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The Division Series clash between the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers is the only one from either league to go the distance. That’s not much of a surprise given how evenly matched the clubs were coming into the postseason.

Now it comes down to a single game to determine which team will keep its World Series hopes alive. The visiting Dodgers are set to send Rich Hill (12-5, 2.12 ERA) to the mound to take on Nationals ace Max Scherzer (20-7, 2.96 ERA) in Thursday’s series finale.

So let’s check out all of the important details for Game 5, followed by a game preview and a prediction for which side will advance to face the rested and favored Chicago Cubs in the NLCS.

Game 5 Viewing Information

Where: Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.

When: Thursday, Oct. 13 at 8 p.m. ET

Watch: Fox Sports 1

Live Stream: Fox Sports Go

Game Preview

As expected, it’s been a hard-fought series. Two games were decided by one run and the only lopsided result was an 8-3 victory for the Nationals in Game 3, which was actually a one-run contest heading into the ninth before Washington tacked on four insurance runs.

Game 5 should be more of the same.

The Nationals decided to start Joe Ross in Game 4 and keep Scherzer available for the decider or Game 1 of the NLCS. The Dodgers opted to bring Clayton Kershaw back on short rest with their backs against the wall, and while he didn’t pitch great, they survived to fight another day.

Scherzer gives Washington the pitching advantage Thursday night, but not by a significant margin. Hill battled through some blister issues that limited him to 20 starts, but his late-career renaissance continued when healthy with a 2.12 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 110.1 innings.

The Nationals’ No. 1 starter is one of the best pitchers in baseball, though. This season marked the third time in the past four years he’s finished the regular season with a sub-3.00 ERA, and his electric arm has resulted in a terrific strikeout rate of 9.98 per nine innings for his career.

Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post noted Scherzer hasn’t attempted to downplay the significance of the Game 5 start, either.

“This is probably the biggest start of my career,” he said. “Biggest start of my life.”

A pair of home runs doomed him in his first start of the series. He gave up four runs in six innings despite allowing just five hits and no walks.

Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is hopeful the club can scrape together enough runs against him for the second time in the series, per Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times.

“We beat him once already, we know we can do it,” Gonzalez said. “We put some pretty good at-bats against him in Game 1 and I’m confident that we can do it again.”

ESPN Stats & Info noted history also favors Los Angeles in these situations:

All told, this game should feature plenty of drama, regardless of which team is left standing when the dust eventually settles. It’s been an entertaining series between two clubs capable of giving the Cubs a legitimate fight, and the pitching matchup should ensure it ends with one more nail-biter.

The edge goes to the Nationals, though. They are playing at home, have their ace on the mound and had success against Hill earlier in the series with four runs in 4.1 innings. That should be enough to push them into the next round by the slightest of margins.

Prediction: Nationals 3, Dodgers 2

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Following the Boston Red Sox‘s elimination from the postseason, second baseman Dustin Pedroia has undergone surgery on his left knee.

Continue for updates.  

Latest on Pedroia’s Timeline for Return

Thursday, Oct. 13

According to Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe, Pedroia is expected to be ready in time for the start of spring training after undergoing knee surgery.

Per Abraham, Pedroia suffered the injury in mid-September during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays.

After injuries threw his career off track the previous two years, Pedroia was seemingly back to his old self in 2016. The former American League MVP hit .318 with 15 home runs, 74 RBI and 105 runs scored, which marked his best statistical season since 2011.

In addition to Pedroia’s offensive exploits, FanGraphs rated him as the second-most valuable defensive second baseman in 2016 behind only Cesar Hernandez of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Pedroia struggled at the plate in Boston’s American League Division Series loss to the Cleveland Indians, as he went just 2-for-12 for a .167 batting average with two runs scored in three games.

While Pedroia and the Red Sox wanted to send David Ortiz off with another World Series championship, the early exit may prove beneficial to Pedroia and his recovery.

He has some added time to rehab and get back into game condition prior to spring training, which means he should enter the 2017 regular season in good health so long as the current timeline holds true to form.

Boston boasts some middle infield depth if Pedroia’s injury takes longer to heal than anticipated, as Brock Holt is capable of filling in. However, early indications suggest that won’t be necessary, which is positive news for a Red Sox team that will need all the offense it can get next season without Big Papi.

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No matter who wins the upcoming American League Championship Series, the Toronto Blue Jays or Cleveland Indians will inject the World Series with fresh blood.

After winning the title in 1993, the Blue Jays went 21 seasons without a playoff berth until last year. After falling short against the Kansas City Royals in 2015, they have another chance to advance beyond the ALCS.

Cleveland, meanwhile, hasn’t made it this far since 2007, when it squandered a 3-1 lead against the Boston Red Sox.

Which franchise will take one more step toward reversing years of misfortune? Let’s break down the fight for the AL crown after running through the series schedule and updated World Series odds, courtesy of Odds Shark:

ALCS Preview

Cleveland and Toronto finished the season ranked No. 7 and No. 9, respectively, in team OPS. They both flexed their power during American League Division Series sweeps; the Indians went deep five times, while the Blue Jays belted eight home runs.

Yet their stellar pitching especially stands out against tough opponents. The Blue Jays—who led the AL in ERA, one spot ahead of the Indians—limited the Texas Rangers to 10 runs despite both squads hosting games in hitter’s parks.

The Indians faced a steep challenge against Boston’s MLB-best offense without Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar, two of their three best starting pitchers.

Challenge accepted.

They held the Red Sox to seven runs and recorded 31 strikeouts.

Without his usual No. 2 and No. 3 starters flanking ace Corey Kluber, manager Terry Francona must continue to rely heavily on his bullpen. In the previous round, he asked star reliever Andrew Miller to deliver a two-inning outing twice.

Miller, who recorded a 1.45 ERA, a 0.69 WHIP, 123 strikeouts and nine walks during the regular season, delivered four scoreless innings. 

In Fox Sports’ studio, Alex Rodriguez called his former New York Yankees teammate “the best reliever in the game”:

Francona‘s usage worked out perfectly, as Kluber and Cleveland’s offense made sure they didn’t need Miller during a 6-0 victory in Game 2. In a best-of-seven series against a deeper Blue Jays rotation and a red-hot offense, though, he might not get as lucky.

Despite hopes of Salazar returning, Francona is not counting on having the explosive righty, per the team’s Twitter account:

That means rookie Mike Clevinger, who posted a 5.26 ERA without making it through the sixth inning of any outing in the regular season, is in line to start Game 4.

The Blue Jays have no such rotation worries. Marco Estrada, J.A. Happ, Marcus Stroman and AL ERA leader Aaron Sanchez offer four trustworthy choices. While the Indians would have to consider using Kluber on short rest if they go down 2-1 or 3-0, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons can comfortably arrange his four options in any order on a normal schedule.

Toronto’s injury concerns lie elsewhere.

Veteran reliever Joaquin Benoit suffered a torn calf during a bench-clearing scrum against the New York Yankees near the season’s finish.

Per Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling, he won’t return:

Devon Travis’ prognosis is better. Despite missing the final two games of the ALDS, the starting second baseman said he is “feeling much better” and should play in Friday’s series opener after receiving a cortisone shot in his right knee, per Zwelling.

“Honestly, the biggest thing is pain management,” Travis said. “Hopefully [the cortisone] calms it down. I don’t see why I wouldn’t be able to get through this. This is the playoffs. It’s something we’ve worked all year for. I’m going to get back in there and do my job.”

The offense kept raking without him, but not because of replacement Darwin Barney, who went hitless in both games. Even though he’s rolling, inserting Ezequiel Carrera—holder of a .255/.314/.665 slash line—into the leadoff spot isn’t the best way to set the table for Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion.

Travis, who hit .300/.332/.454 during his second season in the big leagues, provides a sizable boost despite not walking enough for an optimal No. 1 hitter. Then again, Gibbons might stick with Carrera, who is 6-for-16 with two walks and four runs in the postseason.

Prediction

The Blue Jays wield a mighty advantage with their starting rotation, especially if the lineup can get to Kluber. The Indians, on the other hand, can unleash Miller and Cody Allen in the bullpen. They’re also faster in the field and on the bases.

As the Royals proved last year, a stellar rotation isn’t required for postseason success. A solid one helps, though.

With all three star sluggers on fire, look for Toronto’s big bats to inflict more damage on Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin than Boston could impose. Miller and Allen should narrow the gap, but they won’t be able to extinguish all of Cleveland’s fires through seven games.

Pick: Blue Jays win in seven games.

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The majority of the postseason drama in the division series came from the National League this year, but the American League has two teams that are a combined 7-0 in the playoffs set on a collision course with a spot in the World Series hanging in the balance.

The Toronto Blue Jays stunned the Baltimore Orioles in 11 innings in the American League Wild Card Game then proceeded to sweep the Texas Rangers in the next round. The Cleveland Indians swept the Boston Red Sox and will square off with Toronto in the American League Championship Series.

The winner will face the Chicago Cubs, Washington Nationals or Los Angeles Dodgers in the Fall Classic.

The Cubs ended the San Francisco Giants’ even-year magic by scoring four runs in the ninth inning of Game 4 of their series the day after San Francisco won a 13-inning thriller, while the Dodgers and Nationals will play a do-or-die Game 5 on Thursday.

With that in mind, here is a look at the updated postseason bracket, remaining schedule (courtesy of MLB.com) and predictions for which teams will clash in the World Series.

American League Bracket

National League Bracket

Postseason Schedule

World Series Prediction

The American League representative in the World Series is more of a straightforward prediction at this point because the Cubs don’t yet know their opponent in the National League Championship Series.

Cleveland was impressive against Boston, but its starting rotation injuries will prove costly in the ALCS. Mike Axisa of CBSSports.com noted Danny Salazar has been out since Sept. 9 because of a forearm injury, while Carlos Carrasco is done for the season with a hand injury.

While Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reported Salazar threw a bullpen session and could pitch out of the pen against Toronto, that will still put plenty of pressure on Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin as the three starters.

They were able to carry the load in the short series with the Red Sox, but Toronto’s loaded lineup will get to them early and tax a bullpen that relies heavily on Andrew Miller and Cody Allen. 

Toronto leads the postseason in runs and finished fourth in the regular season with 221 home runs. Edwin Encarnacion (42 homers), Josh Donaldson (37), Troy Tulowitzki (24), Michael Saunders (24), Jose Bautista (22) and Russell Martin (20) all blasted at least 20 long balls during the regular season, and Bautista and Encarnacion have combined for five in just four playoff games.

What’s more, Encarnacion, Bautista, Donaldson, Martin and Tulowitzki are all right-handed hitters, which limits the impact the southpaw Miller will have late in the game.

Indians outfielder Coco Crisp still isn’t intimidated, per Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun: “When it comes to beating Toronto, just like Boston we’re going to have to come out there and relax and play our game.”

Despite the confidence, Toronto will wear out Cleveland’s pitching over the course of the longer series. 

There is also something to be said for experience, and the Blue Jays reached the ALCS last year and eventually lost to the Kansas City Royals. That won’t be the case this time around against Cleveland.

As for the National League, the Cubs’ dramatic comeback win on Tuesday was important for more than just the victory itself. Chicago earned three days of rest in between series to reset a formidable starting rotation that led all of baseball with a 2.96 ERA. 

That will prove crucial against the Dodgers, who pitched Clayton Kershaw on short rest Tuesday, or the Nationals, who will pitch Max Scherzer on Thursday.

The Cubs have a deep rotation with Jon Lester (2.44 ERA, 1.02 WHIP), Kyle Hendricks (2.13 ERA, 0.98 WHIP), Jake Arrieta (3.10 ERA, 1.08 WHIP) and John Lackey (3.35 ERA, 1.06 WHIP) that gives them a chance to win any given matchup. It says something about Chicago’s pitching that Arrieta won the National League Cy Young last year and is the No. 3 starter this season.

They also have a strong bullpen that can close the door behind the starters with fireballers Pedro Strop, Hector Rondon and Aroldis Chapman.

The lineup includes likely National League MVP Kris Bryant—who slashed .292/.385/.554 with 39 home runs and 102 RBI—Anthony Rizzo, Ben Zobrist, Dexter Fowler and dynamic youngsters such as Javier Baez and Willson Contreras.

That group doesn’t have to score a ton of runs with the pitching and the best defense in baseball. According to FanGraphs, the Cubs defense was responsible for 82 total defensive runs saved above average this season, which was a full 31 above the second-place Houston Astros.

Chris Emma of 670 The Score in Chicago pointed out the bullpen and versatile defense are a perfect fit for manager Joe Maddon:

The opponent doesn’t matter—the Cubs have the formula to win in October.

World Series prediction: Chicago Cubs vs. Toronto Blue Jays

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Three of the four spots in the league championship series are set, with only the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers left to decide who will advance.

The divisional series provided plenty of drama, between the Toronto Blue Jays’ walk-off win to the Chicago Cubs’ improbable comeback in Game 4. On the other hand, these two teams and the Cleveland Indians combined to lose just one game as they advanced to the next round of the playoffs.

Fans will at least get to watch one winner-take-all battle in the opening round, and this has the potential to exceed expectations. Here is what you need to know for the final NLDS battle.

Dodgers vs. Nationals

When: Thursday, Oct. 13

Where: Nationals Park; Washington, D.C.

Time: 8 p.m. ET

TV: Fox Sports 1

Odds (via Odds Shark): Dodgers (+135), Nationals (-150)

Preview

As with most baseball games, the biggest story coming in is the pitching probables. The Nationals will use their ace in Max Scherzer, while the Dodgers will start Rich Hill on only three days’ rest. While both pitchers had outstanding seasons, they are each coming off poor showings so far in the postseason.

Scherzer, who is a top contender for the NL Cy Young Award, allowed four runs in six innings in a Game 1 loss. The talented pitcher took full responsibility for the loss after the game. 

“Giving up those two home runs, I really feel like that was the difference in the ballgame,” Scherzer said Friday, per Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press. “I’m accountable for that and I’ll shoulder that and I’ll take the blame for that. I know I’m capable of executing pitches at a higher level, and I’ve got to do it.”

While Scherzer does have a bad game every now and then, Nationals fans should be happy about the fact he rarely doubles up on these performances. Only once during the regular season did the veteran pitcher allow more than four runs in back-to-back starts.

Hill is also coming off an impressive season where he posted a 2.12 ERA, but there are more question marks for him entering Thursday’s game. The 36-year-old starter doesn’t go deep into games ordinarily, averaging 85.2 pitches per game with the Dodgers this year. Coming back on short rest, it would be almost a miracle for him to top five innings.

As Holden Kushner of TuneIn noted, Los Angeles will use as many pitchers as needed:

Julio Urias won’t get the start, but you can be certain the 20-year-old lefty will see the field at some point in this important game.

No matter who is on the mound for the Dodgers, however, it will be a serious challenge to keep this Nationals lineup off the scoreboard.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today gave praise for the red-hot Daniel Murphy after his four-RBI performance in Game 4:

Murphy is hitting .462 in the postseason a year after breaking out in the playoffs with the New York Mets. Meanwhile, Jayson Werth (.467), Trea Turner (.353) and Ryan Zimmerman (.333) have been outstanding as well in the four games to this point. If Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon play to their abilities, this could be a high-scoring effort.

The Dodgers just haven’t seen the same type of effort from their offense with the exception of Justin Turner. Even Corey Seager has lacked consistency outside of a few big hits.

At the least, Washington should be able to get enough runs at home to give Scherzer breathing room. The starter can take care of the rest and lead the Nationals into the NLCS.

Prediction: Nationals 4, Dodgers 2

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter.

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New York Mets outfielder Tim Tebow was signing autographs on Tuesday after an instructional league game in Scottsdale, Arizona, when a nearby fan suffered a seizure. The former Heisman Trophy winner told reporters on Wednesday that it was an easy decision to comfort the man during the scary situation. 

According to ESPN.com’s Adam Rubin, Tebow put the situation in perspective after he stood beside and prayed for Brandon Berry: 

Let me ask you a question: What would be more important, that I go to the locker room and I get on the bus and we get back a little bit quicker? In my opinion, it’s not even a choice. It’s the right thing to do. It’s what you’re supposed to do, in my opinion.

You just try to, in those moments, be there for people to help people. Because there is not a bigger, better, greater thing you can do in life than to be there for people in a time of need to help them.

Christian Byrnes on Twitter relayed a photo of Tebow and Berry as the events unfolded: 

“The guy that I was signing for, he turned to his right, and I could see on his face something happened,” Tebow said, per Rubin. “So then I looked over. I saw Brandon, right as he was getting to the ground and going into a seizure. I just wanted to be there and pray for him.”

Berry later told the Associated Press’ Jake Seiner he was OK after he returned home following a brief stint in the hospital.  

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San Diego Padres manager Andy Green said starting pitcher Tyson Ross underwent surgery on Thursday to address symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome, per Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

He could be ready for spring training.

Continue for updates.

Ross’ Surgery Successful

Thursday, Oct. 13 

The Padres announced Ross underwent successful thoracic outlet surgery on Thursday, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. 

Latest on Ross’ Recovery Time

Wednesday, Oct. 12

Lin noted the surgery typically brings a recovery time of four to six months, hence the possibility that Ross will return by spring training.

Ross made just one start in the 2016 season and allowed seven earned runs in 5.1 innings of work. According to Lin, he was placed on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation shortly thereafter and never made it back to the mound the rest of the year.

He could have been back earlier, but he twisted his ankle while doing exercises in a hotel room in July before an extended bullpen session as he continued his rehab, per Lin. 

This was a pitcher who was expected to be the ace of a pitching staff that once featured Drew Pomeranz and veteran James Shields. But with his inability to stay on the field and Shields and Pomeranz being dealt to the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox, respectively, the Padres’ starting rotation slumped to one of the worst groups in baseball. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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Max Scherzer has started 276 games in the major leagues. That includes 11 in the postseason, which have covered a World Series game and Game 6 of the American League Championship Series.

According to him, none of these compares to his assignment in Game 5 of the National League Division Series on Thursday.

“This is probably the biggest start of my career, the biggest start of my life,” the Washington Nationals ace said about his date with the Los Angeles Dodgers, via MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. “How you handle that, going out there and using the emotion of that scenario that everything’s on the line—look, I’m not going to shy away from it. This is the biggest start of my career.”

This might be Scherzer’s lust for revenge speaking for him. The NLDS is tied 2-2 in part because he fell flat in Game 1, allowing four runs in six innings in a 4-3 loss. Surely, the former Cy Young Award winner wants redemption.

Still, there’s no denying the other stakes at play in Game 5.

Supposedly too battered and bruised for the task, the Nationals are trying to finish off an upset over the favored Dodgers. Including their past life as the Montreal Expos, the Nationals are also trying to go to just the second National League Championship Series in franchise history.

There’s also more than just revenge at stake for Scherzer. He’s been as advertised in two seasons since signing his $210 million contract, but a clutch postseason performance would be much-appreciated icing on the proverbial cake. It would also put him back on the map as a postseason ace. 

It’s hard to look back and see other cases of postseason dominance while still being blinded by the ethereal October light of Madison Bumgarner. But Scherzer was darn good for the Detroit Tigers in 2012 and 2013. He made seven total appearances, including six starts, and racked up a 2.50 ERA while holding hitters to a .173 average and .572 OPS.

The best part? In 39.2 innings, he struck out 60 batters. That’s a rate of 13.8 batters per nine innings. He was basically 2001 Randy Johnson for two Octobers.

Scherzer hasn’t missed a beat in three regular seasons since then, racking up a 2.96 ERA and striking out 10.8 batters per nine innings.

After winning one in 2013, he was a top-five finisher in the Cy Young voting in 2014 and 2015. He may be the favorite to win it in the National League this year after posting a 2.96 ERA and leading the NL in wins (20), innings (228.1) and strikeouts (284).

However, that 2013 postseason remains the last time anyone saw Scherzer at his October best.

Before his flop in Game 1 of the NLDS, he endured a five-run flop against the Baltimore Orioles in Game 1 of the ALDS back in 2014. Go back a little further, and the fine print has a reminder that he unraveled against the Boston Red Sox late in Game 6 of the 2013 ALCS.

Scherzer could ask for worse circumstances for getting off the schneid on Thursday. He’ll be at home in Nationals Park. He’ll be facing a Dodgers lineup that, while formidable, is hitting just .221 with a .686 OPS in this series. He’ll be opposed by some combination of Rich Hill on three days’ rest and Julio Urias making his first postseason appearance.

There is one thing that could sink Scherzer: home runs. He led the NL by giving up 31 of them in the regular season. He gave up two more to Corey Seager and Justin Turner in Game 1. Going back to the end of the regular season, he’s served up multiple dingers in three out of his last four starts.

Neil Greenberg of the Washington Post dug into Brooks Baseball and noticed that Scherzer’s arm slot has dropped, leading to a flatter fastball. It’s also been slower, as Scherzer has worked with his worst velocity all season in October.

Less life and less velocity are never good things, but they’re especially bad things for Scherzer in light of how he uses his fastball. He’ll work both sides of the plate, but he mostly prefers to challenge hitters in terms of vertical placement:

Scherzer can normally get away with this due to the sheer electricity of his heater. But without that electricity, he’s vulnerable. Seager demonstrated as much when he went yard on a belt-high fastball in the first inning of Game 1.

There’s no indication anything is physically wrong with Scherzer, so it may be a mere mechanical glitch that’s made his arm slot drop. If he can get that ironed out, he can get back to being his usual self in Game 5.

His usual self can tear through the Dodgers lineup. Scherzer had the highest swinging-strike rate of any qualified starter this year and the third-highest strikeout rate at 11.19 per nine innings. These are the things he can do when he’s combining his excellent fastball, slider and changeup with strong command.

And indeed, these are the things he had when he was tearing through the postseason in 2012 and 2013. He’s mostly been that same pitcher over the last three years. He just needs to remember how to do it in October.

If he can do that, he can own the biggest game of his life.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted/linked.

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Either the Cleveland Indians or the Toronto Blue Jays will represent the American League in the 2016 World Series after each team swept through the division series. Both sides figure to face much more resistance in the penultimate round of the MLB playoffs.

The club that ultimately earns that opportunity to play for a championship will be the one that responds best to the adversity that lies ahead in the American League Championship Series after moving through the previous round with only a few minor hints of drama.

So let’s check out all of the available information for the AL pennant battle. That’s followed by a preview of the series and a prediction for which team will punch its World Series ticket.

2016 ALCS Schedule

Series Preview

The Blue Jays limped across the finish line into the playoffs. They started September with a 76-57 record and a two-game lead over the Boston Red Sox in the AL East. A 13-16 record down the stretch dropped them into wild-card position, holding on over the final weekend to avoid a complete collapse.

Yet if Toronto ends up winning the World Series, being forced to play the extra playoff game will be looked back on as a turning point.

The Jays needed a spark. Beating the Orioles in 11 innings provided it. The powerful offense, which had gone dormant for extended stretches in September, came alive to score 22 runs during the three-game sweep of the Texas Rangers in the division series.

Ultimately, the biggest difference for Toronto this year is more reliability in the rotation. When the offense went cold, the starting pitchers stepped up to ensure the Jays could still qualify for the postseason. In all, the team finished the regular season fourth in starter ERA, per ESPN.

Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star passed along comments from manager John Gibbons about being able to count on anybody in the rotation—Marcus Stroman, Marco Estrada, J.A. Happ and Aaron Sanchez—in a crucial game:

In a lot of ways, that’s been the key to our whole season. All (four) guys doing their jobs. Before this even started, going back to before we played Baltimore 9in the wild card), that’s one of the things we looked at. Hey, we feel good about that. Regardless of what situation we’re in, we feel good about anybody we throw out there, no doubt.

Talent was never the question between the improved rotation and an offense featuring Josh Donaldson, Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Bautista and Troy Tulowitzki. The Jays just needed to break out of their rut, and it will be tough to slow them down now that they’ve done that.

Meanwhile, it’s a surprise the Indians have reached this stage. They have been forced to play without three of their most vital assets, with injuries sidelining outfielder Michael Brantley as well as starting pitchers Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar.

Jordan Bastian of MLB.com noted even Indians owner Paul Dolan is impressed with how the players have risen to the occasion when called upon to fill those voids:

“It’s just something they’ve done all year long,” Dolan said. “They just stepped up when they needed to and just [did] what nobody else thought they were capable of doing. The depth of the team, the character of this team, I mean they just swept the Boston Red Sox. That kind of speaks for itself.”

Although it’s a great story that will become even better if they manage to win the title without those impact players, it’s unlikely they can stand toe-to-toe with the Jays for the entire series and come out on top. They will need to get creative.

Cleveland manager Terry Francona needs to take some chances. Whether it’s hit-and-run calls and trying to steal more bases to put more pressure on the Blue Jays defense or utilizing a quick hook for his starters not named Corey Kluber, he must get creative.

One thing’s for sure: The Indians will hope some of the Cavaliers’ luck rubs off on them in another battle between the cities, as SportsCenter showcased:

Also of interest, Sportsnet Stats pointed out an extended drought is going to end this year regardless of which of the remaining teams comes out on top:

Ultimately, the Indians deserve a lot of credit for getting this far, and those fans whose favorite team is no longer alive and are looking for an underdog story will probably jump on the Cleveland bandwagon. It’s a testament to the front office to have enough depth to keep winning despite the injury issues.

The Blue Jays are in a better spot right now, however. They have found their groove again, and their roster is stronger from top to bottom than the current version of the Indians. That should allow them to power their way into the World Series after a hard-fought series.

Prediction: Blue Jays in six games

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Fact: The Cubs overcame a 5-2 deficit in the 9th inning to beat the Giants 6-5 on Tuesday night and move on to the NLCS. They joined the 1986 Mets (LCS) as the only teams to come back from a three-run deficit or more in the 9th inning to win a postseason series clincher. 

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