The first two days of the American and National League Division Series have lived up to the expectations of the fans, but with Day 3 of the MLB playoffs schedule full of intense action, the anticipation continues to climb.
If you like elite pitching, Saturday’s action is right up your alley. With San Francisco’s Tim Hudson, Washington’s Jordan Zimmermann, St. Louis’ Lance Lynn and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Zack Greinke all getting the start on Day 3, the on-field action should be intense.
Here is the full schedule for Day 3 with updated predictions for the series on tap for Saturday.
Breaking Down the Matchups
San Francisco at Washington
The San Francisco Giants took a thrilling Game 1 victory against the Washington Nationals, 3-2, on Friday. With the Nationals looking to get retribution, the team won’t have to wait long to get its hands on the Giants.
Game 2 in Washington should be just as thrilling as the opening game of the series.
San Francisco won’t go down without a fight, and the team will send veteran starting pitcher Hudson to the mound in this crucial Game 2. Hudson told Thomas Boswell of The Washington Post about what he feels it takes to make a deep run in the postseason:
Obviously they have a talented group over there. There’s no question. They have some great pitching. But come playoff time, talent can take you a long ways, but what do you have between your legs? That’s going to take you real far. And I think we’ve got a group in here that really has some of that.
The Giants are leading the series against Washington, and it is the Nationals that must show the intestinal fortitude on Saturday. The team must get to Hudson early and rattle his cage. With the starting pitcher off his game, the offensive production of players like Jayson Werth and Bryce Harper should be enough to earn a victory for the Nationals.
On the other hand, if Hudson pitches well and San Francisco continues to get production from the entire lineup, the Giants have the ability and experience to pull away from Washington and win Game 2 and the entire series.
Predicted Final Score: Washington 3, San Francisco 2
St. Louis at L.A. Dodgers
The most thrilling game of the 2014 MLB postseason was Game 1 between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers. With L.A. holding a 6-2 lead heading in the seventh inning, St. Louis exploded for eight runs and won the game, 10-9.
The animosity was overflowing in Game 1, as both benches cleared following Adam Wainwright hitting Yasiel Puig with a pitch. Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez spoke to Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com after the game regarding the altercation:
I was just basically saying, ‘You guys keep doing this over and over. We’re not going to put up with that.’ They’re going to say it’s not on purpose, but come on. It’s Wainwright. He knows where the ball is going.
Even the MLB.com Twitter account shared the animosity:
Now the focus turns to Game 2. With Lynn getting the start for the Cardinals and Greinke carrying the load for Los Angeles, offensive production may not be as easy to come by this time. While the pitching matchup on Saturday is tough, the battle between Clayton Kershaw and Wainwright to start the series resulted in a ton of offense as well.
St. Louis and L.A. are settled in for a long series. Now that the teams are familiar with each other’s postseason approach, Saturday’s game should feature more small ball. With two superior pitchers going at it, the score in Game 2 should be lower than the opening matchup.
Predicted Final Score: Los Angeles 5, St. Louis 4
*Stats via MLB.com.
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