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Both National League Division Series got underway Friday, with the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals each emerging victorious and taking 1-0 series leads in a pair of one-run games.

Saturday features all four Senior Circuit clubs battling it out once more, as the Nationals and Dodgers look to tie their series up before they take to the road.

Here’s the information you’ll need to view Saturday’s contests as well as a preview of each game.

Giants at Nationals

Where: Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.

When: Saturday, October 4

Start Time: 5:30 p.m. ET

Watch: Fox Sports 1

Live Stream: Fox Sports Go

Series Schedule

The first game of this best-of-five series saw the Giants narrowly take a 1-0 advantage with a 3-2 win. They led 3-0 at one point before the Nationals got solo home runs from Bryce Harper and Asdrubal Cabrera off Hunter Strickland in the seventh inning.

In case you missed it, here’s Harper’s 445-foot moonshot:

Game 2 of this series leads off Saturday’s baseball action with a pitching matchup that features San Francisco’s Tim Hudson and Washington’s Jordan Zimmermann.

The latter, of course, is coming off a no-hitter thrown Sunday that was assisted in large part by outfielder Steven Souza’s outstanding catch:

That capped off a terrific run that began on August 2 in which the 28-year-old went 8-0 over 11 starts with a 1.81 ERA and .524 OPS against.

At the other end of the spectrum is Hudson, whose production has fallen off a cliff over his last 11 trips to the mound in the regular season.

His record over that span was 1-6, and he posted an abysmal 5.68 ERA. Opposing hitters must have been licking their chops considering Hudson gave up an OPS of .811 as well.

Prediction: With the Nationals at home and desperately needing a win to avoid going down 2-0 before heading to the West Coast, their balanced lineup knocks Hudson around while Zimmerman keeps his hot streak alive. 

San Francisco 1, Washington 6

Cardinals at Dodgers

Where: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles

When: Saturday, October 4

Start Time: 9:30 p.m. ET

Watch: MLB Network

Live Stream: MLB.tv

Series Schedule

Another tight opener, but not in the way most people anticipated.

In a clash between aces Clayton Kershaw and Adam Wainwright, fans and pundits alike projected a low-scoring affair. Friday’s game was the complete opposite.

It was a game that featured a bench-clearing altercation instigated by Adrian Gonzalez and Yadier Molina, a 10-9 scoreline and 26 hits:

Kershaw‘s night even set a record, per ESPN Stats & Info:

Game 2 goes Saturday from the City of Angels (and Dodgers, for that matter) and gives the Dodgers a chance to rebound and even the series up quickly.

It’s yet another pitching duel in the making between Lance Lynn and Zack Greinke, per MLB’s official Twitter account:

Both starters enter with an ERA below the 2.75 mark.

If those two can keep the ball down in the zone, we should see a game that resembles a pitchers’ duel more than Game 1.

For the Dodgers, the focus has to be on slowing down the top of the Cardinals order, which trampled them Friday.

Matt Carpenter, Randal Grichuk and Matt Holliday combined to go 5-for-13 with three home runs, eight RBI and a walk.

The task isn’t as simple for Lynn, as the Dodgers used their two through six hitters—as well as a four-hit night from catcher A.J. Ellis—to score their nine runs.

With two evenly matched pitchers toeing the rubber Saturday night, this one will come down to which team’s bats can come through.

With the Dodgers possessing more depth in that department, I’d give them the edge.

Prediction: Much like the Nationals, the Dodgers know they can’t drop both games at home to open their best-of-five series. Both pitchers come through and go deep into the game, with Los Angeles’ bats outperforming those of the Cardinals.

St. Louis Cardinals 2, Los Angeles Dodgers 3

Jon Reid is a correspondent for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @JonReidCSM.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With Saturday being a day off for the American League Division Series, all four AL clubs still alive in 2014 will get a day to prepare for their all-important Game 3s.

The Tigers and Orioles are heading back to the Motor City, where Detroit’s backs are already against the wall as they trail Baltimore 2-0 in the best-of-5 series.

In other ALDS action, the Royals and Angels jet to Kansas City after KC earned a crucial sweep in Anaheim that has this series knotted at a surprising 2-0 Royals lead.

Here’s all you need to know for Game 3 of both series.

Orioles at Tigers

Where: Comerica Park, Detroit

When: Sunday, October 5

Start Time: 3:30 p.m. ET

Watch: TBS

Live Stream: MLB.tv

Series Schedule

Not only did the Tigers drop to 2-0 down in this series against Baltimore on Friday, but they did it in heartbreaking fashion.

After they had built a 6-3 lead with a run in the top half of the eighth inning, the Tigers watched as their bullpen let this one get away. The O’s scored four times in the bottom half of the frame, capped by a Delmon Young, bases-clearing double:

Game 3 sees southpaw extraordinaire David Price take the mound for Detroit. Baltimore counters with Miguel Gonzalez.

Having the strikeout master in Price toe the rubber is exactly what the Tigers need to get back into the series.

The towering lefty struck out 271 batters during the regular season over the course of a whopping 248.1 innings pitched.

His 3.59 ERA in Detroit after he was dealt isn’t jaw-dropping, but 2.44 FIP suggests that may be inflated.

Another reason for Tigers fans to be optimistic about Price’s start? He’s one of the biggest workhorses in baseball, which means it’ll minimize the amount of time that the bullpen will be out there.

That’s big, considering how bad they’ve been, via Jason McIntyre of TheBigLead.com:

As for Miguel Gonzalez, he’s had a respectable year, posting a 3.23 ERA and 1.30 WHIP.

The Tigers hitters, however, have had some success in their careers against the Mexican native, per ESPN.com.

Prediction: With Price on the mound, the Orioles bats shouldn’t make nearly as much noise. With him likely to go deep into the game, it’s not likely that Baltimore will get the chance to rough up Detroit’s bullpen, either.

With Detroit’s batters having had previous success against Gonzalez, this series should extend to at least Game 4.

Baltimore Orioles 2, Detroit Tigers 7

Angels at Royals

Where: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City

When: Sunday, October 5

Start Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

Watch: TBS

Live Stream: MLB.tv

Series Schedule

The No. 11 may haunt the Los Angeles Angels and their fans for the year if they can’t come back to win this series in five games.

For the second straight game, the Royals beat the 98-win Angels 4-1 in 11 innings thanks to a home run. This time it was an Eric Hosmer two-run shot:

Including their wild-card contest, Kansas City has now played—and won—three consecutive playoff contests. They’re the first team since 1980 to accomplish that feat, per Joel Goldberg of Fox Sports Kansas City:

Heading into Game 3, the Royals must be ecstatic with where they are in this series, as Dan Shulman of ESPN pointed out:

With their staff ace on the mound and the Angels going with C.J. Wilson, it certainly looks like K.C. has a tremendous chance to close this series out Sunday.

There is hope for the Angels, though.

Shields may have the nickname “Big Game James,” but he hasn’t quite lived up to the moniker.

After his start in the wild-card game, Shields’ career playoff ERA jumped to 5.26, while his WHIP has reached an ugly 1.40.

If C.J. Wilson can replicate his last start of the regular season—where he tossed six innings of one-run ball—the Angels should be able to extend this series to at least a fourth game.

Furthermore, it seems like the Angels’ bats are due to heat up any game now.

Prediction: Despite being home with a chance to close out the series with their ace on the mound, Kansas City is disappointed as Los Angeles’ big bats wake up and provide some offense.

Los Angeles Angels 6, Kansas City Royals 3

All statistics obtained courtesy of baseball-reference.com.

Jon Reid is a correspondent for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @JonReidCSM.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The 162-game regular season is gone. The 2014 MLB playoffs are here. Rejoice baseball fans.

The first two playoff matchups are just around the corner, and the do-or-die atmosphere that comes with a one-game Wild Card Round is sure to make these two contests even more intense.

In the American League, you’ve got the Oakland Athletics looking to exercise the demons of their 2013 American League Division Series exit, while the Kansas City Royals are making their return to the postseason for the first time since 1985, snapping the longest postseason drought in the four major sports.

As Sam Mellinger of The Kansas City Star points out, that distinction now belongs to the Toronto Blue Jays:

Over in the senior circuit, the Pittsburgh Pirates are participating in their second straight Wild Card Game against the San Francisco Giants, who are making their fourth postseason appearance in the last five years.

So who will win these matchups, and whose postseason stay will last just one game?

American League Wild Card

First on the docket is Kansas City and Oakland on Tuesday night.

This one will feature on heck of a pitching matchup with the Royals’ James Shields squaring off against Jon Lester, according to Andy McCullough of The Kansas City Star:

Both starters are among the AL’s elite, and both are known as workhorses. This year, however, Lester’s numbers point to an advantage for Oakland in this matchup:

When it comes to the two pitchers in the postseason, the big southpaw has the edge as well:

The man they call “Big Game James” told MLB.com that he’s ready to go and would have been confident regardless of Kansas City’s opponent after Game 162:

In terms of the two teams at the plate, the Royals hold the edge in team batting average, but Oakland finished out front in other important offensive categories:

Finally when it comes to the two teams’ bullpens, Oakland once again has the better numbers:

It’s important to remember, though, that Kansas City did end up finishing ahead of the A’s in the standings, earning themselves home-field advantage for this crucial do-or-die game. 

Oakland also stumbled into the postseason, posting a record of 10-16 in the month of September, compared to Kansas City’s 15-12 mark, which should dissuade the notion that this one should be a win for Oakland.

Ultimately, this one should be as close as the final standings—in which these teams were separated by just a game—indicate.

Prediction: Oakland may be struggling heading into the one-game playoff in Kansas City, but with Lester being so dominant in the postseason, and the slight edge they hold offensively and in the bullpen, Oakland should advance to play the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Oakland 3, Kansas City 1

National League Wild Card

Just one night after the first matchup, it will be the National League’s turn to shine.

The Wild Card matchup between the San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates should also be a tight one.

This one will see the Pirates’ Edinson Volquez face off with the Giants’ Madison Bumgarner:

When it comes to these two starters, Bumgarner has to be favored to help his team into the NLDS.

With all due respect to Volquez, this is his first real standout season since 2008, while Bumgarner has developed into a legitimate staff ace over the course of the past few years.

Across the board, the southpaw has been better than Volquez this season:

The fact that Bumgarner also has a respectable postseason ERA of 3.79 and WHIP of 1.23, while Volquez only has one playoff appearance in which he gave up four earned runs in just 1.2 innings also points to the Giants holding a big advantage.

Pittsburgh will need its offense to play its best ball and take advantage of the few opportunities that Bumgarner may concede.

They’ll also need all the support they can get from the “blacked out” crowd:

Prediction: Starting pitching is the name of the game in the postseason, and Bumgarner gives the Giants too big of an edge to pick against them.

San Francisco Giants 6, Pittsburgh Pirates 2

Regardless of your opinion of the two-team Wild Card format, it provides an incredible amount of excitement and intensity.

With the AL’s participants separated by just a game and the NL’s two clubs having identical 88-74 records, this season’s sudden-death matchups should be incredible affairs.

Jon Reid is a correspondent for Bleacher Report. Follow him on twitter @JonReidCSM.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With the Toronto Blue Jays fading from contention in the American League playoff race—the club is 5.5 games out of a wild-card spot and must pass four other teams to get there—fans may begin turning their attention to the club’s top prospects.

As September nears, so, too, does the conclusion of the minor league baseball season.

Major league rosters are also set to expand from 25 players to 40. That means prospects have a limited time frame to impress their parent clubs and earn a September call-up.

Here’s a farm system stock report for each of the Jays’ top prospects for the past week. Based on their performances, they’ll receive a “Stock Up,” “Stock Down” or “Even” grade.

*Note: Prospect rankings are based on those from BlueJays.com. No. 2 prospect Aaron Sanchez has been replaced, as he’s received a promotion to the major leagues. No. 4 prospect Jeff Hoffman and No. 6 prospect Max Pentecost have been replaced due to injury.

Begin Slideshow

The Toronto Blue Jays are in the midst of fighting for their playoff lives.

Entering the weekend, the Jays are tied with the New York Yankees, four games behind the Detroit Tigers and 3.5 games in the rear of the Seattle Mariners for the American League‘s second and final playoff spot.

As if that pressure wasn’t enough, there are a few players on Toronto’s roster that could very well be fighting for their spots with the club come 2015.

Here are three players that could see their time with the Jays come to an end if they don’t improve in the final month of the 2014 regular season.

Juan Francisco, 3B

If there’s one player who can attest as to just how long a baseball season is, it’s Juan Francisco.

After coming to Toronto from Milwaukee in the offseason, Francisco wasted no time establishing himself as a fan favorite.

By the time the calendar turned from May to June, Francisco had amassed nine home runs in just 109 at-bats, while hitting .275 and posting an OPS of .961.

Times were good for the Dominican-born slugger.

Since then, however, Francisco has only managed another seven home runs and has seen his average drop to .218, his on-base percentage dip to below .300 and his OPS plummet by over 200 points to .750.

A few days ago, Guy Spurrier of the National Post even posted a graph charting Francisco’s OPS—the spike and steady drop on the right-hand side represent the 2014 season—from the start of his career until August 15.

Fans and pundits alike have also expressed their frustrations with Francisco’s play, as was evidenced by tweets from Blue Jays bloggers at a recent conference put on to promote the game in Toronto:

His inability to hit anything but a fastball and penchant for striking out—which he’s done in an astounding 40.7 percent of his at-bats this year—also hurt his chances of returning and playing a prominent role in 2015.

Colby Rasmus, CF

Regarded as one of the better defensive center fielders in the game the last few years—he ranked sixth in dWAR in each of the last two seasons among qualified center fielders, per ESPN.com—Rasmus has always struggled to find any sort of consistency at the plate.

Still, his combination of stellar defense and power at the plate could be enough to earn him a significant raise when he hits free agency after the conclusion of the 2014 season.

With money already tied up elsewhere and more pressing needs—most notably re-signing fellow outfielder Melky Cabrera—the Jays may find it hard to justify handing a new contract to Rasmus.

Not only would it take a discount on Rasmus‘ part for him to be in Toronto next year, but it would also take an uptick in production.

Even though his power numbers have been impressive for a center fielder, the Jays do have Anthony Gose waiting in the wings and ready to assume full-time duties.

The 24-year-old Gose may not hit for power like Rasmus, but he’s just as capable in the field, offers more speed than Rasmus, as well as a higher batting average and OBP.

Here’s a look at the two center fielders head-to-head in 2014:

Sure, Rasmus has the advantage in some areas, but spending millions on a bottom-of-the-order bat when you have a capable replacement who isn’t arbitration eligible until 2017 just doesn’t make sense.

J.A. Happ, SP

Improving the starting rotation this offseason should be another high-priority issue on the agenda for Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos.

With Toronto ranked 23rd in starter’s ERA and 23rd in starter’s WHIP, finding another arm to bolster the rotation is one way Anthopoulos can help push his club closer to contention in 2015.

That means one of the team’s current starters would have to make way.

With Mark Buehrle having a solid season, R.A. Dickey scheduled to make $12 million, Marcus Stroman emerging as a top-of-the-rotation type arm and Drew Hutchison still a developing youngster, Happ may be the odd man out.

His nasty bouts of inconsistency aren’t likely to help his case either.

Israel Fehr of Yahoo Sports points out that Happ came back from the All-Star break in fine form:

In his first four starts after the all-star break, Happ did just that. He put up a 1.71 ERA and picked up 25 strikeouts over 26 1/3 innings of work. It was his best run of the season and while the Jays went 2-2 in those games, it gave the team hope that they could count on the 31-year-old left-hander to continue delivering quality outings down the stretch.

His last few starts, however haven’t been nearly as impressive, as Sportsnet pointed out via twitter:

*Note: His start on August 7 against the Baltimore Orioles is counted in both Fehr‘s breakdown and Sportsnet‘s tweet.

From dominating his opposition to two starts where he was knocked around in no time flat.

For a team that is trying to be serious about making the postseason and contending for a championship, that type of inconsistency is deadly.

Others may be able to get away with it because of their status with the team and contract—most notably Dickey—but Happ is going to have to return to stringing together more starts like he was right out of the All-Star break.

All statistics obtained from baseball-reference.com unless otherwise noted.

Jon Reid is a correspondent for Bleacher Report. Follow him on twitter @JonReidCSM.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With the nonwaiver trade deadline just around the corner, MLB trade rumors are swirling around at a furious pace. One such rumor that has gained a lot of momentum over the past few days is the potential dealing of Boston Red Sox ace Jon Lester.

With the Sox out of contention, it appears as though the team may be willing to move the impending free agent.

One team at the forefront of the Lester discussions? According to CSN New England’s Sean McAdam, the Toronto Blue Jays are in hot pursuit of the southpaw.

He also mentions the fact that the Sox would be willing to move their ace within the AL East (though not to the New York Yankees, who would have the financial muscle to re-sign the Washington native).

Acquiring Lester makes sense on multiple fronts for the Jays.

First, there’s the fact that McAdam mentions that the Baltimore Orioles are interested in adding Lester to their starting rotation.

Those same Orioles are just 2.5 games ahead of Toronto in the AL East entering Tuesday. Allowing the team you’re in direct competition with for a division title to bring in one of the best left-handed pitchers in the game would be a major blow to your aspirations of winning the East.

Adding him to the Jays rotation would give them the legitimate ace the team needs and would also provide them with an upgrade on J.A. Happ as the team’s second starting southpaw.

Lester would also be a great insurance policy should the club fail to win the division and end up playing in the Wild Card Game.

Imagine the Blue Jays secured the second wild-card position and had to square off against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for the right to play in the ALDS.

Right now, there isn’t a Jays starter who would have the baseball world believing they could win that matchup.

R.A. Dickey, Drew Hutchison and Happ are far too inconsistent and Mark Buehrle’s performance has fallen back to earth. Marcus Stroman has been sensational in his time as a starting pitcher, but he’s a rookie with only 10 career starts under his belt.

Contrast them with the likes of Jered Weaver or Garrett Richards and an objective observer would have to give the Angels the edge on the mound—their lineup can also compete with Toronto’s.

This is where Lester would make a huge difference for Toronto. In a do-or-die situation, having a bona fide ace who has pitched in the World Series could make all the difference in the world.

The other encouraging part of this potential deal for Lester is that it’s a realistic acquisition for the Jays.

Not only is his contract for $13 million this season (over half of which has already elapsed), but he would be a rental-type player, meaning Toronto may only have to part with one top-tier prospect and one or two lesser ones.

If they can keep Aaron Sanchez, who has impressed in the bullpen, as well as Stroman, who’s been lights out in the rotation, it should be a no-brainer for the Blue Jays’ front office.

Any deal would likely have to include the organization’s No. 1 prospect, Daniel Norris. That shouldn’t be too much of a concern though, seeing as he’s struggling since his promotion to Double-A New Hampshire and probably won’t be ready to contribute until 2016—after Toronto’s proverbial three-year window of contention.

If Toronto is serious about making a run in the playoffs, adding Lester to a rotation already comprised of a reliable Buehrle, the up-and-coming Stroman and one-time ace Dickey is a necessity.

Jon Reid is a contributor for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @JonReidCSM.

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As the MLB trade deadline approaches, the pressure is on for teams to bolster their organizations for the final push to the postseason.

For the Toronto Blue Jays, who hold the American League‘s second wild-card spot and only trail the Baltimore Orioles by 2.5 games, adding another bat to solidify their lineup was of paramount importance.

Would it be a second baseman like Chase Utley, Daniel Murphy or a versatile utility man like Martin Prado or Ben Zobrist?

The answer is none of the above.

According to John Lott of the National Post, the Jays have acquired third baseman Danny Valencia from the Kansas City Royals for catcher Erik Kratz and pitcher Liam Hendriks.

Valencia isn’t an everyday player, but he has made a name for himself hitting left-handed pitching very well. On the flip side, his reduction in OPS from .888 in 2013 to .710 this year, as well as the drop in his OPS+ from 138 (very good) to 95 (below average) are somewhat concerning.

So what does this move mean for the Jays moving forward?

The Jays are Likely to Use a Platoon at Third Base

With Valencia being a southpaw specialist (.354/.386/.492 slash line in 63 at-bats this season) and Juan Francisco lighting up right-handed pitching (.265/.336/.587 slash line in 189 at-bats), it seems like GM Alex Anthopoulos opted to acquire someone on the cheap who could form a dynamic partnership with one of his team’s current players.

It’s hard to see Valencia getting many at-bats against righties or Francisco hitting against lefties from this point forward.

And considering the fact that Valencia hasn’t played more than 10 games anywhere other than third base or as a designated hitter, one would think that this platoon will man the hot corner for the rest of the season.

Which means…

Brett Lawrie Will Take Over at Second Base Upon his Return

It may not be his preferred position, but it’s hard to see Brett Lawrie playing anywhere but second base once he recovers from injury and returns to the Blue Jays.

Between Valencia playing almost exclusively at third base, Francisco’s range making it hard to play him at second and Lawrie being such an incredible athlete, the writing is on the wall.

The question becomes how Lawrie reacts.

He’s known to be an emotional player, and if he’s not content playing full time at second base, it’s very possible that his performance could suffer.

Toronto is Confident its Returning Bats are Good Enough to Carry Them

With all the talk surrounding the Jays needing a boost to their lineup if they want to contend for the postseason, the returns of the aforementioned Lawrie, as well as Edwin Encarnacion and Adam Lind, seem to have been lost in the shuffle.

Despite his recent setback, Encarnacion has been taking ground balls and doing light running drills in Florida.

If the Jays can add all three bats to their batting order in the next few weeks, they could return to being the force they were early on in the regular season.

If those three aren’t as close to returning as management had hoped, however, this kind of move could also signal that the Jays may not have much payroll flexibility, and bringing in a platoon-type player is all the team could afford.

Those concerns could be offset by another acquisition, but that doesn’t seem very likely.

All statistics obtained courtesy of ESPN.com and Baseball-Reference.com.

Jon Reid is a contributor for Bleacher Report. Follow him on twitter @JonReidCSM.

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One bad stretch of 10 games for the Toronto Blue Jays and all of a sudden it seems like the sky is falling in Toronto.

Admittedly, Toronto has played some awful baseball to start the 2013 season, but at 4-6, it’s not as though Toronto has killed their preseason aspirations of reaching the playoffs for the first time in two decades.

Sluggish starting pitching and a massive injury (h/t ESPN) to their new prized shortstop, Jose Reyes, certainly won’t help the matter, but neither spells the end of the season for Toronto just yet.

Especially considering that one of their most talented young players—third baseman Brett Lawrie—is close to returning.

Lawrie, a fan favorite for his ability, effort, and yes, his Canadian citizenship, is actually one of this team’s most important players.

He may not lead the team in batting average, stolen bases or home runs, but Lawrie returning will still provide an incredible boost to both the Blue Jays’ lineup, and he will also bolster the team’s overall defense manning the hot corner.

We’ve seen a few plays already this season that have had Jays fans shaking their heads from the third base tandem of Mark DeRosa and Maicer Izturis (see: DeRosa‘s lack of range, or Izturis throwing routine ground balls away).

It’s quite simple, really. Lawrie‘s athleticism cannot be matched by anyone the Jays have at third base.

Then there’s what he provides at the plate.

Not only would Lawrie help improve the Jays’ lineup with him taking over for Izturis and DeRosa (they’re hitting .200 and .211 respectively, while Lawrie hit .273 last year in his first full season), but he’d most likely replace Adam Lind in the six spot of the lineup, which the Jays could really use right now, with Lind hitting a meager .136 at the plate (Lind has already lost his spot as the five hitter to catcher J.P. Arencibia).

Finally, Lawrie‘s return becomes even more important to this team’s success considering the aforementioned injury to star shortstop Jose Reyes.

The longer it takes Brett to re-join the Jays, the more games the Jays will be forced to field a thoroughly unimpressive infield on both offense and defense.

Lawrie‘s return would also replace some of the speed the Jays lose with Reyes hitting the disabled list.

No one is saying that Lawrie has the speeds or baserunning ability that Reyes does, but he’s much faster than DeRosa, who you’d think will be forced to play just about everyday along with Izturis now that two starting infielders are hurt.

Lawrie‘s energy, effort and, above all, his talent not only make him a promising young third baseman, but also this Toronto Blue Jays’ X-Factor.

Follow @JawnReid

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