Kuzul

One win separates the Kansas City Royals from a World Series showdown with the New York Mets, but a stiff Game 6 test awaits the reigning American League champions.

Following the Toronto Blue Jays’ 7-1 Game 5 win Wednesday, the pressure is on Kansas City to respond with a series-clinching victory Friday and squash Toronto’s hopes once and for all. However, David Price will be taking the mound for the Blue Jays, and if his performance in Game 2 was any indication, the Royals could experience some trouble at the plate.

As the massive showdown approaches, here’s a look at the updated American League Championship Series schedule:

All ALCS games can be live-streamed via Fox Sports Go.

Previewing Game 6

The ball will be back in Price’s hand for Game 6, which means we have to mention Price’s historic postseason struggles. Although the lefty was brilliant for six innings in Toronto’s Game 2 loss to the Royals, he self-destructed in the seventh inning, handing Kansas City a 2-0 series edge.

Price is now 0-7 in postseason starts over the course of his career. However, a shot at redemption has presented itself with a chance for Price to take Toronto’s title hopes off life support Friday evening at Kauffman Stadium.

The good news for Toronto is that the team didn’t thrust Price into relief duty in Game 5, as it had planned to, thanks to a stellar outing from starter Marco Estrada, as CBS Sports’ David Brown explained: 

Only 15.2 percent of teams that are down 3-1 in a best-of-7 series come back to win it. In order to maximize their chances in the series, the Blue Jays needed not only to win, but also to minimize the amount of relief pitchers used in Game 5. And don’t use Price at all if they could help it. Other than losing the pennant outright, a nightmare scenario included winning Game 5 but having to use Price in relief — and he was warming up in the seventh inning. 

“That really worked out perfectly,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said, per Bleacher Report’s Danny Knobler.

If Price can replicate even portions of the first six innings he pitched in Game 2, Toronto will be in good shape. During that span, the southpaw allowed one hit and no runs, striking out seven while retiring a postseason-franchise-record 18 batters in a row, per USA Today‘s Jorge L. Ortiz.

The task for Toronto will be generating quality run support. In four road games during the postseason, the Blue Jays have generated 16 runs, which equates to an average of just four runs per night. In Price’s last start, Toronto mustered three runs. Against a seasoned and disciplined Kansas City lineup, that’s not good enough.

The Royals, on the other hand, have churned out five runs per home game in the postseason. Kansas City has lost a single home tilt since the second season began, and that defeat came in Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Houston Astros.

Here’s another stat that should have Price and the Blue Jays nervous: The Royals haven’t lost back-to-back games since late September.

“You’ve got to have a short-term memory in this game,” Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer said following Wednesday’s Game 5 loss, per the Kansas City Star‘s Vahe Gregorian. “You’ve got to flush it out, and when you look at the series as a whole right now … we like where we’re at.”

Kansas City’s comfort and confidence at home will make a 3-2 series deficit difficult for Toronto to erase, but if any team is equipped to do it, it’s the Blue Jays. Toronto was down 2-0 against the Texas Rangers but emerged with a 3-2 ALDS victory that included timely offensive explosions.

The Royals are a different beast and have numbers on their side, but the Blue Jays have the mental and physical wherewithal to pull off a second straight stunner.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The New York Mets didn’t want to leave any doubt in the minds of the casual fans. An 8-3 thrashing in Game 4 on Wednesday and a sweep of the Chicago Cubs meant they secured their place as the best team in the National League and a spot in the World Series.

Things haven’t been quite as cut-and-dry in the American League, with the Kansas City Royals holding a 3-2 lead on a Toronto Blue Jays team that got a big performance from its bats at exactly the right moment in Game 5.

But with only two games at most remaining in the American League Championship Series, the World Series is nearly upon us—which means it is time to start previewing the Fall Classic and what it will take to bring home the crown.

Let’s take a look at the remaining schedule for the playoffs and preview which players will have an impact on the final outcome of the World Series.

Players Who Will Decide World Series

Mets 2B Daniel Murphy

Has anyone ruled out the theory that Daniel Murphy is a wizard? Until there is substantial evidence to the contrary, I’m not willing to ignore the chance that the Mets second baseman is a practitioner of the Dark Arts.

Murphy finished the regular season with 14 home runs to his name—not a bad number among second baseman but not exactly the type of stats that would hint at what he has done in the postseason. Going yard seven times and in each of his last six games, the 30-year-old is playing like the best player in baseball heading into the World Series.

It would be fair to assume that Murphy is bound to come back to earth at some point in the near future, but seeing as he is already in uncharted territory in terms of baseball history, predicting anything for him would be folly.

The Mets have become the most exciting team in baseball in recent weeks and after completing a sweep of the Cubs are a step closer to securing the franchise’s first title since 1986, in large part thanks to Murphy.

Whoever wins the ALCS—the Royals lead the Blue Jays 3-2 heading into Friday’s Game 6 in Kansas City, Missouri—will have to be wary of Murphy now or risk watching the ball sail into the stands every night.

Royals P Johnny Cueto

As stated above, the Royals carry a 3-2 lead into Game 6—the first of two games at home—and look like the likelier of the two teams to advance to the World Series, even with the hitting the Blue Jays bring to the plate.

Brought in by the Royals at the trade deadline this season from the Cincinnati Reds, Johnny Cueto was the big-name pitcher Kansas City wanted as it became clearer and clearer that a second straight shot at the World Series was in the cards.

Since coming to Kansas City, though, Cueto has been less than consistent, recording a 4.76 ERA in 13 starts with the team in the regular season. Since the playoffs started, things have gotten even worse, with a 7.88 ERA masking an incredible performance in Game 5 against the Houston Astros.

When Cueto is on, he is still one of the best pitchers in the league and has the ability to shut down any lineup, but when he isn’t, having a stellar day in can be brutal—just ask the Blue Jays to whom Cueto gave up eight earned runs in two innings pitched.

The ALCS schedule has Cueto set to pitch in Game 7 against the Blue Jays should it be necessary, meaning even if the Royals don’t make the World Series, it will be partially on their ace pitcher. But if Game 6 does go in favor of Kansas City, Cueto will likely get the Game 1 start against New York and could set the tone for the series to come.

Mets P’s Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey

It doesn’t seem entirely fair to lump the Mets’ three young elite pitchers together—to say nothing of leaving out rookie Steven Matz, who has only started nine games in his career in the majors—but should the Mets win the World Series this year, it will be hard to separate 27-year-old second-year Jacob deGrom, 23-year-old rookie Noah Syndergaard and 26-year-old third-year Matt Harvey.

The Mets have been carried by their core of young pitchers this season in that trio, and even with the offensive explosion, not much has changed since the calendar turned to October.

The three have combined for eight starts in the postseason, allowing 12 total runs among them with the Mets, and won all but one of the games they have started, a 5-2 Game 2 defeat to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series.

While Murphy is busy hitting an unbelievable amount of home runs for the Mets and stealing all the headlines, the pitchers have been going about their business like nothing has changed from the regular season, and that is all New York can ask of them.

This is a group of three pitchers—who are incredibly inexperienced—had never been to the playoffs before this season and are pitching like some of baseball’s greatest historical rotations. Whichever team emerges from the ALCS has a tough task on its hands in figuring out how to beat these pitchers. No one else has done it so far, so odds aren’t in the Royals’ or Blue Jays’ favor.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

After missing their chance to clinch a World Series berth on Wednesday, the Kansas City Royals return to Kauffman Stadium, where they have won their last three postseason games, with a chance to eliminate the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series on Friday. 

The Blue Jays have been at their best in the playoffs when facing elimination, winning four consecutive games in those situations and averaging 6.5 runs per game. 

Something has to give on Friday with the Royals looking to set up a showdown with the New York Mets in the Fall Classic and the Blue Jays hoping to force a winner-take-all seventh game on Saturday. 

What They Are Saying

Even though the Blue Jays kept themselves in the playoffs, Royals manager Ned Yost said after Game 5 that there’s no reason for his team to be lacking in confidence right now, per Gregor Chisholm and Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com.

Now we’re going back to a place where we’re completely comfortable. That’s why home-field was so important to us. We really wanted to play four games in our park. And we’re taking a 3-2 lead back to where we are comfortable and back to our home fans that support us and are fantastic.

While that can be passed off as manager speak, Yost isn’t wrong to be feeling good. His team’s success at home in these playoffs has already been mentioned, but the Royals also had a 51-30 mark in front of their home fans this year. 

That is the third-best home record in the American League this season, behind the two teams Kansas City has played in the postseason—the Houston Astros and Toronto tied for the best home record at 53-28. 

Waiting for the Royals in Game 6 is David Price, who was virtually unhittable for six innings in Game 2 until Ryan Goins and Jose Bautista botched a routine pop-up off the bat of Ben Zobrist in the bottom of the seventh inning that led to a five-run inning and a 6-3 win for Kansas City. 

All eyes will be on Price. He’s been one of the best pitchers in baseball for years, winning a Cy Young Award in 2012 and leading all American League pitchers with a 6.4 FanGraphs‘ WAR this season. 

Yet for all of the accolades Price has already won and could win this offseason, his playoff results have left a lot to be desired, per High Heat Stats on Twitter:

There’s no logical reason why a pitcher as consistently good, dominant and talented as Price, who is still very much in the prime of his career at the age of 30, has struggled in the postseason.

It’s a small sample size relative to a 162-game regular season, but these are the moments by which pitchers are judged. Position players can flip their narrative in a heartbeat because they get at least four at-bats every game. Playing once every fifth day doesn’t afford starting pitchers that same luxury. 

The Royals are turning to Yordano Ventura, who has had his own problems this postseason. The 24-year-old has allowed nine runs on 16 hits in 12.1 innings over three starts, so the Blue Jays should be able to keep their offensive momentum going. 

However, Yost has the luxury Toronto manager John Gibbons doesn’t when going to the bullpen. Lee Judge of the Kansas City Star wrote after Game 4 that the Royals are an unusually structured team:

The Royals are one win away from going to their second World Series in a row, and two of their starting pitchers in the playoffs finished the regular season with ERAs over 4.00. The starting pitchers do not have to be great; they just need to avoid disaster and give the Royals’ offense and bullpen a chance.

The Royals lost Greg Holland to Tommy John surgery late in the season but don’t worry because Wade Davis remains an unhittable monster with his 0.94 regular season ERA and no runs allowed in the playoffs since Game 5 of last year’s World Series. 

Before Yost turns things over to Davis, he brings in Kelvin Herrera, who throws 100 mph fastballs, or starter-turned-playoff-reliever Danny Duffy to do his thing, per Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports:

All the Royals need Ventura to do is throw five innings of decent baseball—which could amount to three runs allowed—before turning things over to the slew of talented relievers who can shut down a lineup as good as Toronto’s. 

Prediction

The postseason went from being drama-filled in the division series, with three out of four matchups going all five games. The National League Championship Series was disappointing unless you are a New York Mets fan because it ended in four games. 

The Blue Jays kept hope alive for a decisive seventh game on Wednesday, needing one more win to put pressure on Kansas City. 

Kauffman Stadium does not line up for Toronto’s offensive strength, which is power. It’s a big ballpark that takes a lot of power to drive the ball out. One reason the Royals are so great at home is because their hitters make contact and have the speed to take an extra base. 

Eventually, Price will put everything together in the playoffs. He’s too good not to, as the Royals saw for six innings in Game 2. 

The Blue Jays have to come out of the gate strong, force Yost to go to the bullpen in the third or fourth inning rather than fifth or sixth and get Price to throw seven strong innings. 

If for no other reason than hoping to see a Game 7, the Blue Jays get the slight edge in Friday’s matchup. 

Blue Jays 5, Royals 2

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Is it really supposed to be this easy?

The New York Mets came into the National League Championship Series as underdogs because the powerful Chicago Cubs had already beaten the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals in the postseason’s previous two rounds. It seemed they had the lineup, featuring outfielder Kyle Schwarber, third baseman Kris Bryant and first baseman Anthony Rizzo, and the big-time pitching, with Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta, to earn a spot in their first World Series since 1945.

The New York Mets would have none of that storyline. They had their own hitting heroes in NLCS Most Valuable Player Daniel Murphy, catcher Travis d’Arnaud and first baseman Lucas Duda to go along with a sensational and deep pitching staff. They not only beat the Cubs, they annihilated them in four games and never allowed the North Siders to take a lead in any game.

That moment when you advance to the #WorldSeries!!! #LGM pic.twitter.com/dDDolmIKlq

— New York Mets (@Mets) October 22, 2015

When the World Series begins Tuesday, Oct. 27 at the home of the American League champions, the Mets will likely be underdogs again.

The Kansas City Royals are the defending American League champions who extended the 2014 World Series to the ninth inning of the seventh game against the San Francisco Giants before falling short. They have been motivated to get back to the World Series and to make up for that one-game difference all season.

The Toronto Blue Jays were a powerful team all season with right fielder Jose Bautista, designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion and potential AL MVP third baseman Josh Donaldson. When they picked up shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and pitcher David Price at the trade deadline, it raised the talent level on an already impressive team.

But the Mets are not likely to be intimidated by either team. Anytime a squad has a pitching staff that includes Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz, it has a chance to pitch a gem in nearly every game. That pitching staff held the Cubs to a .164 team batting average, an all-time low in the NLCS, per SportsCenter.

The Royals have strength up and down their lineup, and while they may not be as powerful as the Blue Jays, they have relentless clutch hitters who regularly make contact in key situations, as Grantland’s Ben Lindbergh details:  

Among the Power Pitchers: Does Kansas City’s Contact-Heavy Approach Give It a Postseason Edge? by @BenLindbergh https://t.co/xcLjJsDdFp

— Grantland (@Grantland33) October 20, 2015

Kansas City currently holds a 3-2 lead over the Blue Jays in the ALCS as they return home Friday for Game 6 and, if necessary, Game 7 on Saturday.

Their ability to string hits together was apparent in Game 2 of the series.

Trailing 3-0 as they went to the bottom of the seventh, the Royals rallied to score five runs on clutch hits by first baseman Eric Hosmer, third baseman Mike Moustakas, left fielder Alex Gordon and right fielder Alex Rios. They won the game 6-3 to take a crucial victory and put the Blue Jays in an 0-2 hole.

Toronto likes to bludgeon the ball, and their roster features an impressive list of home run hitters. Donaldson belted 41 home runs this year, Bautista had 40 and Encarnacion hit 39 long balls. While stopping Toronto’s hitters—or slowing them down—will be a difficult assignment, the Mets have the horses on the mound to give it a good effort.

The X-factor may be Tulowitzki. Few players in baseball carry his stature because he is an athletic, power-hitting shortstop who can turn any pitch around and play game-changing defense. However, the fact that he has been a streaky hitter in the playoffs (.095 batting average vs. Texas; .368 vs. Kansas City) makes it very difficult to predict with any certainty what he could do against New York in the World Series.

Neither organization has won a World Series championship recently. The Blue Jays last won the title in 1993 against the Philadelphia Phillies, while the Mets last triumphed in 1986 in a classic matchup with the Boston Red Sox. The Royals captured the crown the year before against the St. Louis Cardinals.

If the Royals can survive the ALCS and win one of the last two games at home, the belief here is that they have enough talent and drive to beat the Mets in seven hard-fought games.

However, if the Blue Jays shock the defending AL champions and win Games 6 and 7 on the road, they will have a difficult time against the Mets’ pitching and clutch hitting. New York wins that matchup in five games.

The Mets have a chance to return home to New York as heroes, catch their breath and prepare to play in the World Series while the two American League teams battle it out.

That’s a great feeling, and the Mets will hope they can secure an even better one in the days to come.

Odds via Odds Shark.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The New York Mets are waiting for their World Series opponent.  

Wasting no time on drama, the Mets swept the Chicago Cubs in a one-sided National League Championship Series, jumping out to an early 6-0 lead to capture Game 4 on Wednesday night. Now they’ll sit back and scout their two possible American League adversaries.

The Toronto Blue Jays again fell 2-0 for the second straight series, but their potent offense has fought back to claim two victories. In order to block the Kansas City Royals from their second consecutive pennant, they’ll need to rattle off two more victories on the road.

Where will the Mets travel to start the World Series on Tuesday? Here’s a look at the American League Championship Series.

The complete postseason bracket can be viewed on MLB.com.

ALCS: Toronto Blue Jays vs. Kansas City Royals

The Royals took a 3-1 series lead over the Blue Jays with a 14-2 thumping on Tuesday night. Series over, right?

ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick was one of several writers to cement Kansas City’s second straight Fall Classic appearance.

“At the risk of getting overly presumptuous, one question reigns supreme: Will the Royals soil the carpets with Champagne at the Rogers Centre, or wait to make life miserable for the clubhouse attendants at Kauffman Stadium later this week?” Crasnick wrote after Game 5.

Funny thing about momentum: It doesn’t exist.

A game after an offensive anomaly, the Royals once again showed why nothing is more unpredictable than postseason baseball. They went from producing more offense than the Kansas City Chiefs to mustering three hits against Marco Estrada.

The Blue Jays, who are really good at hitting baseballs, scored seven runs off a Chris Colabello homer and four doubles. The American League East champions remain alive with David Price and Marcus Stroman pitching on the road, as Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith confirmed:

Needing to win one of two at home, Royals manager Ned Yost still likes his squad’s chances. He displayed a calm demeanor in Game 5’s postgame press conference, per Fox Sports KC:

Here’s some free advice for the skipper: Regardless of the score, use Wade Davis. The best relief pitcher on the team, maybe in all of baseball, has remained a spectator in all but one game. This is a man who has allowed 16 earned runs through 158 innings over the past two years. 

Teams would kill for a nearly automatic scoreless frame, especially against Toronto. Yet Yost won’t use him unless a save situation arises. This is silly. Stop being silly.

A save opportunity may never appear again. If Josh Donaldson, Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista didn’t offer enough offensive firepower (they do), Troy Tulowitzki is catching fire as well. The star shortstop, who recorded a .697 OPS after being traded from the Colorado Rockies, is 7-for-19 with two doubles and a homer this series.

A byproduct of batting behind stars who frequently reach base, he has driven in seven runs this series and 11 during the postseason. His ALCS accolades place him in the team’s history books, per the Blue Jays’ Twitter page:

When in doubt, pick the best offense to score more runs than the other guys. The Blue Jays have already won four elimination games this postseason, and now they have their aces on the hill.

Prediction: Blue Jays in 7

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

One league championship series down, one to go. The New York Mets completed their surprising sweep of the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley on Wednesday, as Lucas Duda drove in five runs and Daniel Murphy smashed a homer in the Amazins‘ 8-3 victory.

The Mets sent Chicago starter Jason Hammel to the showers after only 1.1 innings, pelting him for five runs on four hits, including homers from Duda and Travis d’Arnaud. Murphy added another dinger in the eighth—his seventh of the postseason and sixth straight game going deep—in a game that was never really competitive from the outset.

New York will be making its first World Series appearance since the turn of the century, the famed Subway Series. It’s also responsible for helping an LCS matchup end in a sweep for the second straight year, which is just the second time that feat has been accomplished since Y2K.

The Kansas City Royals’ celebration will be held off for at least another day after they dropped a potential series clincher to Toronto. The Blue Jays roughed Edinson Volquez up for four runs in the fifth inning, helping bust open a pitcher’s duel on their way to a 7-1 triumph. After going down 2-0 to Texas, they’ve now won four straight games when facing elimination. 

Here is a look at what players from all four teams were saying after Wednesday’s games and a look at the remaining playoff schedule. 

Quotes

From the Losing Cubs Dugout

Viewed by most as the favorite before this series—especially after their impressive win over St. Louis—the Cubs were victims of one of the more surprising sweeps in postseason history. That’s not going to create much positivity, yet all involve tried to put on brave faces in their public comments. 

“Everyone in this clubhouse, everyone in this organization, should be proud of what we did this year,” said first baseman Anthony Rizzo, per Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald. “It’s hard to say that because we want to be celebrating right now.”

Others pointed to the team’s young roster and noted this experience will be a positive if and when the Cubs return to October baseball.

“This is really a good experience for everybody,” catcher Miguel Montero said, per Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. “You can’t take anything for granted. Hopefully, they feel even hungrier, and they’ll be better.”

“This is a really good experience for us,” third baseman Kris Bryant said, per Wittenmyer. “Just to be able to do it on a stage like this, my first year and a lot of the guys’ first year, too. This will definitely help us in the long run.”

From the Winning Mets Dugout

A manager two times before finding his home in New York, Terry Collins took a moment to reflect on how long it had taken him to reach the sport’s pinnacle.

“It’s very exciting,” said Collins, per Tom Haudricourt of the Journal-Sentinel. “I’m so happy for the job we did. There were some tremendous peaks and tremendous valleys. This might be the finest group of guys I’ve ever been around.

“After all these years, I can’t believe I’m going to the World Series. It’s a special moment for me. I told the players we had to grind it out. We’re going to go home and enjoy it.”

David Murphy, who was the runaway NLCS MVP after belting homers in all four games, offered similar sentiments. 

“This is very special,” said Murphy, per Haudricourt. “I can’t explain it. It’s surprising to me. It’s such a blessing to be able to contribute to what we do. I’m excited to do something to help us win some big games. This means so much to all of us.”

The one negative from Wednesday night’s win for New York was an injury to outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, who is suffering from shoulder pain. Not to fear, though. Cespedes says he’ll be in the lineup for the World Series no matter what.

“If not, I’ll chop it off and put on a new one,” Cespedes said through a translator, per Anthony Rieber of Newsday. 

From the Losing Royals Dugout

The biggest controversy from Kansas City is a did-he-or-didn’t-he regarding an alleged apology about a crucial missed strike call in the sixth inning. Royals starter Edinson Volquez told reporters after the game that umpire Dan Iassogna offered an apology for missing a call that gave Jose Bautista a walk as part of Toronto’s four-run sixth inning. 

“He apologized to [catcher Salvador Perez]. He said, ‘I thought that pitch was a strike,’” Volquez said, per Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald. “But he didn’t say that to me he said it to Salvy. It was nice. It would’ve been better if he gave me that pitch before. He said he thought it was a strike and he was sorry about it. But there’s nothing you can do, the game is over, you look forward and go back home.”

What makes the story interesting is that Perez denied Volquez‘s account in an interview with Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star.

“No,” Perez said. “They’re not going to say that to nobody.”

As for the Blue Jays closing the series to 3-2, Royals players understandably tried staying positive, pointing to their lead and the impending return home.

“We’re excited to go home,” Royals pitcher Danny Duffy said, per Ian Harrison of the Associated Press (via FoxSports.com). “We wish we could have got it done today, but we didn’t.” 

“Nothing but positivity,” first baseman Eric Hosmer said, per Harrison. “We’ve got a 3-2 lead and we’re heading back to Kansas City. That’s where we play our best baseball, so everyone is still feeling pretty good.”

From the Winning Blue Jays Dugout

Marco Estrada, who threw 7.2 innings of three-hit baseball, credited the fans with creating a raucous environment, per Gregor Chisholm and Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com:

It’s a great game. The fans gave me all the energy I needed, all the adrenaline I needed. I was shaking on the mound, I had so much adrenaline going. I wasn’t nervous. I just had a lot of adrenaline going, and it helped me pitch today. I located early on, and that’s really been my biggest issue, is not locating early on. Today I had everything going, had a little bump at the end, but we got it done.

Blue Jays manager John Gibbons was sure, meanwhile, to give credit to his starter, per the Canadian Press (via SportsNet): “He’s a guy that’s carried us in a lot of ways. He’s a master of what he does. It doesn’t always look pretty but he’s mastered it.”

David Price, who is yet to earn a postseason win as a starting pitcher, will get the ball for Toronto in Game 6. He’s given up 13 runs in 16.2 innings so far this postseason but does not seem deterred by his struggles. 

“I’ll be ready,” Price said, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of SportsNet. “It’s still pitching. It’s still baseball, something I’ve done for a long time. Just go out there, help this team win and get outs.”

Highlights

The only highlights anyone needs right now are videos from the Mets’ postgame celebration early Thursday morning. Here is a look at some of the best videos and GIFs from around the interweb: 

TV Schedule

2015 MLB Postseason Leaders

Batting Average

Home Runs

RBI

Wins

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

For the second consecutive season, the Kansas City Royals will have an opportunity to secure a spot in the World Series with one more victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. 

With their season on the line for the third time already this postseason, the Blue Jays got a tremendous start from Marco Estrada and a big sixth inning to force a sixth game at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, on Friday. 

Even though the Royals missed their chance to close things out in Game 5, they should still be brimming with confidence after winning their first two games at home in the series and stealing one on the road.

Here’s the remaining schedule for the American League Championship Series battle between the Blue Jays and Royals:    

Key Game 6 Storylines (Toronto)

The Blue Jays should be a confident lineup after scoring seven runs in Game 5 as well as chasing projected Game 6 starter Yordano Ventura out after 5.1 innings last Saturday. The Royals’ hard-throwing right-hander did battle his way through that game, allowing three runs despite eight hits and two walks.

All eyes will be on David Price in Game 6, as this could be his final start with the team if it loses. He’s also trying to erase postseason demons. 

The possible 2015 Cy Young Award winner appeared as if he had exorcised those playoff monsters in Game 2, as he was cruising through six innings before Kansas City put up five in the seventh to secure a 6-3 win. 

David Schoenfield of ESPN.com summed up Price’s postseason shortcomings best after last Saturday’s defeat:

It’s hard to believe, but Price’s teams are now 0-7 in the postseason when he starts. Price is 0-7 with a 5.44 ERA in those starts (his two postseason wins have come in relief). Some people get mad when you say that, like they did about Clayton Kershaw, but you can’t say the narrative is wrong: Price hasn’t yet proven he can win the big game.

This isn’t to say that Price can’t win a big game, as he was the pitcher on the mound when the Tampa Bay Rays won the American League pennant in 2008 against the Boston Red Sox, but something strange is going on with the southpaw. 

The encouraging thing for Toronto manager John Gibbons is Marco Estrada pitched 7.2 innings in Game 5, so the bullpen got a much-needed break after R.A. Dickey’s disastrous start the previous game. 

Considering that Kauffman Stadium is much more spacious than the Rogers Centre, even with unseasonably warm temperatures expected in Kansas City, offense is likely to be at a premium on Friday night. 

The Blue Jays have a powerful lineup, but they only had four extra-base hits (all doubles) in the first two games of this series at Kansas City. Home runs are great, but as the Royals have proved time after time this season, being able to string together a lot of hits to wear out a pitching staff is just as valuable. 

Royals manager Ned Yost, for whatever reason, has seemed hesitant to go to relievers before his Big Three of Kelvin Herrera, Ryan Madson and Wade Davis. That can work to Toronto’s advantage as long as the hitters make Ventura work deep counts and get him out of the game early. 

Key Game 6 Storylines (Kansas City)

Even though the Royals were unable to close out the series on Wednesday, there is no reason to think they are in serious trouble at this point. They have already beaten Price in the series and, in the event of a Game 7, racked up 11 hits against Marcus Stroman on Monday. 

The one area Kansas City does have to be concerned is starting pitching. Ventura has electric stuff but always seems to be in a constant battle with his command. Things get particularly dicey as teams get additional looks at him, per Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports:

Yet the Royals have never been fazed by what seemed to be apparent shortcomings in their rotation. No one predicted Chris Young would start a game in Toronto, pitch effectively for 4.2 innings in which he allowed just three hits and two runs, and give way to Luke Hochevar for 1.1 innings of shutout baseball. 

Royals manager Ned Yost said after the Game 4 blowout win (14-2) that his team seems to be doing everything right, per Jeffrey Flanagan and Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com:

“I felt great going into this game because we had Chris Young on the mound, and I felt he would give us a really, really good performance,” Yost said. “We like the way we’re playing right now. Our offense has been really, really good.”

Offense has been a story for Kansas City in this series, as the defending American League champions have scored 34 runs in five games. Toronto was supposed to do the mashing after leading all of MLB in runs scored (891) during the regular season. 

Because the Royals are built to make contact—they are the only team to strike out fewer than 1,100 times the past two seasons—they can frustrate opposing pitchers who are used to missing bats. Price was able to work through the lineup quickly in Game 2, but Kansas City’s ability to put the ball in play made its comeback in the seventh inning possible. 

As long as the Royals keep the game close before going to their late-inning relievers, they are going to have a shot because Herrera and Davis are as close to sure things in the postseason as anyone right now. 

Stats courtesy ESPN.com unless otherwise noted.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The end is near. Two short weeks from now, the World Series will be over, and Major League Baseball will hunker down for the winter.

But hey, it’s not as bad as it sounds. There may not be any actual baseball, but the offseason features more than enough of the next best thing: baseball news! There will be all sorts of wheeling and dealing, and many players changing addresses. It’ll be fun. I promise.

So, we might as well get a head start on getting ready.

Ahead of you is a preview of what’s to come this offseason. Like we did last year, we’ll look at the under-the-radar, second-tier and top-tier starting pitchers, relief pitchers and position players in a class of free agents that looks pretty deep. Also, we’ll touch on some top trade candidates to keep an eye on. In the end, we’ll wrap things up by predicting one big move and which teams are going to be the most active.

Step into the box whenever you’re ready.

Begin Slideshow

The Toronto Blue Jays need to have a short memory and a long memory when they take the field at the Rogers Centre Wednesday afternoon for Game 5 in the American League Championship Series.

They need to forget the beating they took in Game 4, as the Kansas City Royals bludgeoned them on their home field by a 14-2 margin after the Royals jumped to a 4-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back.

However, the Blue Jays also need a long memory to remember what happened in 1985. That was the first year the ALCS was a best-of-seven series, and the Blue Jays were in it and jumped to a 3-1 lead over the Royals. Kansas City came all the way back to win that series and then took the only World Series in their history by beating the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games.

It has obviously been done before, and the Blue Jays would get a bit of franchise revenge if they could turn the tables.

But with the history lesson over, the Blue Jays have a lot of work to do at 4 p.m. (ET) if they want to survive. The Royals have been the better team through the first four games of the series, and the Blue Jays are going to have to be much better if they are going to send the series back to Kansas City for Game 6 Friday night.

Toronto outfielder Jose Bautista knows where his team stands, and he believes his team has an opportunity to take a big step in Game 5.

“Being backed against the wall is nothing but an opportunity to start something great…” ~anonymous~ #LetsGo #ComeTogether

— Jose Bautista (@JoeyBats19) October 21, 2015

If that is going to happen, the Blue Jays are going to have to do a much better job of pitching. The Blue Jays will be sending out ace Marco Estrada to the mound, and he has a 1-1 record in the postseason with a 2.31 ERA.

Edinson Volquez will take the mound for the Royals in an attempt to close out the series. Volquez also has a 1-1 record and 3.09 ERA in the playoffs.

While the task looks daunting from the outside, Toronto catcher Russell Martin told columnist Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star that the big challenge excites him:

“I love this team. I love our fight. We’ve shown our ability to come back before. Obviously, it’s a different team. I definitely think Kansas City is better than Texas, so it’s going to be a tougher battle. It’s a challenge. I’m up to the challenge.”

The oddsmakers expect the Blue Jays to extend the series. They are minus-144 favorites to win the game, according to Odds Shark. Those who think the Royals will end the series in Game 5 can support the plus-139 underdogs.

Royals slugger Eric Hosmer explained how his team has no problems going on the road and adapting to a different style of baseball than the speed game the Royals like to play at home, per the Associated Press (via the New York Daily News):

”Our park, our style of play is a little different. We like to use our legs and be athletic, but when we come to some of these parks where the fences aren’t as deep we’ve got some guys that can put the ball in the seats.”

The Royals are on a mission this year. After getting to the seventh game of the World Series last year and having a chance to tie the San Francisco Giants in the ninth inning of the seventh game, they are not going to be stopped in their goal of getting back to baseball’s main event.

Estrada is a tough pitcher, but the Royals will find a way to scratch out a few runs against him, and they will make it hold up. 

The Royals will win the series in five games and send Blue Jays fans home disappointed.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

In baseball’s long history of epic playoff moments and fantastical series comebacks, only once has a team come back from an 0-3 deficit to win a series. The 2004 Boston Red Sox gave many a team hope in the toughest of situations, but replicating their magic is next to impossible.

That was a team fighting not only against a seemingly insurmountable deficit, but against their archrivals and a curse that had plagued the franchise for many years. Although the Chicago Cubs don’t have the rivalry box checked in the National League Championship Series, they have everything else going for them the Red Sox had.

Falling to the New York Mets 5-2 Tuesday night, the Chicago Cubs face an 0-3 series deficit if they hope to break a century-old title drought. The bats that got them to the playoffs have suddenly gone quiet, and the pitching staff has become a shell of its former self.

New York has been playing its best baseball in recent weeks, though, and looks like an unstoppable force destined for the World Series to try and end a lengthy title drought of its own.

With Game 4 set for Wednesday night in Chicago, will the Cubs survive to see another day and keep their hopes, however slim, alive, or will the Mets finish things off quickly and move on to the World Series?

Let’s take a look at the game times for the rest of the series, the odds for Game 4 and make a prediction for Wednesday’s proceedings.

Game 4 Odds: New York Mets 1-2, Chicago Cubs 17-10

Odds via OddsShark.com

Game 4 Prediction

The biggest knock on the Mets this season was their fluctuating offensive capabilities—although things were much better in the second half of the year—but so far in the postseason, there have been no such issues. It would be hard to find a more worthy MVP winner than Daniel Murphy, while Yoenis Cespedes has continued to provide a huge spark for the Mets as well.

But, as with the regular season, it’s hard to credit anyone before applauding the young pitching staff for the performances it has put together. On Tuesday, it was Jacob deGrom’s turn to thrill, and he did not disappoint.

The second-year pitcher went six innings and only gave up two earned runs on four hits. It was a masterclass in pitching under pressure and put the Chicago Cubs in a nearly impossible situation, down 3-0 in the series.

Fortunately for the Cubs, though, they don’t have to face deGrom in what could very well be the final game of their season. Instead, they get another youngster in Steven Matz, who isn’t quite at the same level as the other members of the Mets rotation but is still an elite talent for his age.

His regular-season performance was outstanding—4-0 and a 2.27 ERA—albeit short with only six starts to his name. But during that small sample size, Matz showed why those in the Mets organization are excited about his future. An opportunity to start a vital playoff game should prove the faith New York has in the 24-year-old pitcher.

The real question is if he can handle the pressure and the Cubs bats well enough for the Mets to secure the series in a hostile environment.

His first playoff start came against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series, and it was also the first loss of his major league career and a showcase of what can go wrong on a given night. Only three earned runs allowed to Los Angeles is an achievement, but Matz never quite looked comfortable on the mound and was pulled after five innings.

Like the Dodgers, Chicago has the bats capable of shaking the pitcher’s confidence early, something the crowd will be more than willing to get behind. Kyle Schwarber, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo are good enough to take over a game against the best in the league, and Matz isn’t quite there yet.

Trotting Jason Hammel out could go either way for the Cubs, as the veteran hasn’t been the most consistent option this season, but the bats should be able to more than make up for any mistakes he makes.

Even if Murphy continues to tear the cover off the ball, Chicago should be up to doing just enough to keep the series alive for at least another game on the strength of its hitters. From there, it is still an uphill battle to win the series, but for now, focusing on the short term is the best thing for the Cubs.

Prediction: Cubs win 6-2

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com