After the long night that got things started, it’s time to look forward to the remaining MLB playoff games in the NL and AL Championship Series.
Carlos Beltran came away with a walk-off hit in the bottom of the 13th inning to give the St. Louis Cardinals the win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, putting them up 1-0 in the series. Beltran accounted for all three runs batted in for the day.
Below is the remaining schedule for both the ALCS and NLCS, followed by a quick breakdown of both series.
ALCS: Detroit Tigers vs. Boston Red Sox
It just seems fitting that arguably the best offense in the majors is going against one of the best groups of starting pitchers in the ALCS.
The Tigers have some tremendous pitchers with Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Anibal Sanchez. Verlander was especially dominant in the ALDS, starting twice and pitching 15 innings with six hits, zero runs and 21 strikeouts.
The bats took a while to get going, but the Tigers were able to score when it mattered. Miguel Cabrera, who had been hobbled in the series, came up with a huge two-run homer in Game 5 to put the Tigers on top.
For the Red Sox, they had no problem breezing through the Tampa Bay Rays, taking them out in four games. David Ortiz played a big role in the team’s Game 2 win thanks to two home runs.
After scoring 26 runs in just four games, you can bet that those bats are hot in Boston.
This is going to be an explosive series with a lot of big plays for both teams.
NLCS: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. St. Louis Cardinals
If every game in this series is going to be like Game 1, we’re going to be in for one heck of a ride.
Zack Greinke had a terrific outing for the Dodgers, going eight innings. He allowed only two earned runs and four hits in the game and struck out 10 batters.
We will see Clayton Kershaw once again in Game 2 for Los Angeles, and that’s a treat. In the two starts he had against the Atlanta Braves in the ALDS, Kershaw pitched 13 innings, struck out 18 batters and allowed just one run.
The Cardinals will be countering the Dodgers by sending out Michael Wacha in Game 2, and he was incredible in his start against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He had a no-hitter going through 7.1 innings, but then gave up a solo home run to Pedro Alvarez.
He threw 96 pitches and struck out nine batters in the process.
Both teams have weapons on offense as well. The Dodgers have guys like Adrian Gonzalez, Yasiel Puig and Juan Uribe. The Cardinals have players like Matt Carpenter, Carlos Beltran and Matt Holliday.
It was just one game, but we got a really good look at both of these teams. If this game was any indication, the series could go seven games and be one of the more memorable NLCS in recent memory.
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