improvement over his season-long numbers that included an 8-10 record with a 4.78 ERA.

Boston starters Rick Porcello and David Price were hit hard in Games 1 and 2, and the Red Sox need Buchholz to give them six solid innings.

They also need their hitters to pick it up after a disappointing performance in Cleveland. Dustin Pedroia, Mookie Betts, David Ortiz, Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley Jr. need to start hitting the ball well if the Red Sox are going to resemble the team that led the American League with 878 runs scored.

The Indians were the beneficiaries of clutch hitting and excellent pitching performances by reliever Andrew Miller in Game 1 and starter Corey Kluber in Game 2. They are sending Josh Tomlin to the mound at Fenway Park, and if manager Terry Francona can get five or six innings from him before turning the game over to the Indians bullpen, he should be happy.

Cleveland will look to sluggers Mike Napoli and Carlos Santana for offensive production. Both players hit 34 home runs this season and are capable of big games in Boston.

Prediction: The Indians will not fade away on the road, and they will get at least three runs off of Buchholz. However, the Red Sox offense will come alive, and they will hit Tomlin and the Cleveland pitching staff hard. The Red Sox get back in the series with an 8-4 victory.

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Dropped from the pitching rotation in July, Clay Buchholz holds the key to the Boston Red Sox postseason in his right arm.

Buchholz will take the mound in Game 3 Sunday afternoon at Fenway Park as the Red Sox try to stay alive in their American League Division Series against the Cleveland Indians.

After dropping the first two games of the series at Progressive Field, the heavily favored Red Sox have put themselves in a position where they must win two games at Fenway Park to force a return trip to Cleveland if they are going to survive and advance in the postseason.

The Texas Rangers are in an even more precarious position. They also dropped the first two games of their series with the Toronto Blue Jays, but the Rangers dropped both of those games at home. They have to go to the Rogers Centre in Toronto and win two before they can return to Arlington, Texas, for a potential fifth game of the series.

Cleveland at Boston; Cleveland leads 2-0

The Red Sox need Buchholz to pitch with the same kind of confidence he showed in his most recent starts. Buchholz had a largely forgettable season, as he was 8-10 with a 4.78 earned run average and a 1.328 WHIP.

Buchholz had a hard time keeping the ball in the ballpark, and he was hit hard for much of the year. However, a tip from batting coach Chili Davis helped him turn things around later in the year. 

Davis let Buchholz know that he was much tougher to read when he was pitching from the stretch. It was harder to pick up the ball, and it wasn’t as easy to read his pitches.

Buchholz took Davis’ advice and started pitching exclusively from the stretch. While it did not turn him into a dominating flamethrower, Buchholz is 3-0 in the last 28 days, and his ERA is 3.14 with a WHIP of 1.151.

In years past, Buchholz was one of the Red Sox aces, but injuries regularly kept him from dominating for a full season. That was not the case this season, when he was hit hard for the majority of the year but has remained healthy.

If Buchholz has truly gotten his act together, he can help steady the Red Sox’s starting pitching, which was a major disappointment in the two games in Cleveland.

Boston’s hitters must also come through the way they did throughout the majority of the season. Boston scored a league-high 878 runs this season, but Dustin Pedroia, Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley Jr. did not swing the bat well in Cleveland.

It seems more likely that they will find their batting strokes at home.

The Indians don’t want to change a thing after winning the first two games of the series at home. Cleveland got clutch hitting in both games, and manager Terry Francona used his bullpen in spectacular fashion in Game 1 and got a brilliant start from Corey Kluber in Game 2.

Another bullpen game is likely in Game 3, because starter Josh Tomlin seems quite hittable. Tomlin had a 13-9 record during the regular season, but his 4.40 ERA demonstrates he will give up a few runs. His 1.190 WHIP is quite respectable, but the Red Sox’s big bats should be ready to do some damage.

That’s where reliever Andrew Miller should come into play. He is a powerful left-hander with tremendous stuff and an ability to throw one of the nastiest sliders around. If the Indians stay in touch on the scoreboard or even have a lead, Miller could be a huge difference-maker.

The Indians also need Mike Napoli and Carlos Santana to deliver some big hits at Fenway. Napoli—a former Red Sox slugger—and Santana both hit 34 home runs this season.

Keys for a Cleveland victory: Stay close through the first few innings, get Miller in the game to shut down the big bats and get clutch hits from Napoli and Santana.

Keys for a Boston victory: Take advantage of the home field and get the bats going the way they were throughout the majority of the regular season. Buchholz also must give the Red Sox six strong innings and depart with the lead.

Texas at Toronto; Toronto leads 2-0

It would seem that the Texas Rangers are hanging on by a thread. Even though the Rangers had the best record in the American League and earned home-field advantage throughout the postseason, they lost the first two games of the American League Division Series at home.

The situation might seem hopeless, but there’s this little piece of history to consider: The Rangers and the Blue Jays met in last year’s ALDS, and the Rangers won the first two games at the Rogers Centre and took a 2-0 lead home. However, the Blue Jays bounced back with with two road wins of their own and then took the decisive game on their home field.

Can the Rangers pay the Blue Jays back? If they are going to do that, they are going to need pitcher Colby Lewis to have a standout game.

Lewis had a 6-5 record and a 3.71 ERA, and he is going to need to cool down the Blue Jays’ hot hitters. At the same time, the Rangers are going to have to shake their inconsistencies at the plate and find a way to get to Aaron Sanchez, who was 15-2 with a 3.00 ERA.

Sanchez was dominant for the Blue Jays Oct. 2 when Toronto clinched its playoff appearance with a win over the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Toronto jumped all over the Texas pitching in the first two games of the series, and it’s clear that the Rangers will need improved starting pitching to slow down hitters like Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Troy Tulowitzki.

At the same time, the Rangers need their big hitters like Rougned Odor, Adrian Beltre, Ian Desmond and Mitch Moreland to suddenly get hot.

A complete reversal of what happened at Globe Life Park is what the script requires. If it doesn’t, the Blue Jays should finish this series in three games.

Keys for a Texas victory: An excellent starting pitching effort from Lewis, with clutch hitting from big hitters like Odor and Beltre.

Keys for a Toronto victory: Stay hot with the bats and continue to get big hits with runners on base. If Sanchez can throw the same type of game he did against Boston last week, the Jays should be ready to advance to the ALCS.

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The Washington Nationals may be allergic to their own home stadium in the postseason.

It seems that way after they dropped the opening game of their National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Nats were on the wrong end of a 4-3 decision, as they were unable to push across the tying run after closing a four-run deficit to one run in the fourth inning.

In the other National League series, the Chicago Cubs are attempting to build off their series-opening 1-0 win over the San Francisco Giants as they send ace Kyle Hendricks to the mound against former Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija in Game 2.

The Nationals have a 1-4 record at home in three different postseason series since the franchise relocated from Montreal following the 2004 season. They have to find a way to reverse that in order to avoid going down 0-2 prior to playing Game 3 in Los Angeles.

How? They need to jump out to a lead in the first few innings so they don’t have to rally back against the powerful Los Angeles bullpen.

Kenley Jansen is one of the best closers in the game, and he is that unit’s headliner, but the Dodgers have the weapons in the pen to hold onto a lead at any point once they get past the five-inning mark.

That will require some productive at-bats from Bryce Harper, Jayson Werth and Daniel Murphy. The Nats did not get an RBI from any of those three players in Game 1, and that has to change in Game 2 and beyond.

The Dodgers received early home runs from rookie phenom Corey Seager and Justin Turner, and that gave Clayton Kershaw an early lead. Since the Dodgers were able to solve flamethrower Max Scherzer, they should be confident against Saturday’s starting pitcher, Tanner Roark.

Scherzer blamed himself for allowing those home runs. 

“It’s pitch execution,” he told Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. “I’m accountable for that, and I’ll shoulder that, and I’ll take the blame for that. I know I’m capable of executing pitches at a higher level, and I’ve got to do it.”

The Dodgers will have tricky left-hander Rich Hill on the mound, and while his pitches often look hittable, he can be difficult to decipher. 

Roark went 16-10 this season with a 2.83 ERA and a 1.171 WHIP. The 36-year-old Hill pitched 34.1 innings this season for the Dodgers after coming over from the Oakland A’s, and he had a 1.83 ERA and a 0.786 WHIP in that span.

Prediction: The Nationals need this game and have the steady Roark on the mound. However, they are pressing and won’t be able to do much against Hill. Look for the Dodgers to squeak out a 2-1 victory and take a 2-0 lead to Los Angeles.

San Francisco at Chicago

Javier Baez’s eighth-inning home run was enough to give Jon Lester and the Cubs a 1-0 victory over Johnny Cueto and the San Francisco Giants in the NLDS opener at Wrigley Field.

“That’s classic playoff baseball in the National League right there,” catcher David Ross told Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. “There was going to be good pitching; we knew that coming in. That’s a really good team.”

Look for more hitting from the Cubs in Game 2 against Samardzija, who does not have the same kind of command that Cueto or Madison Bumgarner has for the Giants.

Samardzija went 12-11 with a 3.81 ERA, but the Cubs should be able to solve him. Expect NL MVP candidate Kris Bryant and slugging first baseman Anthony Rizzo to join Baez by contributing on offense.

On the other hand, the Giants will not have an easy time against the overachieving Hendricks. He led baseball with a 2.13 ERA this season and features three different changeups that can be rough on hitters.

The Giants don’t have a home run-hitting lineup, as Brandon Belt led the team with 17 dingers. If they are going to rally, they will need to string hits together, but that doesn’t often happen against Hendricks.

Prediction: After facing Cueto in Game 1, the Cubs are going to find their hitting stroke against Samardzija. The former Cubs pitcher is unlikely to be as sharp as his counterpart, and the Cubs will take advantage of his mistakes.

Even if the wind is blowing the other way, the Cubs will find the seats and come away with a 5-3 victory and a 2-0 lead in the series.

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In a best-of-five series, teams that lose the first game find themselves on high alert.

There is little margin for error, and especially in the case of the Washington Nationals and San Francisco Giants, there is plenty of work to do.

Los Angeles at Washington, Game 2 (Los Angeles leads series 1-0)

Homestanding Washington dropped Game 1 of its National League Division Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers. While the contest was expected to be a razor-sharp pitcher’s duel between Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers and Max Scherzer of the Nationals, neither starter was on top of his game.

The Dodgers took a 4-0 lead in the third inning, but the Nats had closed to within 4-3 by the bottom of the fourth. That’s how the game ended, as the bullpens did not yield any runs.

The Los Angeles bullpen was one of the team’s greatest strengths all year. Dodgers relievers led the majors with a 3.35 ERA (Washington was second with a 3.37 ERA), and manager Dave Roberts used his relief pitchers in an MLB-high 590.2 innings.

Kenley Jansen is one of the best closers in the game, and he was called on with five outs to go in Game 1. While that was a departure from his usual three-out save, Jansen got the job done, allowing just one hit and striking out three.

During the regular season, Jansen recorded 47 saves in 53 chances, a 1.83 ERA and a remarkable 0.67 WHIP.

Los Angeles also has Joe Blanton, Grant Dayton and Pedro Baez, all of whom were superb in Game 1.

“Whatever we’ve got to do to win, right? Those guys are up to the challenge,” Dodgers rookie shortstop Corey Seager said, per the Associated Press’ Howard Fendrich. “And they’ve been up to it all year.”

Therein lies the key for the Dodgers: Get the lead by the fifth or sixth inning and turn the game over to the bullpen.

On the other hand, if the Nationals can take an early lead, that will remove quite a bit of the pressure that Dusty Baker’s team will have on its shoulders throughout Game 2.

Washington needs to have its big hitters come through. Bryce Harper, Jayson Werth and Daniel Murphy filled the second, third and fourth spots in the Nationals’ batting order Friday, but none of them drove in a run in Game 1.

That has to change if the Nationals are going to tie the series before the two teams head to Los Angeles.

Key for Los Angeles: Get a lead, and get the ball to the bullpen.

Key for Washington: Get run production from Harper, Werth and Murphy.

San Francisco at Chicago, Game 2 (Chicago leads series 1-0)

While the Nationals fell short on their home field in Game 1, the Chicago Cubs did not.

They won a tight, emotional pitcher’s duel 1-0 thanks to Javier Baez’s home run in the bottom of the eighth inning, which ruined a sensational effort by San Francisco starter Johnny Cueto.

“He’s been pitching me inside. I was just waiting for him to make a mistake, and he left it over the plate,” Baez said, per the Associated Press (via the Los Angeles Times).

Chicago starter Jon Lester earned the win, and fireballing closer Aroldis Chapman picked up the save.

Game 2 figures to feature more hitting—for one team, at least. Former Cub Jeff Samardzija will start for the Giants, while Cy Young Award candidate Kyle Hendricks will take the mound for the North Siders.

Samardzija was 12-11 this season with an unremarkable 3.81 ERA and 1.20 WHIP, and he gave up 8.4 hits and 1.1 home runs per nine innings. It would not be a surprise if Chicago—after facing the dominating stuff of Cueto in Game 1—got its offense going against “Shark.”

Look for Baez, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo to take good swings against Samardzija and put at least five runs on the board.

San Francisco, which ranked 28th in the majors with only 130 home runs during the regular season, may have a hard time against the sensational Hendricks. The right-hander had a 16-8 record with an MLB-best 2.13 ERA and 0.98 WHIP and features two different changeups. While his pitches—including an 87.8 mph fastball—often look hittable, opposing batters just can’t figure him out.

Hendricks may not be a hard thrower, but he still struck out 170 hitters in 190 innings this season.

The Giants need to play their best game to get a split at Wrigley Field. The lineup has to figure out Hendricks, and Samardzija and the bullpen must be on point.

Key for San Francisco: Play near-perfect baseball.

Key for Chicago: Hit Samardzija hard.

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FINAL SCORE UPDATE:   Indians 6, Red Sox 0 (Cleveland leads best-of-five, 2-0)

Corey Kluber had not pitched in 10 days, but there were no signs of rust as he silenced the Boston Red Sox vaunted attack and led his team to a 6-0 victory in the American League Division Series.

The Indians won both of their home games at Progressive Field, and they will go to Boston Sunday with a chance to close out the series.

Lonnie Chisenhall hammered a three-run homer off of David Price in the second inning and that gave Cleveland a 4-0 lead. The Red Sox were never able to solve Kluber, who pitched seven-plus innings and gave up three hits and three walks while striking out seven.

After Sandy Leon and Jackie Bradley Jr. reached in the seventh on a walk and a hit by pitch, relief pitchers Dan Otero and Bryan Shaw closed out the Red Sox in the final two innings. 

The key to Cleveland’s success was the ability to hold the Red Sox big hitters in check. Mookie Betts, David Ortiz and Hanley Ramirez combined for one hit in 11 at bats against the Indians’ pitching staff.

The two teams will meet in Game Three on Sunday afternoon at Fenway Park.

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