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Sometimes sports can be cruel, and the American and National League Wild Card Games are perfect examples. 

Major League Baseball’s 162-game regular-season schedule is a serious commitment for players and fans alike. The players must grind through the dog days of summer and all the peaks and valleys that come with them, while the fans must devote significant chunks of their time to watching, attending and following such a large number of games.

However, that investment and journey will come to a sudden end for two teams and their fanbases in the single-elimination, do-or-die Wild Card Games. The Toronto Blue Jays will host the Baltimore Orioles in the American League contest on Tuesday, and the New York Mets will host the San Francisco Giants in the National League’s on Wednesday.

With that in mind, here is a deeper explanation of the format as well as an unfortunate prediction for the eventual National League winner.

Format Explanation

The MLB playoffs previously included just four teams for each league (three division winners and a wild card), but a fifth team was added in the form of a second wild-card squad in 2012.

Since then, the two teams with the best records in the National League that didn’t win a division have faced off in the Wild Card Game for the right to advance to the Divisional Series. The same format is used in the American League, and the team with the better record hosts the game.

The winners of the two Wild Card Games will battle the No. 1 seed in each respective league in the Divisional Series.

This year’s winner-takes-all American League Wild Card Game pits the Orioles against the Blue Jays on Tuesday. The National League Wild Card Game takes place on Wednesday and features a showdown between the Giants and Mets.

The American League Divisional Series starts Thursday, and the National League Divisional Series begins Friday. While the Wild Card Games are each one-game battles, the Divisional Series is a best-of-five affair, with the better seed enjoying home-field advantage in Games 1, 2 and 5.

The No. 1 seed faces the Wild Card Game winners, while the Nos. 2 and 3 seeds in each league play in the other Divisional Series.

Prediction: National League Wild Card Winner Will Lose the Divisional Series

Despite the fact the wild-card teams will face the No. 1 seeds in the Divisional Series, it is actually going out on more of a historical limb to say the winner of the NL Wild Card Game will lose the best-of-five showdown. 

The Chicago Cubs advanced all the way to the National League Championship Series last year after starting in the Wild Card Game. The 2014 World Series featured two teams that began their postseason journeys as wild cards, when the Kansas City Royals faced the San Francisco Giants, and the St. Louis Cardinals reached the NLCS in 2012 after winning the Wild Card Game.

However, this year’s wild-card winner will have a short postseason, largely because of the team it will face in the Divisional Series. It will already be fighting an uphill battle in the pitching matchups after using Madison Bumgarner (if it’s San Francisco) or Noah Syndergaard (if it’s New York) on Wednesday, and the Cubs will make quick work of it at the next stage.

The 103-58 Cubs sport the best record in baseball under the direction of three-time Manager of the Year Joe Maddon. While they haven’t won a World Series since 1908, they are perfectly positioned to change that this year with a dominant starting pitching staff, formidable offense and shutdown bullpen trio.

Jake Arrieta won the National League Cy Young last year, and he is likely the third-best starter on the Cubs in 2016 thanks to the presence of Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks. Lester and Hendricks were both forces in this year’s Cy Young race and will give Chicago a potent one-two punch before shifting to Arrieta.

As for the offense, Kris Bryant is a National League MVP candidate, and Anthony Rizzo provides plenty of lefty pop. Complementary pieces to that powerful heart of the order include Addison Russell, Dexter Fowler, Ben Zobrist and Javier Baez. Even Jason Heyward is capable of driving any given pitch despite his struggles this year.

If the offense gets the lead and the combination of Lester, Hendricks and Arrieta maintains it, Maddon will hand the ball to a bullpen that features Pedro Strop, Hector Rondon and Aroldis Chapman.

Tom Fornelli of CBSSports.com pointed out just how difficult a task beating the Cubs in October will be for the Wild Card Game winner:

That formula could lead the Cubs to a drought-busting triumph, and they will start their postseason with a relatively straightforward Divisional Series victory.

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October baseball doesn’t get much better than Wednesday’s National League Wild Card Game.

Two iconic franchises will square off with their aces on the mound in a pressure-packed, do-or-die contest. The winner of the showdown between the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants will then have a chance to spoil the Chicago Cubs’ quest to end their World Series drought in the National League Division Series.

Anthony DiComo of MLB.com noted Noah Syndergaard will take the mound for the Mets, while Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News noted the Giants will counter with Madison Bumgarner.

Here is a look at the schedule information for the enticing duel, a preview for the game and a prediction.

Schedule

Matchup: San Francisco Giants at New York Mets

Date: Wednesday, Oct. 5

TV: ESPN

Time: 8 p.m. ET

Preview and Prediction

New York clinched a spot in the postseason with a 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday, while San Francisco earned its wild-card berth with a 7-1 victory over the archrival Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday.

It shouldn’t be surprising that the Mets reached the postseason, considering they were in the World Series last year. However, that would be ignoring the arduous journey New York took to the 2016 playoffs.

A loaded starting rotation lost Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Steven Matz to season-ending injuries. Veteran third baseman David Wright is also out for the year, and the team as a whole had to overcome a slow start to the campaign.

According to DiComo, the Mets entered Saturday’s game with the best record in MLB since Aug. 20, when they were two games under .500.

Despite all of those challenges, the Mets’ World Series dreams are still alive. 

Manager Terry Collins discussed his team’s outlook, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com): “When you’re in, you’re capable of anything. Anything can happen. We’ve got our ace going on Wednesday. If he can spin one up and you get a couple of breaks, you never know.”

The Mets are 4-3 against the Giants this season, but don’t put much stock in regular-season results with this franchise. They were an abysmal 0-7 against the Chicago Cubs last year before sweeping them out of the National League Championship Series.

It will be up to Syndergaard to push that record to 5-3 against the Giants in 2016. The 2016 All-Star sports a 2.60 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP and 218 strikeouts in 183.2 innings.

He pitched twice against the Giants this season but ended up with vastly different results:

Although the first start wasn’t great, the Mets ace should have plenty of confidence after his most recent outing against the Giants. Daren Willman of MLB.com pointed out what made him effective:

Syndergaard won’t be the only lights-out starter toeing the rubber Wednesday.

Bumgarner, a four-time All-Star, is loaded with postseason experience. The 2014 World Series and NLCS MVP boasts a 7-3 record with a 2.14 ERA, a 0.883 WHIP and 77 strikeouts in 14 playoff games.

The Wild Card Game will be nothing new for him, either, considering he pitched nine shutout innings in that environment against the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2014, striking out 10 along the way.

Like Syndergaard, Bumgarner made two starts against his next opponent this year, with mixed results:

Bumgarner and Syndergaard give their respective teams the best chance to win the Wild Card Game, but the victor will be behind schedule with its starting rotation when it faces a well-rested Cubs team and a lineup that features potential National League MVP Kris Bryant and the powerful Anthony Rizzo in the NLDS.

Still, that is a problem the Giants and Mets would gladly take with their seasons on the line.

While Bumgarner’s postseason history is daunting for New York, the home team will prevail Wednesday. The Mets, who are playing red-hot baseball, hit Bumgarner around the last time they faced him. They will get some early run support for Syndergaard, who will put things on cruise control and keep his team’s improbable run rolling.

Get ready for a 2015 NLCS rematch, because the Mets will advance in front of a raucous Citi Field crowd.

Prediction: Mets 3, Giants 1

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The Toronto Blue Jays went 21 consecutive years without making the playoffs after winning the 1993 World Series. On Sunday, they clinched their second straight postseason spot.

The Detroit Tigers lost to the Atlanta Braves, 1-0, which locked up Toronto’s wild-card berth.

The team’s Twitter account celebrated the news:

Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet shared the celebratory team on the field:

Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet and Zwelling passed along some of the players enjoying the moment:

With their 2-1 win over the Boston Red Sox, they will host the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday in the American League‘s Wild Card Game matchup. 

The Blue Jays won the American League East last year but lost in the American League Championship Series to the World Series champion Kansas City Royals. Toronto led the major leagues in total runs in 2015 by an incredible margin of 127.

Things were different as Toronto clinched a wild-card berth this year after a heated battle with the likes of the Tigers, Orioles, Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros.

The Blue Jays weren’t just offensive mashers in 2016. While they rank eighth in the big leagues in total runs (757), pitching helped carry them to the postseason. In fact, the starting rotation, which ranks fourth in the majors in ERA (3.66), has been effective despite losing last year’s second-half ace, David Price, to the Boston Red Sox during the offseason.

Marcus Stroman, J.A. Happ, Aaron Sanchez, Marco Estrada and R.A. Dickey have all proved to be durable workhorses with at least 28 starts, and Toronto acquired southpaw Francisco Liriano from the Pittsburgh Pirates during the season to bolster the group.

Any pitching staff benefits from a loaded lineup, and that’s what Toronto brings to the table as it approaches the postseason.

Six players in the order have 20 or more home runs in 2016, and an offense that features Edwin Encarnacion, Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, Troy Tulowitzki, Michael Saunders and Russell Martin will be a difficult out in any playoff series.

Donaldson, the 2015 American League MVP, hasn’t even been the lineup’s most feared slugger. That title goes to Encarnacion, who has drilled 42 home runs and tallied 127 RBI as one of the best run producers in the league. Donaldson isn’t far behind, though, with 37 long balls and 99 RBI.

The Blue Jays have the pieces to make a deep postseason run for the second year in a row. However, this time they will have to play in the pressure-packed, do-or-die American League Wild Card Game, and they will not have the luxury of being able to come back after falling behind 2-0, as they did in last year’s American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers.

The sluggers and formidable pitching must deliver right away if Toronto is going to challenge for its first World Series title since 1993.

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The Baltimore Orioles are headed to the postseason for just the third time since the 1997 campaign.

Baltimore clinched a wild-card berth with a 5-2 victory over the New York Yankees on Sunday, as the team shared on Twitter:

The Boston Red Sox won the American League East, relegating the Orioles to the American League Wild Card Game.

The Seattle Mariners were eliminated from contention after a 9-8 loss to the Oakland Athletics on Saturday, which left the Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers battling for the two wild-card spots at the start of Sunday’s schedule.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports explained the situation before the Tigers lost to the Atlanta Braves, ensuring it will be Toronto and Baltimore in the Wild Card Game:

While the scenarios were confusing, that didn’t stop the Orioles from celebrating after they knew they did their part. The team shared some of the scenes after Sunday’s win:

Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com passed along more of the celebration:

Kevin Gausman pitched 7.1 inning Sunday, allowing two earned runs. He received some run support from Matt Wieters, who drilled two home runs.

Long balls are nothing new for Baltimore’s offense. As of Sunday, it led the major leagues with 251 home runs, far ahead of the second-place St. Louis Cardinals (224). Mark Trumbo, the team’s primary slugger, was slashing .256/.316/.533 with 47 home runs and 108 RBI entering Sunday’s contest.

Elsewhere, Chris Davis has 38 homers, and Manny Machado has 37. Pedro Alvarez, Jonathan Schoop and Adam Jones also each boast more than 20 long balls on the 2016 season.

The team’s slugging was critical as the Orioles earned a trip to the playoffs with lackluster starting pitching, ranking 24th in the big leagues with a 4.74 ERA as of Sunday.

However, Chris Tillman and Gausman both have ERAs below 4.00. In shortened postseason series, they can take the mound multiple times and keep Baltimore in contention.

The Orioles also have a lights-out bullpen that should help shorten those October games. As of Sunday, it was third in the majors with a 3.41 ERA.

Closer Zach Britton, the anchor of the group, had sparkling numbers entering Sunday’s game: a 0.54 ERA, a 0.84 WHIP, 47 saves and 74 strikeouts in 67 innings. A weapon like that at the back end of the bullpen is a scary proposition for any postseason opponent.

Between the bullpen and the power, Baltimore has the pieces to challenge for its first World Series title since the 1983 season.

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Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout left Wednesday’s game against the Oakland Athletics with an injury after being hit by a pitch. However, he is not expected to miss game time.

Continue for updates.

Trout Comments on Playing Status

Thursday, Sept. 29 

Trout told reporters he hopes to play on Friday, after X-rays on his shoulder were negative.  

Scioscia Comments on Trout’s Timeline

Thursday, Sept. 29

Angels manager Mike Scioscia announced that Trout is expected to be play against the Houston Astros on Friday, according to the Orange County Register‘s Jeff Fletcher. The Angels have Thursday off.

Trout in ‘Significant Pain’

Wednesday, Sept. 28

Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times said, “Trout was just nailed in the left shoulder by a 96 mph John Axford fastball. He’s in significant pain and being examined by the trainer.”

Trout’s Stats and Accomplishments

As of Wednesday, Trout was slashing .318/.441/.556 with 29 home runs, 99 RBI and 27 stolen bases. 

He is a five-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger, the 2012 American League Rookie of the Year and 2014 American League MVP. He also finished as the runner-up in MVP voting in 2012, 2013 and 2015.

Trout drilled 41 home runs last year, tallied 111 RBI in 2014 and demonstrated his speed in 2012 with 49 stolen bases.

If Trout misses any time, Nick Buss or Shane Robinson will likely see action it center field for the 72-87 Angels.

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The MLB postseason is quickly approaching, but many teams around the league already have their sights set on the offseason and potential improvements before the 2017 campaign.

After all, the World Series dreams have been extinguished for plenty of squads, leaving them with no choice but to focus on the long-term future. What’s more, even the contenders need to pay attention to the upcoming offseason if they hope to remain in favorable position beyond just this year. 

With that in mind, here is a look at some of the latest rumors from around the league and predictions for where some impending free agents will land before the 2017 season.

Blue Jays Sluggers Set to Hit the Open Market

As of Tuesday, the Toronto Blue Jays were tied for fifth in all of baseball in total runs scored, per ESPN.com. However, they may lose two key players in their powerful lineup this offseason.

According to Jeff Blair of Sportsnet, Edwin Encarnacion “is going to have a larger market than some expect because there are at least a couple of National League teams who view him as an everyday first baseman.”

Blair also discussed free-agent-to-be Jose Bautista, although he allowed that “more teams think Encarnacion can play first base everyday than think Bautista can still be an effective right fielder.”

Blair pointed out whether Encarnacion even wants to play first base full time will impact his free-agency decisions. Blair predicted the Houston Astros would pursue the slugger and noted “the fact Texas has no state income tax will help them since Encarnacion will want to keep as much as possible from what is likely his first and last big payday.”

Encarnacion will be 34 years old next season and does have experience in the National League from his time on the Cincinnati Reds (2005-09). However, he was a younger player at the time, and staying in the American League would give him the opportunity to prolong his career and continue mashing home runs as a designated hitter.

He can use the National League interest as leverage when negotiating with an Astros team that can use the absence of a state income tax as a selling point.

What’s more, Minute Maid Park in Houston has an inviting short porch in left field. According to MLB.com, the left field wall is just 315 feet away, which is likely enticing to Encarnacion considering he has at least 34 home runs in each of the last five seasons. He’s already surpassed 40 in 2016, which marks the second time he’s done so in that five-year span.

As for Bautista, he will be 36 years old next season and apparently won’t have the same market pull as Encarnacion to use as leverage.

That’s not to say a power hitter who drilled 40 home runs last year won’t generate interest on the open market, but his numbers have declined this year. As of Tuesday, he had 21 home runs and 67 RBI after drilling 40 and 114 last year, respectively. He also sported a .238 batting average, which would be his lowest mark since 2009.

The Blue Jays will lose Encarnacion this offseason and won’t want to watch another face of their franchise leave in Bautista. They will take advantage of the lesser market and keep the powerful slugger in their lineup next year with some of the money they could have used on Encarnacion. 

Prediction: Encarnacion heads to Houston; Bautista stays put in Toronto.

Lourdes Gurriel Attracting Attention from Notable Contenders

Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball noted Cuban prospect Lourdes Gurriel already had “a successful open showcase” and will have private workouts with the Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros and Miami Marlins, among others.

Heyman described Gurriel as a “shortstop by trade” but someone who is versatile enough to play at third base or the outfield. Considering he is 6’4”, he could move from shortstop to another position by the time he reaches the major league level.

Gurriel is No. 6 on MLB.com’s international prospects list, which said he is “a good runner with a good glove” and “athletic enough to play infield or outfield, which is part of his appeal to scouts.”

The prospect slashed .277/.362/.426 with 27 home runs and 23 stolen bases during six seasons in Cuba, per Heyman.

Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors pointed out Gurriel is subject to international bonus pools for the time being, but that will no longer be the case on Oct. 19 when he turns 23 years old.

“At that point, he’ll be free to sign with any MLB club for any amount, so the Red Sox will have a shot at him even though they’re currently restricted in their signings of players that are subject to international bonus restrictions,” Adams wrote.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reported in July that MLB banned Boston from signing international players for a year because it “circumvented signing-bonus rules.”

The fact Gurriel won’t be subject to the restrictions is key here, especially since the Red Sox will look to take advantage of their limited opportunity to make an impact on the international market this offseason. They will jump at the chance to do so with Gurriel and make him one of their primary acquisitions before the 2017 campaign.

Prediction: Red Sox sign Gurriel.

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Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez, who died Sunday in a boating accident, will be forever remembered as part of the franchise. 

According to Hal Habib of the Palm Beach Post, the organization announced Monday it will retire his No. 16.

Fernandez will become the first Marlin to have his jersey retired, per Kenny Ducey of Sports Illustrated. The only number Miami has ever retired was Jackie Robinson’s No. 42.  

The 24-year-old Fernandez was one of the brightest stars in the game. Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald noted every player on the Marlins will wear the No. 16 that is set to be retired during Monday’s game against the New York Mets.

Miami canceled its game Sunday against the Atlanta Braves after the news of Fernandez’s death emerged, and Habib said the team will not make it up unless it is necessary in the playoff race.

According to Habib, the Marlins will hold tributes to Fernandez between innings Monday, and they revamped the music as a way of honoring him. Habib shared an image of fans lining up to remember the pitcher:

The Marlins were not the only team to honor Fernandez. As Michael Edison Hayden of ABC News noted, Major League Baseball held a moment of silence before every game Sunday. The NFL’s Miami Dolphins did the same before their matchup with the Cleveland Browns.

Numbers are typically retired in baseball and many sports as a way of remembering some of the all-time greats on the field. While Fernandez was in just his fourth season at the MLB level, he was well on his way to becoming just that for the Marlins.

The two-time All-Star won the 2013 National League Rookie of the Year and never posted an ERA above 2.92 or a WHIP above 1.16. He also had 589 strikeouts in 471.1 career innings, emerging as one of the league’s most electrifying pitchers.

Fernandez was known for more than just his on-field prowess. The Cuban-born pitcher was a fan favorite in Miami, and Tyler Kepner of the New York Times described him as someone who “brought ebullience” to the game.

He was once jailed for attempting to defect from Cuba and even saved his mother from drowning during a defection attempt, per Kepner.

Though Fernandez was young, there was already so much to remember about him. The Marlins made sure their fans will do so for years to come by retiring his number.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers are National League West champions for the fourth consecutive season.

They clinched the division crown in dramatic fashion Sunday, as second baseman Charlie Culberson hit a walk-off home run in the 10th inning to send them to a 4-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies. The Dodgers reacted to the win and the National League West crown that came with it:

It will be a moment Culberson will likely remember for the rest of his life:

The team also shared the celebratory embraces and the after-victory party:

Sunday was the final home game of the season for Los Angeles, which means it was the last time legendary broadcaster Vin Scully called a game in Dodger Stadium. Scully will retire after the year, and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com thought it was the perfect ending:

Boston Celtics announcer Sean Grande underscored just how long Scully had been with the Dodgers:

Jesse Spector of Sporting News reacted to the walk-off:

Helping fuel the Dodgers’ playoff berth was a solid offense that ranked sixth in the National League in total runs heading into Sunday, per ESPN.com. Justin Turner and Yasmani Grandal each have 27 home runs, and rookie shortstop Corey Seager has provided a critical boost to L.A.’s offense, slashing .310/.370/.514 with 25 home runs and 70 RBI coming into Sunday’s game. Stephanie Apstein of Sports Illustrated believes he is a “lock for the National League Rookie of the Year.”

It isn’t just the offense that has spearheaded the Dodgers this season.

The starting pitching staff features six-time All-Star and three-time National League Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw. While he did miss significant time earlier in the season with a herniated disc, he is back and healthy with sparkling numbers. The southpaw has a 1.65 ERA, 0.71 WHIP and 168 strikeouts in 142 innings. Had he not missed so much time, he could be the clear-cut National League Cy Young front-runner.

Elsewhere, Kenta Maeda and Rich Hill provide some depth to the rotation. The Dodgers acquired Hill via trade from the Oakland Athletics this year, and he has a head-turning 1.53 ERA and 0.68 WHIP in five starts for his new team. Kershaw and Hill give Los Angeles a formidable duo that will make it a difficult out in any postseason series.

The Dodgers can also shorten playoff contests with closer Kenley Jansen and a bullpen that touts the best ERA in baseball, per ESPN.com. 

While the focus will turn exclusively to the players in a few weeks’ time, Scully is perhaps the marquee figure associated with the organization until the end of the regular season. He announced he won’t call playoff games in his final season, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, means his career will end on Oct. 2 when the Dodgers visit the San Francisco Giants.

At least he will be calling games for a postseason team after the Dodgers clinched the division crown Sunday.

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Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper suffered a wrist injury Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. X-rays on his wrist were negative, according to Byron Kerr of MASNsports.com. 

It’s unclear when he’ll return to the field. 

Continue for updates.

Latest on Harper’s Timeline for Recovery 

Monday, Sept. 26

Nationals manager Dusty Baker said the swelling in Harper’s wrist has gone down, adding he might be able to play later this week, per Kerr.

Harper Suffers Wrist Injury During Slide

Sunday, Sept. 25

Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com reported Harper was holding his left wrist after sliding awkwardly into third base, and Chris Heisey replaced Harper in right field. 

Harper Continues to Battle Injuries in ’16

This is not the first health concern for Harper in 2016. He already dealt with neck stiffness earlier in the season that forced him to miss time.

Harper isn’t known for his durability and appeared in more than 139 contests in a season for the first time in his career when he played 153 last year. However, he is widely considered one of the best players in MLB and is the anchor in the middle of the Nationals lineup. Thus far, he’s hitting .244 with 24 home runs and 85 RBI in 2016.

Harper proved his overall dominance in 2015 with a National League MVP award behind video game-type numbers. The four-time All-Star and 2012 National League Rookie of the Year posted a .330 batting average, 42 home runs, 99 RBI, 38 doubles, 124 walks and a 1.109 OPS last year.

Washington is on the short list of teams with realistic World Series championship hopes this season, and Harper’s presence is a major reason why. If it plans on competing against teams such as the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL pennant, it needs Harper back and healthy.

The Nationals will likely turn toward a combination of Clint Robinson and Heisey until their superstar returns.

Robinson is versatile enough to play either corner outfield spot and brought some power to the Washington lineup last year with 10 home runs. Heisey has hit as many as 18 home runs in a season (2011 with the Cincinnati Reds) and at least provides another potentially powerful option while Harper recovers.

However, neither is of Harper’s caliber, and Washington will be far more dangerous in the postseason push with the defending MVP healthy again.

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Seattle Mariners catcher Steve Clevenger has been suspended for controversial tweets he posted regarding the civil unrest in Charlotte, North Carolina. The team announced the punishment on Friday. 

Jon Humbert of KOMO 4 shared a screen cap of two tweets from the catcher (warning: tweets contain NSFW language):

Mariners general manager and executive vice president Jerry DiPoto released a statement on the situation, per Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times:

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports provided a statement from Clevenger, via Facebook:

Clevenger’s tweets and the protests in Charlotte followed the death of Keith Lamont Scott, a black man who was shot and killed by police officers who were looking for someone else with an outstanding warrant Tuesday, per FoxNews.com.

According to WSOCTV.com, nine civilians and five officers have been hurt in the subsequent demonstrations, and Gov. Pat McCrory has declared a state of emergency.

Another black man, Terence Crutcher, was shot and killed by police within the same week. Crutcher’s death occurred in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Friday.

Nick Carboni of WCNC.com noted that the NFL and Carolina Panthers are monitoring the situation in Charlotte but still plan on playing the team’s scheduled home game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

Elsewhere, Charlotte Hornets owner and all-time NBA great Michael Jordan released a statement offering condolences to the Scott family and asking the Charlotte community to come together:

In light of the tragic events of the past three days, it is more important than ever that we restore calm and come together, as a community, in peaceful demonstration and conversation, and in constructive and non-violent ways. As part of the fabric of Charlotte, the Hornets organization is committed to working with civic leaders, our elected leaders and law enforcement to foster more trust, transparency and understanding so we can heal and grow together as a community.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has generated plenty of headlines and discussion with his own form of peaceful demonstration by kneeling during the national anthem before his team takes the field as a way of protesting racial injustice in the United States.

As for Clevenger, he is slashing .221/.303/.309 with one home run and seven RBI this season but is on the 60-day disabled list because of a broken hand.

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