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The 2013 MLB playoffs begin on Tuesday night in the National League with the Cincinnati Reds going to PNC Park to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first Wild Card Game at 8:07 p.m. ET on TBS.

The second Wild Card Game will be the American League matchup between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cleveland Indians who will welcome the Rays to town. This game will take place on Wednesday at 8:07 p.m. ET on TBS.

Johnny Cueto will get the nod for the Reds, and Francisco Liriano will go for the Pirates in a matchup that will feature two starters who are a bit more established than the AL version’s starters.

For the Rays, Alex Cobb will get the ball, and Danny Salazar will take the mound for the Indians. These two pitchers will both be making their first career playoff starts.

Let’s break down each of these pitching matchups and figure out who has the edge in each.

Playoff games broadcast on TBS can be viewed online on the channel’s official site.

Cincinnati Reds at Pittsburgh Pirates

Johnny Cueto vs. Francisco Liriano

With Mat Latos unable to make the start for the Reds due to an elbow injury (according to the Associated Press via ESPN.com), Cueto will get the ball a year after lasting just 0.1 innings in Game 1 of the 2012 NLDS because of injury.

Cueto has seen plenty of the trainer’s room in 2013 with back issues and has made just two starts since returning from the disabled list on September 16. In those two starts, Cueto has looked solid with a 1-0 record and a 0.75 ERA. For the season, Cueto is 5-2 with a 2.82 ERA in limited action.

Liriano has seen his career revived as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. After ending three of his last four seasons with an ERA over five, Liriano’s numbers are starting to look more like that of an ace with a 16-8 mark and an ERA of 3.02 for the upstart Pirates in 2013.

One major thing these two have in common is their lack of playoff experience. Liriano has tossed just 7.2 innings in the postseason in two appearances (one start), while Cueto has two October starts for a combined 5.1 innings pitched. Despite that, both starters have at least six years of experience in MLB.

Liriano’s struggles have been evident against the Reds as they are one of the handful of teams that have had some success against him this season.

The 29-year-old has yet to win against Cincinnati and has three losses in four starts with a respectable ERA of 3.70. Cueto‘s numbers are far more impressive against his counterpart as the Reds starter is 1-0 this season in two starts with a 0.73 ERA, although one of those starts ended early due to injury back in April.

Looking at Cueto‘s numbers all-time against the Pirates is where he has a huge edge. Cueto is 13-4 with a 2.37 ERA against Pittsburgh overall and owns a great 8-2 mark with a 1.80 ERA in PNC Park alone.

The experience factor clearly goes to the Reds as a team after playing in October last year. Cueto‘s past success against Pittsburgh should carry over into this game against a tight Pirates team that is making its first postseason appearance in 21 years.

Tampa Bay Rays at Cleveland Indians

Alex Cobb vs. Danny Salazar

The American League Wild Card Game will feature two of the younger pitching stars that are emerging in MLB today.

Cobb has been stellar for the Rays in 2013 but was forced to miss two months during the season with a head injury as a result of being hit by a comebacker. When he’s been on the field, Cobb posted an 11-3 record with a 2.76 ERA. The 25-year-old has won his last three starts to finish the regular season strong and sported a 3-0 record with a 2.57 ERA in September.

Fellow young stud, Salazar, entered the big leagues in July and has been great for the Indians ever since his debut start on July 11 that saw him go six fabulous innings of two-hit, one-run ball with seven strikeouts. For the season, Salazar is 2-3 with a 3.12 ERA and also finished off the season looking good with a 2.52 ERA during the final month, although he only lasted six innings or more twice in five starts.

Cobb has seen the Indians once this season—which came back on April 6—and was dominant. He went 7.1 innings without allowing a run while surrendering just four hits and striking out six. Salazar has yet to face the Rays this season, so that makes his future against Tampa Bay in this game unpredictable.

Tampa Bay finished No. 21 in MLB in strikeouts as a team, so Salazar’s ability as a guy who can make hitters miss may fall flat against his Wild Card opponent. On the flip side, Cobb should enjoy plenty of whiffs as the Indians finished No. 9 in baseball in strikeouts as a team.

Cobb will come into this game as the hotter of the two pitchers considering his superior numbers in September with four of his five starts being six innings or more during the month. Both pitchers will suffer from inexperience in this game, but the Rays have a great track record of putting young starters in a big spot and getting the most of them—and Cobb will be the latest to get it done.

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The month-long journey to become World Series champions begins Tuesday night in Pittsburgh, where the Pirates will host the rival Cincinnati Reds in the National League Wild Card Game. The winner advances to a best-of-five National League Divisional Series while the loser goes home.

The action continues on Wednesday with the American League Wild Card Game, which will pit the Tampa Bay Rays up against the Cleveland Indians.

Four weeks later, a champion will be crowned. 

Below, we’ll get you set for playoff baseball with key dates and television info for every postseason game as well as some bold predictions.

Schedule information according to MLB.com. 

* if necessary

Wild Card

Wild Card Predictions

Pittsburgh Pirates over Cincinnati Reds

The Pirates have won seven of their last 10 coming into the postseason, including three straight against the Reds. Look for them to overcome Cincinnati again inside a raucous PNC Park on Tuesday.

Cleveland Indians over Tampa Bay Rays

There isn’t a team hotter than the Cleveland Indians right now. Winners of 10 straight games to end the regular season, watch for the Indians to send the Rays home early on Wednesday. Tampa Bay has been on a crazy two-game run, beating Toronto and Texas on the road just to get into the playoffs, but pulling out three straight must-wins on the road is awfully tough.

Divisional Series Predictions

Atlanta Braves over Los Angeles Dodgers

Neither team is particular hot coming in, but the Braves have been the more dominant of the two teams, sporting a plus-140 run differential this season. That mark is the fifth-best in baseball and the second-best in the National League.

Plus, the Braves have home-field advantage in this series and no team won more at home this season than Atlanta.

St. Louis Cardinals over Pittsburgh Pirates

The scorching-hot Cardinals will have trouble winning in the Steel City, but they don’t need to win on the road in order to advance. Look for the highest-scoring team in the National League to cruise into the championship series.

Detroit Tigers over Oakland A’s

These are two evenly matched teams, but I give the slight edge to Detroit. The Tigers topped the A’s in five games in the ALDS a year ago and will have the psychological edge in addition to baseball’s best player in Miguel Cabrera on their side.

Boston Red Sox over Cleveland Indians

Don’t bet on Cleveland’s pitching staff being able to cool off Boston’s bats. The Red Sox led the majors in runs this season and will have the advantage of playing three out of five games at home if necessary. There’s a reason this team wrapped up a playoff berth a while back.

Championship Series

St. Louis Cardinals over Atlanta Braves

Not only are the Cardinals the most explosive team in the National League, but they are also playing the best baseball of any team in the league coming into the postseason. They’ll have home-field advantage all the way to the World Series, and it’s difficult to imagine them squandering it.  

Detroit Tigers over Boston Red Sox

The Detroit Tigers have unfinished business after reaching the World Series a year ago, only to be swept by the San Francisco Giants. With Cabrera leading the way, I like the Tigers to upend the Red Sox, who will find runs much harder to come by against one of the league’s most talented pitching staffs. 

World Series

St. Louis Cardinals over Detroit Tigers

St. Louis has the look of a World Series champion. The Cardinals are playing their best baseball at the right time and have the championship pedigree that sets them apart from most other clubs. 

While it is difficult to see the Tigers suffering back-to-back World Series defeats, keep in mind that the Cardinals have won two championships since 2006. That year, they beat the Tigers in five games to take the crown. 

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter. 

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The Tampa Bay Rays will travel to take on the Cleveland Indians in the 2013 American League Wildcard Game on October 2.

While both teams are evenly matched in many ways, Tampa Bay’s pitching—both their overall rotation and bullpen—will prove to be the difference in the one-game showdown.

The Rays will start Alex Cobb, which bodes well for Tampa considering that his counterpart, Indians pitcher Danny Salazar, began the 2013 season with Cleveland’s AA affiliate.

Considering how well Cobb has pitched this season, the matchup edge is clearly in favor of the Rays.  All Cleveland can hope for is that Salazar is too unknown a product for Tampa Bay to cope with.  That is a lot to ask for considering his lack of experience.

The Indians do boast an impressive lineup, and Cobb will have to do his best to shut them down.  This will not be an easy task, yet considering how well he has pitched down the stretch, Cleveland should have their hands full.

If the Rays are able to maintain a lead heading into the latter innings, they can count on a solid bullpen consisting of guys like Jake McGee, Joel Peralta and Fernando Rodney.  Alex Torres is Tampa Bay’s best middle-relief option having posted a 1.71 ERA in 58 innings.

While Rodney has been a little shaky during the season, the rest of these players are solid in shutting the door over the final three innings.  If Cleveland is trailing going into the seventh, their night could be all but over.

On the other hand, the Indians do not have an established closer, although Joe Smith, who has a 2.29 ERA with 54 strikeouts in 63 innings this season, may be their best option if the game is close.

If pitching wins championships, Tampa Bay has it for Wednesday and Cleveland does not.  Both have respectable lineups, yet the pitching will prove to be the vital factor.

For the Rays, it should be enough to get them beyond this one-game playoff.

All statistics and accolades courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

Peter Panacy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report.  Follow him @PeterMcShots on Twitter.

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After a 28-game turnaround from 2012, 97 victories and an American League East title, the Boston Red Sox have earned home-field advantage throughout the postseason and the right to sit back and watch Tampa Bay and Cleveland battle for the right to arrive at Fenway Park for the ALDS on Friday.

Fans from Tampa to Cleveland to Red Sox players and management will be watching with bated breathe on Wednesday night when Alex Cobb and Danny Salazar toe the rubber at Progressive Field to determine the true AL Wild Card winner for 2013.

Much like the St. Louis Cardinals won’t actively root for a victor on Tuesday night in Pittsburgh, the sentiment is surely there deep down for the Red Sox on Wednesday. If anyone in Boston takes an objective look at the potential five-game postseason series battle, rooting interest will be clear.

In order to successfully get through the ALDS and on to bigger things in October, the Red Sox should be rooting for the Indians in the AL Wild Card game.

Before diving into four reasons that cast the Rays as a much bigger threat than the Indians, let’s disclose this fact: Boston played well against both teams during the 2013 regular season. With a 12-7 record over Tampa and 6-1 over Cleveland, the Red Sox will enter the ALDS with confidence against either foe.

Of course, the postseason is a far different animal. Here are four reasons the Red Sox should hope to avoid the Rays.

1. Tampa owns the blueprint for shutting down Boston’s offense

As explained here, the key to shutting down the high-powered Red Sox offense lies in simplicity: Throw strikes, limit walks and pitch deep into games. Despite profiling as a young, inexperienced staff, Tampa has the arms to do just that.

Led by David Price (5.59 SO/BB), the Rays, along with Alex Cobb (2.98 SO/BB) and Chris Archer (2.66 SO/BB), boast three starting pitchers that can limit free passes and Boston’s ability to wear down opposing starters.

If Matt Moore (1.88 SO/BB) can show command and control, his raw stuff is good enough to get Red Sox hitters out on a consistent basis.

Rays manager Joe Maddon has these numbers and every Boston weakness available to him in order to craft a rotation, game plan and game-by-game decisions to derail Boston’s hopes of a sustained October run, but it’s up to the four Tampa arms to execute and render the Red Sox’s best weapon a non-factor.

2. Familiarity

Over the years, the Red Sox-Rays rivalry has become one of the best in baseball. Until 2008, it flew under the radar due to Tampa’s ineptitude during their first decade as a major league team. Of course, that didn’t stop brawls and bench-clearing moments during Boston’s time as powerhouse in the early 2000s.

Since 2008, including the seven-game American League Championship Series that propelled the Rays into their lone World Series appearance, Boston and Tampa have played 116 times. The ledger during those contests: Tampa 62, Boston 54.

Despite roster, managerial and front office changes on either side, the Red Sox and Rays know each other as well as any rivals in the sport.

If Tampa walks into Fenway Park on Friday afternoon for Game 1 of the ALDS, there won’t be any wide eyes or overwhelmed players. Instead, expect business as usual for a team that can call Boston a second home.

3. The overrated narratives of Cleveland’s possible battle with Boston

Look, Terry Francona, days after this quote via Twitter, returning to Boston with a new team and attempting to upset the Red Sox would be a tremendous storyline for baseball writers around the country. Factor in ex-Red Sox prospect Justin Masterson possibly serving as Cleveland’s closer and former hated Yankees in Nick Swisher and Jason Giambi and it’s clear that Indians-Red Sox is a drama made for October television.

Yet, the narratives of Terry’s revenge and Boston ruing the way they treated their two-time World Series champion manager are a bit overrated. Yes, Tito received a raw deal, but Boston is in good hands with the Ben Cherington-John Farrell combination. It’s more than likely that Boston is set up to be a contender for a longer period of time than Cleveland, regardless of the outcome of this potential ALDS.

Most importantly, though, the narrative won’t change the game on the field. Will Francona want to beat the Red Sox more than he would have, say, Baltimore, if the Orioles had won the AL East?

I find that hard to believe.

TBS would undoubtedly recant the highs and lows of Francona‘s tenure in Boston, but unless Ubaldo Jimenez pitches great and Jason Kipnis hits the cover off the ball, it won’t matter. 

4. Boston’s luck over Tampa could be about to run out

In the aftermath of a Boston victory over Tampa on September 12, Rays manager Joe Maddon had this to say (via Boston.com) about potentially seeing the Red Sox down the line: “We’re really looking forward to playing them in the playoffs.”

Maddon could have been foreshadowing the inevitable, but, when looking at the numbers, he might have been offering a glimpse into why his team would want to see Boston in October.

As noted above, the Red Sox won 12 of 19 games over the Rays during the regular season. A deeper dive into those numbers, however, shows how fortunate those 12 wins were.

In an ultra-informative piece written by Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe in mid-September, the Red Sox scribe pointed out how Boston was winning the majority of battles with Tampa despite not hitting the ball very well.

Up to that point, Boston had posted a .207 batting average against Tampa pitching, but that number rose to .280 with runners in scoring position. On the other side, Tampa hit .237, but less than .150 during their best scoring chances.

While 19 games isn’t a very small sample size, it’s not big enough to give those numbers true merit. In other words, Boston’s ability to hit over 130 points higher with men in scoring position may not carry over into the postseason.

If it doesn’t, their margin for error will be very, very small, leading to close games and a managerial battle that can decide the series.

Which team should the Red Sox root for on Wednesday night?

Comment below, follow me on Twitter or “like” my Facebook page to talk all things baseball.

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The Tampa Bay Rays have a tough road ahead.

After 162 games, the Rays finished the season tied with the Texas Rangers for the second Wild Card spot in the American League. A tiebreaker Game 163 was required to answer the question of whether the Rays would even make the postseason in 2013.

Monday night the Rays answered the question by defeating the Rangers 5-2.

The road will only get tougher for the team that has not been home since September 23.

If the Rays make it past the Cleveland Indians in the Wild Card Game they will travel to Boston to face the Red Sox on Friday. Game 1 of the ALDS would be the team’s fourth road game in four cities in a span of six days.

Here are the four biggest questions facing the Rays, other than did the players pack enough laundry for the road trip that keeps going.

All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

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The 2013 MLB playoff schedule became clearer when the Tampa Bay Rays topped the Texas Rangers 5-2 on Monday evening in a tiebreaker game, earning a spot in the official American League Wild Card Game.

Joe Maddon’s bunch will be on the road again in traveling to Progressive Field to take on the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday in another win-or-go-home scenario.

It’s amazing that the AL wild-card race came down to the 162nd and final game of the regular season and that it took an additional contest to truly settle the score.

The National League wild-card picture has been set in stone for some time, as the Pittsburgh Pirates will play host to the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday. Pittsburgh beat the Reds on the road 4-2 in the regular-season finale, which gives the club a slight edge as hosts in PNC Park.

Before getting into predictions for the forthcoming wild-card showdowns, here is a look at the complete MLB postseason schedule as it stands at the moment.

2013 MLB Postseason Schedule

* = if necessary

Wild-Card Predictions

Cincinnati Reds vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

The pitching matchup in this one will be intriguing, because Reds hurler Johnny Cueto has made only two starts since June 28, but he yielded just one earned run total in those appearances.

Meanwhile, Francisco Liriano has enjoyed his best season by far since 2006, winning a career-high 16 games and posting an ERA of 3.02.

In the friendly confines of PNC Park, Liriano is 8-1 with a 1.47 ERA, and left-handed hitters are batting just .131 against him for the 2013 season.

That is bad news for Cincinnati, who has Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and Shin-Soo Choo to rely on for its power hitting—all of whom are left-handed. With Liriano’s slider and developed changeup, it will be difficult for the Reds to get much wood on the ball in the early going.

Expect a big game from superstar Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen and for the home crowd and team to feed off the symbiotic, electric atmosphere to key a win for Pittsburgh.

Prediction: Pirates 6, Reds 4

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Cleveland Indians

The hottest team in baseball may see its postseason hopes foiled at home in one evening, but the Indians hope that isn’t the case.

Cleveland is riding a 10-game winning streak entering the playoffs and will put its hopes in the hands of 23-year-old right-handed pitcher Danny Salazar on Wednesday.

Another young stud will take the hill for the Rays in Alex Cobb, who went 11-3 with an ERA of just 2.76 in his second full season in the big leagues.

Winning 10 in a row and then falling flat at Progressive Field would be the latest sad Cleveland sports story, but with former World Series-winning manager Terry Francona at the helm, that shouldn’t happen this time around.

The big concern is what the Indians will do down the stretch, since closer Chris Perez posted a 5.73 ERA in August and ballooned to 9.64 in September. 

However, Francona’s tactical genius has been on display in circumventing that problem down the stretch to get the Indians to this point.

Between that and the balanced production Cleveland’s lineup enjoys, the Tribe should roll to victory to set up a clash with another AL East foe, the Boston Red Sox.

Prediction: Indians 6, Rays 5

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The 2013 MLB postseason gets underway on Tuesday night, with the Cincinnati Reds facing the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NL Wild Card Round. The winner advances to play the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Divisional Series.

With teams allowed to change their rosters following this one-game playoff, both rosters will likely be heavy on position players and thin on pitchers.

That means speedy Reds rookie Billy Hamilton is all but assured of a place on the roster at least for this one game, and he’ll be one to watch if he makes an appearance.

The 23-year-old swiped a minor league single-season record 155 bases between High-A and Double-A in 2012 and followed that up with 75 thefts at Triple-A this season before making his big league debut on Sept. 3.

Hamilton saw just 19 at-bats after his call-up, but made seven appearances as a pinch runner. All told he went 13-of-14 on stolen base attempts, proving his dynamic speed. Here is a look at each steal, who was pitching and how easy they are to steal on, and who was catching and how easy they are to steal on.

The lone time Hamilton was caught stealing was against a 23-year-old September call-up in Juan Centeno, who was 1-for-5 on the season in catching runners. He did display a terrific knack for gunning runners in the minors though, throwing out 34 of 61 (56 percent) runners on the season.

As you can see by the video, it still took a perfect throw and tag to nab Hamilton for the first time and is a good indication of what it will take for Martin to have a chance of catching Hamilton should he get on base.

What we’re more concerned with here, though, are the two stolen bases highlighted on the list above, as Hamilton has actually squared off against Martin twice this season and been success on both stolen base attempts.

The first came on Sept. 20, against All-Star setup man Mark Melancon. The pitch was a fastball slightly down, and Martin may have had a chance to get him had his throw not been slightly off line.

The second came two days later against another right-hander in Jeanmar Gomez. Hamilton got on base with a bunt single, then took off on the second pitch of the next at-bat. The pitch was a fastball and Martin made a great throw, but Hamilton got a great jump and was safe by a decent amount.

The three best catcher among qualifiers as far as throwing out runners this season were A.J. Ellis (44.4 percent), Yadier Molina (43.5), and Martin (40.4). Hamilton was 6-for-6 on the season against that trio, stealing two bases against each of them, so at this point it may be as much about luck as it is about skill when it comes to nailing Hamilton.

However, it’s worth noting that the only left-handers Hamilton stole on this season were relievers Paco Rodriguez and Kevin Chapman, both of whom are not particularly quick to the plate.

With that in mind, the X-factor here could be Pirates starter and left-hander Francisco Liriano, who has done a nice job keeping the running game at bay throughout his career. Would-be base stealers are 77-for-104 (74 percent) over the course of his eight-year career.

On the year, runners have gone 7-for-11 against him, but the four he’s caught have been no slouches on the bases.

Shin-Soo Choo (20 SB) and Norichika Aoki (20 SB) were both caught stealing, while smart veteran base runners Alfonso Soriano and Elvis Andrus were picked off of first base.

If any duo in baseball is capable of slowing down the potential impact Billy Hamilton can have on the bases, it would appear the Martin/Liriano duo would be a prime candidate. In the end slowing him down is really all you can hope to do.

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The Tampa Bay Rays have picked a horrible time to hit a snag. The team came into its final series against the Toronto Blue Jays needing to win just one game to ensure a berth in the AL Wild Card Game.

After dropping the first two games of this all-important series, the Rays have to win on Sunday to have a shot at playing in the AL Wild Card Game. They are now 90-71 and tied for the second wild-card spot with the Texas Rangers.

The Cleveland Indians have won nine straight and are now sitting in the top spot at 91-70.

First Scenario

Everything could be made simple if the Indians defeat the Minnesota Twins, and the Rays and Rangers win and lose, respectively or vice versa.

Even the simple option is complicated.

That would create a postseason scenario where Sunday’s winners would meet at Progressive Field to see which wild-card team advances to the AL Division Series. As crazy as this final week of the major league season has been, we should be prepared for things to get complex.

Second Scenario

If the Indians lose and both the Rangers and Rays win, there would be a three-way tie for the two spots. Per MLB.com, here’s how that would be settled.

Essentially, the Rays would play the Indians in Cleveland on Monday for the top wild-card spot. The loser of this game would play the Rangers in Texas for the second wild-card spot on Tuesday. The AL Wild Card Game would be played on Wednesday.

It would be hosted by the winner of the Rays-Indians game. Since the Rays and Indians had the two highest winning percentages in head-to-head games among the three teams, they have two chances to earn one of the spots.

Third Scenario

If the Indians win and the Rangers and Rays both win or lose, the latter two will finish the season tied. The Indians would remain in the wild-card spot and host the AL Wild Card Game. The Rays and Rangers would play a tiebreaker game for the final spot on Monday. If all three teams lose on Sunday, we would get the same result.

The more confusing this whole wild-card thing gets, the more fun it is to follow. Stay tuned for an epic Sunday of baseball to see which of these three scenarios plays out.

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With one day remaining in the 2013 Major League Baseball regular season, one race is undecided. Heading into play on Sunday, the Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers all control their respective destinies on the path to an American League Division Series date with the Boston Red Sox in Fenway Park late next week.

Naturally, with Cleveland a game ahead of both Texas and Tampa Bay heading into the final day of the season, it’s easy to question how all three teams can actually control their own fate. The answer, when weeding through all possible outcomes, is simple: As long as the teams keep winning, they’ll keep playing.

Day-by-day predictions in must-win scenarios are never easy to make, but here’s one I feel confident in: Cleveland, Texas and Tampa Bay will all win on Sunday. With their respective playoff hopes all hanging in the balance, imagining the Indians, Rangers or Rays losing to Scott Diamond (6-12, 5.54 ERA), Jason Vargas (9-7, 4.01) or Todd Redmond (4-2, 3.77), respectively, is hard for me to believe.

Here’s why to like all of the must-win teams on Sunday.

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Toronto Blue Jays

With Matt Moore on the hill, the Rays can turn to one of their many young, hard-throwing pitchers in order to stop their two-game losing streak in Canada and get through the weekend alive in the postseason mix.

On the other side, Toronto will counter with Todd Redmond to finish its campaign. In 13 starts, Redmond has been very effective, limiting opponents to three or fewer runs 10 times.

If there’s an X-factor in Sunday’s game, however, look to Rays third baseman Evan Longoria. In three plate appearances against Redmond this season, Longoria has already homered. As we know from the finale of the 2011 season, Tampa’s best player has a flair for the dramatic in these late-season games.

Los Angeles Angels vs. Texas Rangers

Despite winning only five games in a 22-day span to start September, the Rangers enter the last day of the season with a chance to get back to October for the fourth straight year.

In perhaps the biggest mismatch of the afternoon, Texas will throw Yu Darvish against Angels lefty Jason Vargas.

While Vargas, a longtime Mariner before last offseason’s trade to the Angels, is familiar with pitching in Arlington, that familiarity doesn’t necessarily mean success will follow. In 56.1 career innings in Texas, Vargas has pitched to a 4.47 ERA and allowed 10 home runs.

If Darvish (2.22 ERA past four starts) is his usual self, Vargas will have to be close to perfect to knock Texas out. Judging by the venue, he’s not up to the task.

Cleveland Indians vs. Minnesota Twins

If Cleveland’s offense, with a berth in the Wild Card Game on the line, can’t beat up Twins starter Scott Diamond, the Indians might not deserve a ticket to October baseball.

As Diamond’s 2013 pitching log shows, the lefty has posted an 8-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio since early July. No, that ratio isn’t backwards. He’s walked 19 and only struck out eight batters since his start prior to the All-Star break.

It’s hard to imagine any pitcher having success with that type of arsenal, let alone one pitching in the American League. Not surprisingly, Diamond’s ERA is 6.26 over that span.

The Indians are fifth in the major leagues in runs for a reason: They punish pitchers like Scott Diamond.

It doesn’t hurt that the Indians will have Ubaldo Jimenez on the mound. In a resurgent 2013 campaign, Jimenez is 12-9 with a 3.38 ERA—with 10 strikeouts in his one start against the Twins this year.

If all three wild-card contenders emerge victorious, Cleveland will fly home to await the winner of a Texas-Tampa Bay tiebreaker game.

The Aftermath

For the Indians, the scenario is quite simple. A win on Sunday guarantees them a wild-card game at Progressive Field on Wednesday. The outcome in Texas and Toronto (where the Rays are playing this weekend) is irrelevant to the Indians’ postseason fate on the final day of the 2013 season. Win and they are one of five American League postseason teams.

For Tampa Bay and Texas, the tie complicates matters. If the teams, both sitting at 90-71, depart Sunday’s action with identical records (91-71 or 90-72) while Cleveland wins, they’ll meet on Monday in a one-game playoff to determine which team heads to Cleveland for the Wild Card Game on Wednesday.

Of course, a chaos scenario is possible. If Tampa and Texas both win and Cleveland loses in Minnesota, all three teams would end the season at 91-71. That would set up a tiebreaking three-way tilt to determine the American League Wild Card. To keep it simple, as Mike Axisa of CBS Sports tried to in this post, the following schedule would then take place:

Monday: Rays at Indians
Tuesday: Rays-Indians loser at Rangers
Wednesday: Tuesday winner at Monday winner

Now that the details have been determined, which team will emerge as the lone AL wild-card winner?

Based on what we know, what could be and the overall strength of the contenders at hand, expect the Tampa Bay Rays to open up the postseason in Fenway Park, leaving the Rangers and Indians on the outside looking in.

Although the Rays would have to win back-to-back do-or-die playoff games (three if you include Sunday at Toronto), they have the pitching depth lined up to make it happen.

On Sunday, Joe Maddon will throw All-Star left-hander Matt Moore. In 11 innings against Toronto this season, Moore has limited the Jays to just three runs. If Tampa gets to the tiebreaker game against Texas, it’ll have the 2012 Cy Young winner, David Price, ready to go.

As for the Rangers, they’re lining up Yu Darvish, every bit the equal to Price or any other American League ace, to pitch them into a tiebreaker game on Monday.

But unless Ron Washington has an ace up his sleeve, Texas will turn to Martin Perez in Monday’s game with Tampa. In order to stage a run back from the wild-card abyss last week, the Rangers needed to use Matt Garza, Derek Holland and Yu Darvish, their three-headed strikeout machine, just to get to where they are now.

If Price defeats Perez in a tiebreaker on Monday, Tampa will fly to Cleveland for the official American League Wild Card Game on Wednesday evening. Judging by what Terry Francona said before Cleveland’s victory on Saturday, the Indians don’t seem inclined to put their prime position in jeopardy by holding back Ubaldo Jimenez from his Sunday start.

By asking Jimenez to pitch them to Wednesday, which is the right move, the Indians leave themselves vulnerable in a potential battle against Rays right-hander Alex Cobb.

While Texas is hot and Cleveland is in prime position, the Rays have the horses to get through the American League obstacle course that the schedule has created for baseball fans.

All three teams can win. All three teams can lose. Due to only having to win two games, as opposed to three, the Indians seem like the logical choice to head to Boston next weekend.

Logic, however, rarely works when the Rays and late-season magic mix.

Back-to-back losses in Toronto have hurt Tampa Bay’s chances, but it still has the best pitching and should prevail.

Which team will emerge as the American League Wild Card?

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Even if a team loses in the division series, it was worth it just to make it to the MLB postseason.

That’s what four teams are going to be saying in a couple of weeks after they’re bounced out of the playoffs in the opening series.

Since it’s decided over five games rather than seven, the division series offers a much greater chance of seeing the better teams making quick exits.

Some of these predictions, of course, hinge on certain wild-card teams not only making it to but also winning the one-game wild-card playoff. They’re also based off of what would be the current playoff matchups, via MLB.com’s Postseason Picture.

Cleveland Indians

The one thing you need the most in the postseason is pitching. As the saying goes, good pitching always beats good hitting.

Cleveland Indians fans should know that already, having seen the 1995 World Series. It was that year that Cleveland came in with a great lineup, headlined by Albert Belle. However, the Tribe were neutralized by the magnificent Atlanta Braves starting rotation.

This Indians team is kind of a poor man’s version of that great ’95 team. The offense makes up for a suspect pitching staff.

Cleveland is 15th in the league in team earned run average. Ubaldo Jimenez is the anchor of the rotation, and despite his strong 2013, he’s still the guy who was dreadful in 2011 and ’12. You cannot fully trust him, and it only goes downhill from there. Then there’s the mess of a bullpen. Chris Perez has zero confidence at the moment, and the rest of the relievers don’t inspire a ton of confidence.

The Tribe look to be one of those teams with a magic touch, but like the Baltimore Orioles last season, an exit in the division series looks like the likeliest outcome.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Should the Los Angeles Dodgers meet the Atlanta Braves in the National League Division Series, it wouldn’t be the most optimal matchup. The Dodgers are just 2-5 against the Braves this season.

Atlanta’s only been 40-41 on the road this season, but in a five-game series, it’s less of a problem. The Braves counter with a 55-24 home record, so all it takes is one win in Dodger Stadium. Los Angeles is 47-32 at home, so it’s definitely there for the taking.

Although you need pitching, it can only take you so far. You still need to have a very good offense if you hope to advance. While the Dodgers have improved a lot since Hanley Ramirez came into the fold, this is still a team that is 16th in runs and 13th in slugging percentage.

Los Angeles doesn’t have the kind of power hitters necessary to upend a talented pitching staff like what the Braves could counter with.

Oakland Athletics

It’s amazing how the Oakland Athletics continue operating on a shoestring budget yet maintain competitive in a tough American League West. For all their success, though, the A’s have only been to the American League Championship Series once since the playoffs expanded in 1994.

Meeting the Detroit Tigers would mean that run could continue, and much like with the Indians, pitching would be the difference.

Oakland can’t counter the Tigers’ top-end rotation. Anibal Sanchez and Max Scherzer both have ERAs under 3.00, and there’s also Justin Verlander. Despite what has been a down year for the former MVP, don’t bet against him in the American League Division Series, where he’s a career 3-0 with a 2.67 ERA and 39 strikeouts in five starts.

Jarrod Parker, Bartolo Colon and A.J. Griffin have all been very good. In a five-game series, though, you’d have to favor the Tigers.

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