Kuzul

The Chicago Cubs look to take care of business and eliminate the rival St. Louis Cardinals from the postseason behind starter Jason Hammel in front of the home crowd at Wrigley Field during Game 4 of the National League Division Series at 4:30 p.m. ET Tuesday. Toeing the rubber opposite Hammel is John Lackey, who shut down the Cubs during Game 1 but is pitching on three days’ rest. Chicago leads the series 2-1.

One of the biggest keys for the Cubs will be their ability to get to Lackey early in the game. If they allow the big righty to settle in like he did in Game 1, when he pitched 7.1 innings of two-hit, no-run ball, they could be facing a tied series and a trip back to Busch Stadium.

How can the North Siders avoid that? Well, by riding the momentum gained from Game 3 and keeping their power surge going.

After setting a major league record for most home runs in a postseason game with six, the hot Cubs hitters have to stay aggressive versus Lackey.

Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta, who started Game 3, said that the power display was a big turning point, per ESPN.com’s Jon Greenberg.

“Seeing the ball fly out of the yard as many times as it did was just incredible,” Arrieta said. “The atmosphere, the fans were kind of thriving off that. It’s nice for our offense to be able to do that, get some confidence going into [Game 4].”

Jorge Soler, who was noticeably missing from the lineup in Game 1, has been an impact player for the Cubs this series and could prove to be a handful for Lackey.

Soler set a record as well in Game 3, as he became the first player to reach base safely in his first nine postseason plate appearances. He is 4-for-4 with two home runs, four RBI and five walks. His two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning of Game 3 put the Cubs up 7-4 and relieved some of the pressure on the bullpen.

Hammel will pitch for the first time this postseason and will have to stay composed as he faces a group of Cardinals hitters who have fought hard all series.

After playing them 19 times during the regular season, the Cubs know a thing or two about the Cardinals’ resiliency. Speaking to the MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat, Cubs catcher Miguel Montero said his team needs a repeat performance versus the Redbirds: 

These guys always come back and they keep grinding every at-bat. That’s the reason they won 100 games. They’re professional players out there, professional hitters and they make things happen. You can’t get enough runs against this team. We have to come back [Tuesday] with the same approach and go after it.

The top of the Cardinals lineup, especially rookie Stephen Piscotty and veteran Jason Heyward, who both homered Monday night, has given Cubs pitchers some problems so far. The duo is leading the Cardinals offense, hitting .417 and .333, respectively.

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny referenced the character of his club in a quote tweeted by the Cardinals earlier Tuesday: 

Similar to Monday night when the wind was blowing out to right field, weather should be a factor again in Game 4. The forecast calls for a game-time temperature of roughly 60 degrees, with chillier weather developing later. During Tuesday’s press conference, Cubs manager Joe Maddon told reporters the conditions favor the pitchers:

If Hammel can figure out how to cool off the bats of Piscotty and Heyward, the Cubs could find themselves in a good position to clinch their first playoff series since 2003.

Hammel’s start is even more important given that the Cubs have gone to the bullpen a lot so far this series, especially in Game 3. As MLB.com’s Phil Rogers pointed out, a major question mark for the Cubs will be the depth of their bullpen. After Clayton Richard, Trevor Cahill, Travis Wood, Pedro Strop and Hector Rondon all saw action Monday night, will the group as a whole be dependable if Hammel struggles? Other arms may have to help shut down the Cardinals’ deep lineup. 

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A lot of the talk surrounding Tuesday night’s American League Wild Card Game between the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros has been about Houston ace Dallas Keuchel, and for good reason. Keuchel has been effective against the Yankees in the past but is pitching off three days’ rest for the first time in his professional career.

He has also been considerably less impressive on the road this season, compared to at home. He has given up 13 home runs in away games but only four at Minute Maid Park.

However, Keuchel was 2-0 in two starts against the Yankees this season, not allowing a run in 16 innings while striking out 21.

A quality start could be the exclamation point on what Keuchel hopes is a Cy Young Award-caliber year.

During Monday’s press conference, Keuchel tried to alleviate any concerns ahead of the winner-take-all game, noting that he has toed the rubber on short rest before, during the College World Series.

“At this point in time, the routine is there, so I feel comfortable going in,” Keuchel told reporters. “I felt great. There’s no end of the season fatigue. I’m excited, and I don’t think I’ll need any type of adrenaline.”

The task ahead of him might be a little bit more manageable due to the fact that the Yankees have been struggling at the plate recently.

The Bronx Bombers had the third-worst team batting average for the month of September, hitting .233 collectively. In August, they had a .238 batting average. Over the weekend, New York was swept by the third-place Baltimore Orioles while being outscored 22-9.

Comparatively, the Astros hit .272 as a team in September, good for fourth-best in the majors.

But who knows what could happen in one game?

All it takes is one mistake, especially in Yankee Stadium, for a pitcher’s outing to go wrong.

One Yankees hitter to watch is Carlos Beltran. In nine career at-bats versus Keuchel, Beltran has a .444 average with one home run, two RBI and one walk. Although he batted only .243 during September, he did have five homers.

And then there’s controversial slugger Alex Rodriguez. He’s been criticized in years past for lack of clutch hitting during postseason play, and his performance will be even more under the microscope given that this is a one-game playoff.

After the Yankees faced Keuchel for nine innings in Houston on June 25, Rodriquez was not shy with ESPN.com’s Andrew Marchand about what he saw from the now 20-game winner.

“Tonight was just a complete domination,” Rodriquez said. “He made me look as silly as I’ve looked all year. He struck me out with a slider, a fastball and a changeup.”

In the article, Marchand pointed out that Keuchel became the first pitcher to have two complete games in his first two starts against the Yanks since Teddy Higuera did it in 1985.

On Tuesday night, Keuchel gets his third go at the Yankees batting order.

Expecting him to pitch another full nine innings on short rest may be asking too much, but with a competitor like Keuchel on the hill, you just never know.

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The Minnesota Twins are crashing the wild-card party and have been one of the biggest surprises of the 2015 season. After finishing last year with the second-worst record in the American League, the Cinderella Twins are now very much in the postseason picture and are just one game back for the second AL wild-card spot following a dramatic win Thursday night.

In their preseason team rankings, Sports Illustrated had the Twins at No. 28 in the league with a projected 2015 record of 67-95. With three games left to play, the Twins have managed to win 83 games this season and are 7-3 in their last 10 games.

What has been the key to their remarkable turnaround?

Young talent.

Similar to the Houston Astros, who coincidentally tied the Twins for the second-worst record in the AL last year (70- 92) and currently hold the second wild card, the Twins made an early decision that they were going to play their youngsters.

Seeking a spark following an 11-17 June, the Twins wasted little time in calling up top hitting prospect Miguel Sano from Double-A on July 1. The hard-swinging designated hitter/third baseman made an immediate impact. Sano, 22, hit .297 that month with an OBP of .424 to go along with four home runs in 22 games.

On Thursday, Sano was named one of three finalists for the Major League Baseball Players Association Most Outstanding Rookie Award in the AL. He has slugged 18 homers in 77 games this year. Projected over the course of a full season, those numbers become awe-inspiring.

On top of the power, Sano has shown a consistent ability to get on base. Although he has struck out 115 times, which is alarming, he has drawn 50 walks and has an OBP of .385.

Joe Mauer, who knows a thing or two about hitting himself, has been impressed with the Dominican slugger’s approach so far. In an interview with Derek Wetmore of 1500 ESPN, Mauer said it has been fun to watch the progress Sano has made.

“I think everybody talks about his power and how strong he is, but I think I’m mostly impressed with his eye at the plate,” Mauer said. “Laying off of tough pitches. He’s got a pretty good idea of what he wants to do and needs to do.”

If Sano can limit his strikeouts next year by cutting down on his swings and misses on hard breaking balls, he could grow to be one of the elite power hitters in the league.

Another rookie who has helped turn things around for the Twins is outfielder Eddie Rosario. With the big league club since May 6, Rosario has brought some much-needed energy to the Twins lineup.

Rosario projects to be a solid, all-around player for Minnesota for years to come. Rosario, who celebrated his 24th birthday on September 28, leads the majors in triples with 15.

On September 16, the Guayama, Puerto Rico, product became the first rookie since Hanley Ramirez in 2006 to collect at least 10 homers, 10 doubles, 10 triples and 10 stolen bases in a season.

He has a .271 average with 13 home runs and 18 doubles. Like Sano, and many young hitters out there, look for Rosario to work on cutting down his strikeout totals moving forward. If he can work the count and get on base a little bit more, he should be able to establish himself as a decent stolen base threat to go along with his power.

Also making a difference is shortstop Eduardo Escobar. Splitting time at short with Danny Santana, Escobar has impressed with his timely hitting and .989 fielding percentage.

The Twins got a huge lift from Escobar on Thursday night when he smacked a game-tying opposite-field double down the line during the top of the eighth in a must-win game against the Cleveland Indians. The hit helped keep the team’s postseason hopes alive.

And then there’s the Twins’ No. 1 prospect, Byron Buxton. Although he has struggled to the tune of a .216 BA, the outfielder has recently shown signs of breaking out. He is hitting .400 over the past two weeks, including his first two homers of his career.

He has also played in only 44 games so far and is still only 21 years old.

Just as Mike Trout struggled during his first taste of big league action (.220 BA in 2011), Buxton may just be going through the rounds as he adjusts to the AL and tougher pitching 

Who knows what Buxton could be capable of in a full season? 

At a point when young teams sometimes tend to fade or fatigue, the Twins have played strong down the stretch in September, compiling a 15-13 record.

That’s usually a sign of good things to come, and their core of young hitters, mixed with veterans, should help propel this team moving forward.

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