Kuzul

Everything from late-game heroics to surprise outcomes to controversy has come about in six combined games of the National League Divisional Series, leaving no shortage of storylines for Tuesday’s slate.

The two apparent underdogs are each one victory away from the NLCS, as the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets have both jumped out to a 2-1 lead on their respective opponents. The Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals are now tasked with winning a must-win game on the road in order to push it to the decisive Game 5.

The action starts in the mid-afternoon and stretches into the late night on Tuesday, so take a look below at everything to know.

Tuesday’s NLDS Schedule

Live streaming available on TBS.com.

Game 4: Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Mets

With the Mets-Dodgers series turning toward Citi Field for Game 3 on the heels of Chase Utley’s suspension and subsequent appeal that allows him to remain eligible to play—though he wasn’t in Monday’s lineup—until the appeal hearing (go figure), one could have expected a raucous environment in which the Mets would come out aggressive and guns blazing.

That’s exactly what they did. New York’s bats absolutely caught fire in a 13-7 win over L.A. in Game 3, pushing the team one victory away from the NLCS. And had it not allowed a late Dodgers comeback in Game 2, New York would already be there.

Mets batters are raking so far in the postseason, especially the lefties, as Mark Simon of ESPN noted:

That trend from the Mets lefties plays perfectly into Tuesday’s game, as they face Clayton Kershaw after his Game 1 defeat. All four hits Kershaw let up in the series opener were to left-handers, one of which was the go-ahead home run by Daniel Murphy.

Kershaw himself admitted “I felt a little more comfortable against the righties” after that game, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. That may be an understatement. 

While the Dodgers pitchers are getting carved up, the same can’t be said for the Mets, as John Buccigross of ESPN observed:

Just like in 2014, the Dodgers’ biggest strength—stout pitching—appears to be abandoning them with the season on the line. They’re facing another opportunistic lineup that takes advantage of the slightest mistake.

The X-factor all along to the Mets’ success has been the bats, and they’ve awoken when it matters most. Another big day from them will put the Big Apple in a frenzy and clinch their spot in the NLCS.

Prediction: Mets 7, Dodgers 5

Game 4: St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs

It’s almost surreal—OK, it is surreal—for any baseball fan younger than 100 years of age that two long-struggling organizations are making a magical surge to the NLCS at the same time.

Joining the Mets in that regard are the Chicago Cubs, a team that is at least a year or two ahead of schedule in competing at the top of the NL. An immensely young lineup is playing up to every bit of its potential.

That was on display in Game 3, as the Cubs got an uncharacteristic outing from ace Jake Arrieta and still won comfortably. The win came by way of six huge home runs, all of which the Cubs crammed into one tweet:

Chicago’s more than century-long World Series drought is mentioned often, and the team’s playoff success is certainly long overdue, but the Cubs are embarking on even more history entering Game 4. They can clinch a playoff series for the first time ever at Wrigley Field, as ESPN’s Kevin Negandhi observed:

The Cubs just seem to have the magic on their side this postseason, but they’re also going up against a club that’s no stranger to channeling that special extra gear. Practically all of the Cardinals’ deep postseason runs in recent history have come in clutch situations when it was easy to count them out.

Faced with a similar position Tuesday night, it’s hard to see the Cardinals quivering and laying down to their longtime NL Central rivals. This series has five games written all over it, and St. Louis will afford itself the opportunity to return to Busch Stadium.

Prediction: Cardinals 4, Cubs 2

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The table is far from set for a pair of league championship series, as the 2015 MLB postseason is producing a memorable divisional round that has every team fighting for their playoff lives.

Things were split across the board in the National League through two games, as the Chicago Cubs snagged Game 2 against St. Louis to even the series before the Los Angeles Dodgers mounted a late comeback over the New York Mets to knot their score up at one apiece. Things are a bit dicier in the American League entering a duo of pivotal Game 4 contests.

Here’s a glance at everything to know as we enter a brand-new week of playoff baseball.

MLB Playoff Schedule: Monday, Oct. 12

Odds courtesy of Odds Shark.

Game 3: St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs

A dominating Game 1 victory from the St. Louis Cardinals made it look like the first-ever playoff meeting between these two bitter rivals would go the way of the team with all the recent postseason success. 

Throw in a statement Game 2 by the Chicago Cubs, and we have ourselves a series entering a pivotal Game 3 at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs’ bats finally woke up in the second game of this NLDS series, as Jorge Soler cranked a two-run homer to set off a five-run second inning for Chicago. Dexter Fowler added two more hits while Starlin Castro did the same to lead Chicago to victory.

It wouldn’t have been possible without the bullpen, which shut down the Cardinals late, as ESPN Stats and Info observed:

The bullpen will be the least of St. Louis’ problems come Monday night, when ace pitcher Jake Arrieta gets the ball for the first time this series. He’s fresh off a dominating outing in the NL Wild Card Game that extended his blistering-hot end to the regular season.

Arrieta and the Cubs enter Monday’s contest confident, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today shared:

While the Pittsburgh Pirates’ bats couldn’t solve Arrieta the last time out, it might be jumping the gun to suggest the Cardinals will have the same issues. Their offense has proved opportunistic in the clutch for many postseasons in the past.

With that said, the Cubs couldn’t ask for a better guy to have on the mound Monday night to deal with those opportunistic Cardinals bats.

Game 4: Toronto Blue Jays at Texas Rangers

Just days ago, the Toronto Blue Jays looked like the runaway favorite in the American League to advance to the World Series. In the time since, they have had to mount a Game 3 victory on the road in Texas to keep their season alive.

The Blue Jays can only hope to keep the momentum up as they enter another must-win game Monday against the Rangers. It comes on the heels of a decisive 5-1 victory by Toronto in Game 3 that has made things interesting.

The Toronto offense that led the majors in runs by a wide margin finally woke up Sunday, and it could have a carryover effect, as the Blue Jays official Twitter account noted:

The Rangers offense was putting up numbers at a rate that left Toronto unable to contend early in the series, putting up 11 runs in the opening two games. They couldn’t deal with Marco Estrada’s stuff in Game 3, and will now turn to face R.A. Dickey in Game 4.

While Dickey has been a regular rotation member all season, the same can’t be said of Texas starter Derek Holland—who started just 10 games in 2015. His 4.91 ERA suggests that the Blue Jays’ bats could continue heating up Monday.

If they do, they’ll take a tied series back to Canada for the decisive Game 5.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

One road team has already snatched the early momentum in a pair of National League Division Series that look primed to go the distance entering Saturday’s Game 2 action.

The New York Mets are riding high after surprising Dodger Stadium and winning the series opener 3-1 over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jacob deGrom outdueled Clayton Kershaw in a true battle on the mound, but both teams have their own stud ace waiting in the wings for Game 2.

While they have tilted home-field advantage in their favor, the Chicago Cubs couldn’t do the same and face an early hole to St. Louis. Heading into Saturday’s slate, take a look below for all the relevant information.

Saturday, Oct. 10, NLDS Schedule and Odds

Odds courtesy of Odds Shark.

Game 2: New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers

It’s usually been up to Kershaw in his career to bail out his team, but now he’ll have to hope another pitcher can do the bailing out.

After Kershaw couldn’t come up with a series-opening victory, the onus falls on Zack Greinke in Game 2 at Dodger Stadium. If he doesn’t come up big and put together a masterful outing, L.A. is likely to be headed to New York in an 0-2 hole.

That much can’t really be expected of Greinke, however. He dazzled in a similar situation in last year’s NLDS, posting the Dodgers’ only strong point of that series against the Cardinals, and that has Daniel Brim of DodgersDigest.com holding out hope:

That being said, the Mets can’t be upset with their current position despite a 19-3 Greinke approaching the mound. They got a dazzling performance from deGrom in Game 1 and can turn toward Noah Syndergaard in Game 2.

The Mets are in solid territory to pull off the upset after Friday’s win, as Alan Hahn of ESPN Radio noted:

While there’s little doubt the Mets have the deeper stable of pitchers with deGrom, Syndergaard, Matt Harvey and Bartolo Colon, that won’t really matter Saturday. All that matters is that Greinke will be the best pitcher on the field.

New York’s bats were able to pounce on Kershaw‘s few mistakes in Game 1, but they can’t expect the same out of a red-hot Greinke in Game 2, as he’ll power the Dodgers to a low-scoring win.

Prediction: Dodgers 2, Mets 1

Game 2: Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals

The hype surrounding these Chicago Cubs is not quelled after they came crashing back down to earth in a Game 1 defeat—far from it. But that will all begin to change if the Cubs can’t steal the second in St. Louis on Saturday.

After an inspiring 4-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Wild Card Game, the Cubs had no match offensively for John Lackey. The Cardinals pitcher threw a two-hitter over seven innings, proving too much for Jon Lester to match.

With that in mind, the Cubs are far from discouraged after one loss, per Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago:

Jake Arrieta is still resting from his Wild Card Game gem, and Lester is out of the fold for now, so the Cubs turn toward Kyle Hendricks (8-7) in what feels like a must-win game. It’s encouraging for Chicago that Hendricks is in the midst of a 12-inning scoreless streak, striking out 25 with two walks in his last three starts.

But the game-changing aspect of this series isn’t on the mound. It’s in the lineup, where the Cardinals rookies are the ones generating runs and not the lauded youngsters of the Cubs. ESPN Stats & Info noted as much:

When it comes to October, the Cardinals have simply had the pedigree and the ability to go out and produce results. A first-ever postseason meeting with their bitter rivals hasn’t done anything to change that.

With Arrieta on the mound, you can pencil the Cubs in for a win. Without him, this doesn’t look like a team that can beat the NL’s best with so much on the line.

Prediction: Cardinals 5, Cubs 3

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The New York Mets grinded out a massive 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the National League Division Series, notching the club’s first playoff win since 2006 and seizing home-field advantage. 

Friday’s nightcap featured a classic pitchers’ duel between Clayton Kershaw and Jacob deGrom, and last year’s NL Rookie of the Year got the best of the reigning MVP and Cy Young winner. The Mets ace struck out 13 in a seemingly effortless seven innings of scoreless work, earning the win thanks to Daniel Murphy’s fourth-inning home run.

Veteran David Wright later padded the Mets’ lead on a two-out, bases-loaded single in the seventh that pushed the score to 3-0, giving deGrom even more cushion to throw a magnificent game, as ESPN Stats & Info noted:

The dominant outing from deGrom wasn’t the only stellar pitching going on, as Kershaw racked up 11 strikeouts of his own and allowed four hits in 6.2 innings. The combined strikeouts between the two starters nearly set an MLB record, as Fox Sports noted:

That being said, the result only continues a frustrating trend of playoff shortcomings for Kershaw. Not only did he see his postseason record worsen, but he lost to the Mets for the first time ever, as ESPN’s Darren Rovell noted:

Kershaw and the Dodgers head into Game 2 at Dodger Stadium, where fellow ace Zack Greinke will be on the hill looking to bail out his teammate. But that will have to come against another one of the Mets’ promising young pitchers in Noah Syndergaard.

With both teams’ front-line aces up Friday, though, neither offense could muster up much momentum in the early going.

Kershaw started out throwing a strikeout party, and deGrom simply chose to follow suit. The Dodgers ace tallied six strikeouts in his first three frames, while deGrom kept an even better pace with seven by the end of the third inning.

As Baseball Tonight noted, the strikeout meter got plenty of action early on:

With two opportunistic lineups, it seemed like only a matter of time until one of the pitchers would slip up enough to allow a game-changing hit. One would assume the 27-year-old second-year player—not the 27-year-old superstar—would eventually lose focus.

Instead, Kershaw laid one out for Daniel Murphy in the top of the fourth and the Mets second baseman jacked it out of the park. It might pain Mets fans to hear who the last player to homer in the postseason was, as Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal noted:

Even amid a bevy of early strikeouts, there was reason to believe a fateful swing from a Mets bat was in the cards. Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times thought so after seeing Kershaw miss his spots numerous times:

Beyond that one swing, Kershaw looked like he’d do enough to give the Dodgers offense a chance—mainly because the Dodgers kept threatening. They got into lengthy battles with deGrom and forced him into a couple of jams that blew his pitch count up to 121.

But in the seventh, that all changed. Kershaw walked two batters, allowed a deGrom sacrifice fly to put both runners in scoring position, walked another batter to load the bases and got the hook after 6.2 innings. Pedro Baez stepped in and immediately gave up Wright’s two-out, two-RBI single.

David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution couldn’t believe the switch:

After deGrom got out of the seventh, the onus was on the Mets bullpen to slam the door shut. It didn’t go so smoothly, as a double from Howie Kendrick followed by Adrian Gonzalez’s RBI single made it a 3-1 game in the eighth.

That brought in closer Jeurys Familia, who quelled all the buzz in the ballpark with the 50th save of his career—none bigger than this one. Needless to say, his teammates were ready to celebrate, as Mike Vorkunov of the New Jersey Star-Ledger noted:

There’s no doubt Friday night has been a long time coming for the Mets, who peaked at the right time during the season to carry that success over into October. Against a Dodgers team that’s fresh off last season’s playoff dud, it appeared a mental hangover was imminent.

The Dodgers have one more chance at home to shake that off, or a repeat of last year is one step closer to reality.

Post-Game Reaction

You couldn’t tell that Friday marked the first career playoff start for deGrom, who looked like a veteran with years of postseason experience. One pitcher that’s no stranger to seeing a big playoff performance is Kershaw, who tipped his hat to deGrom as Scott Miller of Bleacher Report noted:

On the heels of an instant-classic performance from deGrom, the question begs to be asked—how soon can the Mets get their star back on the mound? Considering his 121 pitches Friday, manager Terry Collins doesn’t see that happening anytime soon, per Adam Rubin of ESPN:

What’s Next

In a series that boasts arguably the best two pitching staffs from top to bottom in these playoffs, the pendulum could swing immediately. If it’s going to be in the Dodgers’ favor, they couldn’t have asked for a better option to help guide them than Greinke.

L.A.’s hopes rest on Greinke’s 1.66 ERA and Cy Young-caliber season as the Dodgers turn right around for a Saturday night home tilt. If he can’t out-duel Syndergaard the way that deGrom out-dueled Kershaw on Friday, the Dodgers will be staring at another disparaging NLDS exit.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The St. Louis Cardinals jumped out in front immediately against the Chicago Cubs and didn’t look back, taking a 4-0 victory in Game 1 of the National League Division Series at Busch Stadium. 

Back-to-back hits from Stephen Piscotty and Matt Holliday put the Cardinals on the board in the first, giving John Lackey the chance to find his command and shut down the Cubs bats. Lackey pitched a dazzling two-hit shutout in 7.1 innings of action.

Amid Lackey’s career-best playoff performance, he joined an exclusive list of pitchers who have blanked the Cubs in October, as ESPN Stats & Info observed:

Former teammate Jon Lester nearly matched Lackey’s dominance on the mound for the Cubs, going 7.1 innings himself and giving up just five hits with nine strikeouts. But the Chicago ace couldn’t keep it going in the eighth, conceding pinch hitter Thomas Pham’s solo home run.

When Piscotty followed that up two batters later by cranking a two-run home run off Chicago reliever Pedro Strop, it was no secret who the game-changing performers were, as Jim Bowden of ESPN noted:

All the talk regarding young players in this series—and this postseason, really—revolved around the Cubs’ Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber and Addison Russell. That trio combined to go 3-for-10, but Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted which rookies had the upper hand Friday:

Without Jake Arrieta and his shutdown stuff on the mound, the Cubs looked like a different team early on. The troubles began right away, as the top of the Cardinals order jumped on Lester and made things difficult for him.

Piscotty got things going with a double as the second batter of the game, and Holliday responded accordingly. He knocked Piscotty in with an RBI single, marking St. Louis’ first run since the turn of the month after being blanked in its season-ending series, per Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com:

Most importantly, it gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead that they never looked intent on relinquishing. Despite Lester shaking off his first inning to shut down the Cardinals through the middle of the game, the Cubs bats struggled to solve Lackey.

The Cardinals ace had his best stuff going, and it showed throughout the first half of the game. He retired the first 10 batters he faced and hadn’t given up a hit after five innings.

It marked Lackey’s longest no-hit bid of 2015, as ESPN Stats & Info observed:

It would be short-lived, though, as Russell opened the sixth with a single that led to plenty of gasps from the crowd. Once Russell was on base, the Cardinals had much bigger worries than a squashed no-hitter.

Lackey responded by retiring the next two batters, but Russell stole second and advanced to third in the process. Then, Cubs leadoff man Dexter Fowler nearly changed the entire game with a deep shot to right field.

It looked gone at first, but the ball failed to carry and Piscotty caught it at the warning track to calm the nerves of Cards fans, as David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune noted:

Plenty of others thought Fowler had given the Cubs the lead with that close call, including ESPN’s Mike Greenberg:

The jams didn’t end there for St. Louis and Lackey, who had to fight through a Schwarber bunt single in the seventh that eventually led to an inning-ending double play. That concluded Lackey’s night with a pearly seven-inning two-hitter.

For a pitcher with plenty of postseason experience with the Los Angeles Angels and Red Sox, it’s pretty remarkable that Friday produced arguably Lackey’s best playoff outing, per Goold:

With Lester dealing similarly well, the Cardinals didn’t have much of an opportunity to extend their lead. He retired a long stretch of batters in the middle innings, 12 straight from the bottom of the fourth until the eighth.

But the Cubs rode Lester’s arm just a bit too far. The Cardinals extended their lead to 2-0 when the pinch-hitting Pham cranked a solo shot. A switch to the bullpen didn’t end Chicago’s troubles, as Piscotty jacked a two-run home run two batters later.

The rookie duo joins a long list of Cardinals who had their coming-out party in the postseason, as Brett Edgerton of ESPN noted:

The playoffs couldn’t have started much better for the Cardinals, who had a chance to shake off their late-season offensive struggles and set the tone against their bitter division rival. Lackey afforded them that opportunity with a magnificent seven innings of action.

As for the Cubs, their bats suddenly going cold is not the sign Joe Maddon and Co. wanted to see. It gives Chicago just one run in its last 15 innings of play, cooling off after a hot start in the Wild Card Game in Pittsburgh. 

Post-Game Reaction

While the Cubs undoubtedly had their chances and simply couldn’t solve the Cardinals’ pitching, a plethora of Lackey’s success involved painting the outside of the strike zone. That had the Cubs batters often questioning the umpire’s calls, and it’s not surprising that the talking continued past the final out.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon summed up the thoughts of his team with more silence than wods, as Jesse Rogers of ESPN noted:

That being said, Lackey also deserves a lot of credit for having the command to plant most of his pitches right on the corners and get the Cubs bats to sit on eventual strikes, as Mark Tomasik of Retrosimba.com noted:

What’s Next

Chicago won’t be counted out before Arrieta starts Game 3, but the Cubs will have to make something happen without him if they want to avoid giving him the ball facing a 2-0 series deficit. Kyle Hendricks (8-7) gets the start for Game 2 on Saturday evening, matching up against the Cardinals’ Jaime Garcia (10-6).

If the Cubs aspire to make this a long series and return to Wrigley Field with any bit of momentum, they’ll have to flush this offensive performance from their minds and hit the reset button.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The 2015 MLB postseason got started on a high note with Tuesday’s wild-card showdown, which promises to set up an exhilarating October as the nine teams left vie for a World Series crown.

The most successful organization in baseball history was the first to go down in the playoffs, as the 27-time world champions suffered a tough home defeat. The New York Yankees fell, 3-0, to the Houston Astros to allow Houston a pass into the ALDS and send the Yankees home packing.

The Wild Card Round won’t be in the books until the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates clash Wednesday night, after which the divisional round will be set. From then on, it will be up to those teams to win a five-game series and then a seven-game championship-round series to punch their tickets to the World Series.

Time is running out before the playoffs are in full swing, so take a look below to make sure you’re caught up.

ALDS Schedule

NL Wild Card and NLDS Schedule

Postseason Preview

It shouldn’t be much of a surprise to anyone following baseball in the last few years that those on the mound promise to dominate October this postseason.

With Cy Young contenders aplenty and the most feared pitching rotations in baseball in the mix, this year’s postseason could prove to be one of the lowest scoring in history. 

It all starts with the New York Mets, who boast one of the most treacherous rotations of starting pitchers that baseball has ever seen. Behind Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey and Bartolo Colon, the Mets could simply pitch their way into the World Series without much help from their bats.

Throw in Noah Syndergaard as well, and the Mets have accomplished a feat not ever done in the history of baseball, as Erik Malinowski of Rolling Stone showed:

Of course, no club can truly go the distance without considerable help from the offense. While that was a big question mark for most of the season, New York’s bats have woken up in the second half, largely because of the trade-deadline acquisition of Yoenis Cespedes.

As long as they can do what Curtis Granderson brilliantly stated, they will march their way to the World Series, as Anthony DiComo of MLB.com showed:

It will be tough getting past the Dodgers’ one-two punch of Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, but the Mets do have a much deeper pitching stable that will bode well in a five-game series. The same can be said in the NLCS, as their pitching staff should be able to thwart the offenses of either St. Louis, Chicago or Pittsburgh—depending on who advances.

That means the top seed won’t be packing its bags to the World Series in the NL, but the same can’t be suggested of the AL.

That’s because the Toronto Blue Jays are in the midst of a tear that should have them ripping through the ALDS and ALCS. With a Cy Young contender of their own in David Price, the Blue Jays will guarantee at least one win a series when he’s on the mound.

The pitching staffs that the Blue Jays will face won’t be anywhere near capable of slowing down their offense, too, as Jayson Stark of ESPN reported.

“Their offense is so good,” said one NL exec, per Stark. “They’re going to decimate some poor pitching staff. When I look at October, I keep thinking: ‘What pitching staff would be able to come out of there alive?’ With some of these staffs, by the time you go through Toronto, your pitching staff will be exhausted.”

With Toronto strolling through the AL, that leaves a mouth-watering World Series clash between the Blue Jays’ boisterous bats and the Mets’ daunting pitching staff.

Once you’re done reveling at the possibility of such a matchup, leave room to realize which team has the complete package necessary to make it all the way.

That’s certainly not the Mets, whose offense ranks in the lower half of baseball in runs, while the Blue Jays have put up a whopping 891 runs on the season—over 120 more than the next team. It takes a proper mix of pitching and batting to make it all the way, and that advantage goes toward the Blue Jays.

The New York pitchers will allow the Mets to steal a few games but not enough to complete the storybook season as they go down a similar road as the 2014 Royals and come up just short of glory.

World Series Prediction: Blue Jays over Mets in six games

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

One team is down and eight more are left to be eliminated before the 2015 MLB playoffs can crown a World Series champion.

The first one to bite the dust came Tuesday night, as the Houston Astros eliminated the New York Yankees from the postseason in a 3-0 AL Wild Card Game victory in the Bronx. The victory pushes Houston forward to the American League Division Series, where three division winners are waiting.

Two NL powerhouses have to go at it in Wednesday’s Wild Card Game before we can officially move forward, but it’s never too early to take a look at what’s to come. Let’s do that below.

NL Wild Card Game

Matchup: Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates

Date/Time: Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 8 p.m. ET

TV: TBS

Live Stream: TBS.com

ALDS Schedule

Live streaming available at Fox Sports Go.

NL Wild Card: Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates

If this were the NBA, both the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates would be sitting pretty with a high playoff seed and some sort of home-field advantage. Instead, they face a winner-take-all contest to decide who will stay alive.

Thanks to the St. Louis Cardinals tearing through baseball for 162 games, the Cubs and the Pirates had no choice but to take this game as their lifeline into the postseason.

As Cubs manager Joe Maddon put it, neither team should be able to believe they’re in this position after incredible seasons, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today:

If the Cubs’ magical 2015 season is going to continue, it will come down to the arm of their most trusted ace. Pitcher Jake Arrieta is on the heels of a breakout season that has garnered him considerable momentum for a potential Cy Young Award.

The Pirates bats have a lot on their plate in facing one of the best pitchers in baseball, but the Bucs sound ready, per Paul Zeise of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

“You’ve got to assume he’s going to be as good as advertised,” Pirates second baseman Neil Walker said. “We have to do a good job of taking advantage of situations. We have to be really smart about how we’re going about our at-bats, knowing the situations and what he’s trying to do.”

Pittsburgh will have to hope that Arrieta reverts to the struggles that previously plagued his career. Before his incredible 2015 season, Arrieta‘s career record was just 34-32, and he hadn’t truly produced consistent play on the mound.

Considering he’s 16-1 since the middle of June, it’s hard to envision that form of Arrieta emerging Wednesday with the Cubs’ season on the line.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

As difficult a task as it is to finish an MLB season with a playoff spot, the wild-card format leaves all of those 162 games down to one crucial nine-inning stretch of baseball that decides teams’ fates.

The MLB recently did away with its traditional eight-team format that included just one wild-card winner from both the National League and American League. Now, the top two wild-card finishers from each league get pegged against one another in a single winner-take-all game to decide who moves on to the NLDS or ALDS.

You can argue its merits, especially after the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates posted the second- and third-best records in baseball only to meet in the NL Wild Card Game. But it’s almost impossible to deny the intrigue and draw that they bring.

Let’s take a closer look at both wild-card matchups that are sure to start the postseason off with a bang.

American League Wild Card Game

Matchup: Houston Astros at New York Yankees

Date/Time: Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 8 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Live Stream: WatchESPN

The seasons of futility that made the Houston Astros one of the punchlines in baseball are not far from our memory, as they posted the MLB’s worst record—by far—in 2013. But that feels like decades ago, with how these Astros are playing.

Many expected some improvement in Houston entering this season but nothing near what the Astros faithful got. Houston stood tall amid a season-long slugfest for the AL West between Texas and the Los Angeles Angels, doing just enough to hold off the Angels and squeak into the Wild Card Game.

Dallas Keuchel is a big reason why, and the Astros ace will try to pitch his club’s way into the ALDS against the New York Yankees on Tuesday. He dominated them the two times they faced off in 2015, as John Buccigross of ESPN reported:

As tends to be the case in Wild Card Games, however, the Yankees get to roll out their own ace in Masahiro Tanaka. The 26-year-old has been dealing fire all season with a 12-7 record and 139 strikeouts to just 27 walks, but he faces a team that’s had his number in 2015.

While the Yankees haven’t had any luck against Keuchel this year, the same can’t be said for the Astros and Tanaka. In fact, no team succeeded more in hitting off him, as Daren Willman of MLBFarm.com pointed out:

When it comes to recent success, the Astros also have the upper hand. The Yankees are actually under .500 since the beginning of August, while Houston ended the season winning 10 of its final 14 contests.

Houston needed just about every one of those to get to this point, and it’s hard to imagine the Astros conceding their new opportunity. Then again, many Yankees players have had this very moment of a postseason game on their minds since their last AL East title in 2012.

With 27 world championships against zero AL pennants, there’s no denying who the historical edge goes to. But this game is played in the here and now, which indicates the Astros have a bit of an advantage.

National League Wild Card Game

Matchup: Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates

Date/Time: Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 8 p.m. ET

TV: TBS

Live Stream: TBS.com

Let’s just play a little imagination experiment real quick and pretend that the MLB scrapped its postseason format for the method the NBA uses. 

As far as the NL goes, the St. Louis Cardinals would obviously have a stranglehold over the top seed and home-field advantage throughout (as they do). But virtually right behind them would be the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates, who beat every other record in all of baseball besides that of the Cardinals.

The Cubs won a whopping 97 games, just shy of the MLB’s best record. But with the Pirates boasting one win more, neither team can really believe it’s in this position, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported:

Alas, that’s how the cookie crumbles in the current MLB playoff format, which is hard to argue against considering both the Cubs and Pirates had dozens of chances against the same Cardinals that beat them out. But as the Kansas City Royals showed last year, starting in the Wild Card Game doesn’t mean a World Series bid is out of reach.

Ever since the Cubs’ spot in the postseason was secured, Chicago fans have been dying to have this one at the friendly confines of Wrigley Field. The Cubs travel to PNC Park instead, but that doesn’t mean starting pitcher Jake Arrieta won’t feed off the energy, as CSN’s Cubs Talk reported:

Arrieta‘s masterful season on the mound has him garnering Cy Young consideration, but he’s turned it on even more as the season has reached the final stretch. He’s putting up insane numbers, going 4-0 with an 0.45 ERA in the month of September and allowing a .148 batting average, per ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. 

His affinity for allowing home runs had him topping the stat books, but another starter in Wednesday’s game isn’t far off, as Jon Morosi of Fox Sports noted:

Gerrit Cole has been the engine on the mound that the Pirates haven’t had in seasons past, going an impressive 19-8 on the season with a 2.60 ERA. He’s averaging just under a strikeout per inning pitched, which could doom the Cubs’ potent but young bats.

There’s no telling how things will shake out between division rivals that finished a mere game away in the standings, but it’s pretty clear that whoever’s season ends in the process will be wallowing at a big missed opportunity to make something of a special 2015 year. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The New York Mets are chasing an improbable and long-awaited postseason run, while the Los Angeles Dodgers have some making up to do for last year. When the 2015 National League Division Series is settled, one of the two will head home disappointed.

It’s already been a groundbreaking season for the Mets, who’s preseason aspirations were finally fulfilled. They earned their first NL East title since 2006 and just their second since the 1980s. They are built to end a nearly 30-year World Series drought.

They’ll have to rise up against a comparably talented team, though, as the Dodgers look poised to make up for their disappointing 2014 playoff exit and perhaps get another crack at the St. Louis Cardinals.

The early part of the week is set for wild-card showdowns, but it won’t be long until the Mets and Dodgers face off. Let’s take a look at everything you need to know.

2015 NLDS Schedule: Dodgers vs. Mets

Note: Game times will be posted when released at MLB.com.

Preview

Take all of the battles of top pitching staffs in postseasons past and throw them out, because this one is likely to take the cake.

Up to six of the 10 best pitchers in baseball today could get the ball in this series. With the New York Mets’ four-headed monster on the mound and the Dodgers’ peerless duo, though, it’s not hard to see where the advantage lies.

The Mets have a group of pitchers tossing at a level that hasn’t really been seen on the same team before. Bartolo Colon, Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard all look like top-flight starters who can will the Mets to a win.

The stats show it, as they became the first team ever to boast four pitchers with more than 150 innings and a strikeout-to-walk ratio over five, as Erik Malinowski of Sports on Earth observed:

Obviously, the Mets have a number of directions they could go with the ball in Game 1, but they’re choosing to go with deGrom. His 2.54 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and over 200 strikeouts are incredible numbers that he can only hope to build on against the Dodgers’ bats.

He spoke with reporters about how he’s preparing for the madness, per the Mets’ Twitter account:

The Dodgers will have a much more established ace on the mound in Game 1, as Clayton Kershaw will get the chance to improve his postseason reputation. He’s become known for coming up short in the playoffs, after almost unbelievable regular seasons.

Kershaw will get to start the series, but perhaps the Dodgers’ best pitcher—at least this year—will be on the mound for Game 2. Zack Greinke is that man, and Kershaw hasn’t been shy on heaping praise toward him, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:

Both teams have bats capable of going off at any time, as Yoenis Cespedes has revitalized the Mets and the Dodgers have a stacked their lineup with RBI machines. But both teams have been no-hit this year and can be shut down by top pitching.

That makes it even more apparent that this series will be decided on the mound. And considering the strengths of these two teams, there’s no more fitting way for it to be decided.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

A long and treacherous MLB season finally is beginning to take shape, with almost all of the spots filled for what promises to be a scintillating 2015 postseason on the road to the World Series.

Out of the 10 spots available in the American League and National League, nine have already been claimed. While a couple of teams are fighting tooth and nail for that final spot, others are jockeying for division titles or the chance to host one of those pivotal wild-card games.

The season is nearing its end, but not before a weekend of contests that should feature high-stakes play as the clubs preparing for October are gearing up for a playoff run. With that in mind, let’s look at the full postseason schedule along with a picture of how things stand after Friday’s games.

2015 MLB Playoff Schedule (through ALDS/NLDS)

Schedule information courtesy of MLB.com. Home-field advantage for Dodgers-Mets NLDS series not yet determined.

Postseason Picture (as of Oct. 3)

Teams with Work to Do

Los Angeles Angels

What’s been a deadlocked race for the AL West has not gotten any more clear heading into the final weekend, and that’s thanks to the Los Angeles Angels.

Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and the rest of the Angels looked destined for a postseason-less 2015 just over a week ago. Then, they rattled off seven straight wins, including two crucial victories in Houston over the Astros.

It comes down to their season-ending four-game series in Texas against the Rangers, the first of which L.A. lost and gave Texas at least a wild-card berth. Trout put his team on his back Friday in a big-time 2-1 win that kept their season alive, as John Miceli of TopSportsReport.com noted:

The Angels need more than just a pair of wins Saturday and Sunday to get in. Behind the Astros by a game as well, they may need some help from the Arizona Diamondbacks this weekend—which doesn’t look likely after they were routed 21-5 by Houston Friday night.

That being said, there’s still a road for L.A. to clinch the division should they win out against the Rangers and see the Astros drop their final two.

That massive payroll and years of building for a deep playoff run all hinge upon a pair of games against a heated rival—and some chips falling into place elsewhere.

New York Mets

The New York Mets were in position to not only end a drought of winning their division but getting into position for home-field advantage in their opening NLDS series. The first part came in jubilant fashion, but the second is in jeopardy.

A surprising sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies put the Mets back into a dead heat with the Los Angeles Dodgers, winners of the NL West. The Dodgers enter Saturday at 90-70 with three games to go, while the Mets are 89-70 with three to play.

In a series with a Dodgers team still angry after an unfortunate NLDS loss to the St. Louis Cardinals last postseason, one could assume that home-field advantage will be paramount. Opening a five-game series at home can allow a team to move one win away from advancing before it even plays a road game.

The tiebreaker bodes well for New York, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today noted:

The Mets’ bats have awoken in a big way in the second half of the season, largely fueled by the trade-deadline acquisition of Yoenis Cespedes. But those bats have also been inconsistent, and it’s hard to see them catching fire in Games 1 and 2 in Los Angeles against the likes of Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke.

For that reason, finishing the season on a high will be huge for the Mets’ chances of October glory.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com