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The National League Championship Series kicked off with a bang on Saturday night, as the Chicago Cubs plated five runs in the bottom of the eighth en route to an 8-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Miguel Montero delivered the big blow with a pinch-hit grand slam, and Hector Rondon was able to slam the door after the Cubs turned to Aroldis Chapman earlier in the game.

Jon Lester gave the Cubs six strong innings in a no-decision, but Kenta Maeda lasted just four innings for the Dodgers, forcing them to go to the bullpen early.

Now it’s on to Game 2, where Clayton Kershaw will take the ball for the Dodgers, and the Cubs will turn to Kyle Hendricks.

Before the action resumes on Sunday night, let’s take a look at some keys to victory for both teams as the Cubs aim to take a commanding lead and the Dodgers hope to even things up before the series shifts to Los Angeles.

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Pitching was the story in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series, as the Cleveland Indians jumped out to an early series lead with a 2-0 victory Friday night at Progressive Field.

Marco Estrada threw eight strong innings for the Blue Jays. But Corey Kluber, Andrew Miller and Cody Allen combined to shut out the high-powered Toronto offense, and Francisco Lindor provided all the offense the Indians would need with a two-run home run at the bottom of the sixth inning.

Now the Indians will look to claim a big series lead with Josh Tomlin (13-9, 4.40 ERA, 118 K) on the hill, while the Blue Jays try to pull things even behind Cy Young Award candidate J.A. Happ (20-4, 3.18 ERA, 163 K).

Who will come out on top in Game 2 of this exciting ALCS matchup?

Keep it right here for live updates on all of Saturday’s action, and for further MLB analysis, be sure follow me on Twitter, @JoelReuterBR.

FINAL SCORE: Blue Jays 1, Indians 2

W: Josh Tomlin (1-0)

L: J.A. Happ (0-1)

SV: Cody Allen (2)

SCORING PLAYS

BOT 2: Carlos Santana solo HR (0-1)

TOP 3: Josh Donaldson RBI double (1-1)

BOT 3: Francisco Lindor RBI single (1-2)

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Los Angeles Dodgers staved off elimination in Game 4 of the National League Division Series with a 6-5 victory on Tuesday, setting up a decisive Game 5 with the Washington Nationals on Thursday night.

The Dodgers took Game 1 of the series by a score of 4-3, but the Nationals picked up back-to-back wins after Game 2 was pushed back due to rain.

An RBI single by Chase Utley in the bottom of the eighth inning proved to be the difference in Game 4, but the Dodgers were forced to start ace Clayton Kershaw in that game as they fought to keep their season alive.

That leaves veteran Rich Hill (12-5, 2.12 ERA, 129 K) as the starter for Thursday night’s game, with rookie Julio Urias (5-2, 3.39 ERA, 84 K) waiting in the wings if he runs into any sort of trouble.

Those two and the rest of the Dodgers lineup will tasked with facing Nationals ace Max Scherzer (20-7, 2.96 ERA, 284 K), who did not look particularly sharp in Game 1 when he allowed five hits and four earned runs on a pair of home runs over six innings.

Who will come out on top in Game 5 of this exciting NLDS matchup?

Keep it right here for live updates on all of Thursday’s action and be sure follow me on Twitter (@JoelReuterBR) for further MLB analysis.

FINAL SCORE: Dodgers 4, Nationals 3

W: Julio Urias (1-0)

L: Marc Rzepczynski (0-1)

SV: Clayton Kershaw (1)

SCORING PLAYS

BOT 2: Danny Espinosa RBI single (0-1)

TOP 7: Joc Pederson solo HR (1-1)

TOP 7: Carlos Ruiz RBI single (2-1)

TOP 7: Justin Turner 2-RBI double (4-1)

BOT 7: Chris Heisey 2-run HR (4-3)

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With one division series having already wrapped up in a sweep and two other teams facing a similar fate on Monday night, the matchup between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals looks to be the most compelling series as we kick off the second week of MLB playoff action.

The Dodgers took Game 1 by a score of 4-3, with Corey Seager and Justin Turner both homering and Kenley Jansen throwing 1.2 scoreless innings for the save.

After rain pushed Game 2 from Saturday to Sunday, the Nationals then evened the series with a 5-2 victory.

Jose Lobaton delivered the big blow with a three-run shot in the fourth inning, and the Nationals bullpen slammed the door with 4.2 shutout innings in relief of starter Tanner Roark.

Now the series shifts to Dodger Stadium, as both teams will look to seize control in a pivotal Game 3.

Gio Gonzalez (11-11, 4.57 ERA, 171 K) gets the start for the Nationals, and he’ll be opposed by rookie Kenta Maeda (16-11, 3.48 ERA, 179 K), who will be making his postseason debut.

Who will come out on top in Game 3 of this exciting NLDS matchup?

Keep it right here for live updates on all of today’s action and be sure follow me on Twitter (@JoelReuterBR) for further MLB analysis.

FINAL SCORE: Nationals 8, Dodgers 3

Bot 1: Corey Seager RBI double (0-1)

Top 3: Jayson Werth RBI double (1-1)

Top 3: Bryce Harper RBI single (2-1)

Top 3: Anthony Rendon two-run HR (4-1)

Bot 5: Carlos Ruiz two-run HR (4-3)

Top 9: Jayson Werth solo HR (5-3)

Top 9: Ryan Zimmerman two-run double (7-3)

Top 9: Chris Heisey sacrifice fly (8-3)

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Los Angeles Dodgers came away with a 4-3 win over the Washington Nationals in Game 1 of their National League Division Series matchup, and the two teams are back at it on Saturday.

Corey Seager and Justin Turner both homered for the Dodgers in Game 1, while closer Kenley Jansen struck out three in 1.2 scoreless innings to slam the door for the save.

Rich Hill (12-5, 2.12 ERA, 129 K) gets the start for the Dodgers, and he’ll be opposed by Tanner Roark (16-10, 2.83 ERA, 172 K), who quietly put together a terrific season of his own.

First pitch from Nationals Park is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. ET, and the game can be seen on Fox Sports 1.

Who will come out on top in Game 2 of this exciting NLDS matchup?

Keep it right here for live updates on all of today’s action.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The National League Division Series field is set after the San Francisco Giants knocked off the New York Mets in the Wild Card Game, setting up the Giants for an NLDS meeting with the Chicago Cubs.

Madison Bumgarner put the Giants on his shoulders once again in the elimination game, twilring a four-hit shutout to improve his already legendary postseason resume.

Now the Giants will have to take on baseball’s best team, as the Cubs wrapped up the regular season at 103-58 with a staggerling plus-252 run differential.

The Cubs took the season series 4-3, taking three of four at home in September after dropping two of three at AT&T Park in May.

This NLDS matchup will begin Friday at Wrigley Field in Chicago, with first pitch of Game 1 scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET.

Before the series gets underway, let’s take a position-by-position look at how the two teams match up and make a quick prediction for who will come out on top.

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Two thrilling Wild Card Games are in the books, and we’re set to begin the division series, with action kicking off on the American League side as the Texas Rangers host the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays advanced to the ALDS with a 5-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles in Tuesday’s AL Wild Card Game. Edwin Encarnacion delivered the big blow with a walk-off, three-run home run in the bottom of the 11th inning.

Meanwhile, the Rangers posted the best record in the AL at 95-67 en route to winning the AL West title by nine games over the Seattle Mariners.

Cole Hamels (15-5, 3.32 ERA, 200 K) gets the Game 1 start for the Rangers, while the Blue Jays made the somewhat surprising decision to go with Marco Estrada (9-9, 3.48 ERA, 165 K) out of the gate.

Who will come out on top in Game 1 of this exciting ALDS matchup?

Keep it right here for live updates on all of today’s action.

FINAL: Blue Jays 10, Rangers 1

W: Marco Estrada (1-0), L: Cole Hamels (0-1)

SCORING PLAYS

Top 3: Josh Donaldson RBI double (1-0)

Top 3: Jose Bautista RBI single (2-0)

Top 3: Troy Tulowitzki 3-RBI triple (5-0)

Top 4: Melvin Upton Jr. solo home run (6-0)

Top 4: Josh Donaldson RBI single (7-0)

Top 9: Jose Bautista 3-RBI home run (10-0)

Bot 9: Shin-Soo Choo RBI groundout (10-1)

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The American League Wild Card Game will be a tough act to follow, but a top-flight pitching matchup is on tap as the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets square off on the National League side of things Wednesday night.

Both teams have their respective aces on the mound with the season on the line, as Madison Bumgarner (15-9, 2.79 ERA, 251 K) takes the ball for San Francisco and Noah Syndergaard (14-9, 2.60 ERA, 218 K) toes the rubber for New York.

Who will come out on top in tonight’s NL Wild Card Game and move on to face the Chicago Cubs in the NLDS?

Keep it right here for live updates on all of tonight’s action.

FINAL SCORE: Giants 3, Mets 0

W: Madison Bumgarner
L: Jeurys Familia

HR: Conor Gillaspie
RBI: Conor Gillaspie (3)

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With the 2016 MLB regular season officially wrapped up and the 10-team playoff field now set, this week’s power rankings are going to be a little bit different than what you may be used to.

Looking at last week’s performance is not necessarily the best indicator of which direction each of these teams is headed, as some of them clinched prior to last week and were resting guys and setting up their playoff rotation, while others were battling just to make it in.

As a result, the criteria for this week’s rankings has changed and is more projection- and outlook-based than recent-performance-based.

The following factors were taken into account this time around:

• Postseason Outlook: How a team is lining up for playoff success was the No. 1 factor in these rankings, so things like projected postseason rotation and overall team health played a much bigger role than normal.

• Wild Card Round Disadvantage: Having to play in a one-game, do-or-die situation is a clear disadvantage to the four teams that will be playing in the Wild Card Round. As a result, you’ll see they occupy the No. 7-10 spots in the rankings. That doesn’t mean those are the four worst teams of the 10 playoff participants, but the odds are stacked against them from the get-go.

• Final Month Performance: While last week’s record may not be a good indicator, how a team has played in the past month (or in its last 30 games, in this case) can give a good idea of what direction it is trending.

Along with a postseason outlook for each team, a full breakdown of team leaders in notable stat categories was included for a quick overview of the top performers of 2016.

So here is a pre-postseason look at where this year’s 10 playoff-bound teams stand as we get set for what should be another exciting October.

Note: Season leaders reflect players who had at least 400 plate appearances for BA and OPS or 100 innings pitched in the case of ERA and WHIP.

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After six months, the 2016 MLB regular season has come to a close.

None of the wild tiebreaker scenarios came to pass, as the San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays claimed the final wild-card spots. The postseason will begin Tuesday.

Before we turn our attention to another exciting October of playoff baseball, now is the perfect time to put a bow on the regular season by naming our biggest winners and losers of 2016.

Ahead, you’ll find a mix of individual players who shined or disappointed, as well as a handful of teams that qualified as the biggest winners or losers of the year relative to expectations.

That’s all capped off with our biggest winner and biggest loser of the year, two teams headed in opposite directions as we look ahead of the playoffs and beyond.

There is no shortage of candidates for the winner and loser distinctions, so not every player and team deserving of one or the other will be touched on, but this should provide a good overview of how things played out in 2016.

Enjoy.

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