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Matt Harvey had made one start in the postseason in his short career in the majors, and that was earlier this season. Jon Lester had started 13 games and carried a 2.66 postseason ERA over his long tenure with the Red Sox, Athletics and Cubs.

But in Game 1 at Citi Field, Harvey looked like the veteran superstar against the Cubs’ talented bats, going 7.2 innings and only allowing four hits and two runs as the Mets took the early series lead with a 4-2 win.

It was a typical performance from New York this season, relying on their skilled, if slightly inexperienced, group of pitchers while the offense put together a passable game to secure the win.

With the Mets taking a 1-0 lead in the NLCS and the Royals up 2-0 heading to Toronto in the ALCS, the World Series has to be on the minds of both sets of fans. But can they get there, or will the Cubs or Blue Jays battle back to steal the series?

Let’s take a look at which teams are likely to advance to the Fall Classic and who is best positioned to take home the title:

Date: Oct. 18, 2015

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Odds: Cubs -175, Mets +165

Odds via OddsShark.com

World Series Prediction

Despite what was expected heading into the ALCS, the Kansas City Royals have taken complete control in the series and head to Toronto with a 2-0 lead. Blanking the Blue Jays in Game 1 was the perfect start, and a comeback win in Game 2 put last year’s runners-up in great position to return to the World Series.

Toronto has already used two of its top pitchers and still failed to secure a victory, while the Royals haven’t trotted out Johnny Cueto to pitch yet and should hold the advantage in Game 3 against Marcus Stroman.

If the Royals can manage a win in Toronto over the next three games, it will be hard for the Blue Jays to fight back into the series even with the powerful bats they have.

In the NLCS, the Mets played great defensively and shut down the vaunted young bats of the Chicago Cubs, doing just enough offensively to eke out a 3-1 win.

But with the talent the Cubs bring to the field on a nightly basis, it will be hard for New York to count on only giving up a single run every game and it remains to be seen if the Mets can keep up with Chicago in a high-scoring affair.

The Cubs get Jake Arrieta back for Game 2, which automatically gives them a huge advantage, and if they can win home-field advantage away from the Mets, Wrigley Field could be too much too handle over a three-game span.

With power hitting, youth and pitching on their side, the Cubs should be able to overcome the 1-0 deficit in the NLCS and join the Royals in the World Series.

The Cubs have shown time and again this postseason that they are one of the best power teams in the majors, but against the Royals, that seemingly means nothing. The bats of the Blue Jays have been largely held in check so far, and while Chicago is good, it can’t quite measure up to what Toronto brings to the plate.

Kansas City has the experience, the pitching and the batting to improve on last season’s result and claim the franchise’s second title in history. Chicago is the fun story this year and should challenge for the title for a long time, but the Chicago fans will have to wait at least another year before celebrating the ending of the drought.

World Series Prediction: Royals beat Cubs 4-2

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Only two days into the championship series round, a couple of clubs have already made convincing statements as the 2015 MLB postseason carries forward into a new week.

So far, the biggest story revolves around the Kansas City Royals and their impressive start in the ALCS against Toronto. They’ve jumped out to a 2-0 series lead after taking care of business at home, while the New York Mets did the same out in the NL in Game 1.

It’s been a fun start to the playoffs, but we’re just getting started, and many memorable moments are to come. So let’s take a look at what is coming up.

MLB Postseason Schedule

ALCS: Royals vs. Blue Jays

It’s not wise to count these Royals out, no matter the deficit. They just continue to show their resiliency in situations when it looks like they’re done for.

After making it out of the ALDS in that type of fashion, Kansas City continued its magic throughout the opening two games of this star-studded ALCS series. They were unable to solve David Price on the mound in Game 2—until rattling off a five-run seventh inning that pushed the Royals in front for good.

The Royals showed it once again—you can’t mess up against them, as Don Van Natta Jr. of ESPN noted:

Kansas City just keeps coming up big in the clutch. In a span that includes being six outs away from elimination in the ALDS against Houston, the Royals have turned into comeback kids with their ability to battle back from multi-run deficits, per MLB:

During a stretch of their series with the Astros, it looked like the Royals’ magic from 2014 had run out. But just when it seems wise to count them out, they battle back in resilient fashion and find a way to generate the runs needed.

The Blue Jays had the big bats coming into this series, but Kansas City’s pitching has stymied them—three runs allowed over 18 innings—and given their offense just enough room to make things happen. Conditions will be very different in Toronto for Games 3 and 4, but it’s hard to say the Royals aren’t ready for the challenge.

NLCS: Mets vs. Cubs

Raise your hand if you had Daniel Murphy emerging as the biggest impact player of this postseason. 

Nobody? That’s what I thought.

The Mets’ 30-year-old infielder is coming off making a bevy of huge plays in the NLDS, and he chose to keep it rolling to start the NLCS by jacking a first-inning home run to set the tone. Curtis Granderson followed it up with a two-RBI performance, giving New York enough firepower to take an early series lead over Chicago.

But while the bats helped, Matt Harvey’s gem on the mound helped to seal the deal, as Baseball Tonight showed:

With top aces Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard unavailable due to their pitching in Game 5 of the ALDS, Harvey had the responsibility of slowing the Cubs’ red-hot bats, and he succeeded. 

As Cut4 showed, he even got in on the defense:

While there’s a lot of baseball left to play, the Mets have to be elated with the start they have gotten in this NLCS. An early win against the Dodgers last round propelled them to a tight series victory, but this time they’re hoping to make it a bit less nail-biting.

That will be easier said than done against a Cubs team that faced a similar deficit in the NLDS, only to rattle off the next three and advance as David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune noted:

The Cubs’ bats got hot eventually against St. Louis last round, but the Cardinals don’t boast the same type of shutdown pitching that the Mets have in their rotation. With Harvey setting the tone the way he did, the onus will now be on Chicago to change things up and get going offensively.

If they don’t, this could quickly turn into a fast series.

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It’s based on a small sample size and one that is likely to change in the long run, but if his first two playoff starts are any indication, Matt Harvey should be a star for a long time.

All the talk surrounding the Cubs‘ young bats was deafening leading up to Game 1 of the NLCS on Saturday night, but the young Mets pitcher was having none of it and put in one of the best pitching performances of the postseason to secure the win.

With a five-inning, two-earned run night against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS already under his belt, Harvey has been one of the stars of the postseason so far. The Mets will turn to another young pitcher, Noah Syndergaard, in Game 2 with the hopes of securing the win against potential Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta.

Game 1 belonged to Harvey and the Mets, but the series is far from guaranteed, and Sunday night will go a long way toward deciding who is going to continue their dream of winning the World Series.

Let’s take a look at where to watch the game and who is going to win in Flushing, New York.

Date: Oct. 18

Time: 7:30 p.m.

TV: TBS

Ticket Info: ScoreBig.com

Prediction

New York was known for its talented group of young pitchers in the regular season, and so far in the playoffs, the narrative hasn’t changed.

Harvey was brilliant in shutting down the Cubs offensively Saturday night, only allowing four hits over 7.2 innings pitched, but the pitching advantage shifts back to Chicago in a big way in Game 2.

Syndergaard has been one of the surprises of the season despite his youth, recording a 3.24 ERA in the regular season. But his year doesn’t compare to the magical season that Arrieta has put forth.

The Cubs ace led the National League in wins, ranked second in ERA at 1.77 and finished third in strikeouts. His first playoff outing was a gem. He pitched a complete game, giving up five hits and no earned runs against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Wild Card Game.

His second outing wasn’t as strong. He allowed four earned runs in 5.2 innings pitched against the St. Louis Cardinals, but after the second half to the season Arrieta had, the safe bet would be on that being an outlier with a bounce-back against the Mets coming.

New York’s bats showed up in Game 1, with homers from Travis d’Arnaud and Daniel Murphy and a two-RBI night from Curtis Granderson, but it is hard to count on them putting up big numbers throughout the series.

Chicago, on the other hand, has to be disappointed with how its offense performed in Game 1. Kris Bryant, Dexter Fowler and Anthony Rizzo finished hitless on the night with only Kyle Schwarber and Starlin Castro able to break out of the funk and pick up RBIs.

There is a lack of experience in the Cubs lineup, but with so much talent, the odds are good that Chicago will find a way to put up runs in Game 2 and give Arrieta the support he needs to win.

A win in Game 2 would be huge for either team. For the Mets, it would mean holding onto home-field advantage as the series shifts to a long trip to Chicago. For the Cubs, it could be a decisive win with Wrigley Field providing a difficult environment for the Mets.

Arrieta is just too good to be kept down for long, and he should come out strong against the Mets to help Chicago secure a victory and draw the series even at 1-1.

Prediction: Cubs 5, Mets 1

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On the heels of an entertaining debut to the American League Championship Series, the Kansas City Royals and Toronto Blue Jays will get right back to it with another showdown at Kauffman Stadium for Game 2.

The Royals took a stranglehold of the series after Friday night’s 5-0 win, but things could just as easily shift in Toronto’s favor after Game 2. It all comes down to the second game, which will decide whether the Blue Jays return home with the momentum or if Kansas City will be up 2-0.

Let’s take a look at everything you need to know entering Game 2 before widening our scope with some World Series predictions.

ALCS Game 2: Blue Jays at Royals

Date/Time (ET): Saturday, Oct. 17, at 4:07 p.m.

TV: Fox Sports 1

Live Stream: Fox Sports Go

Odds

Predictions

No matter how you shake it, a franchise that has been waiting a long time for a World Series title is going to end the drought and stand atop baseball this year.

Everybody knows about the Chicago Cubs’ curse that stretches back to 1908, but that’s only the beginning of the suffering for the last four clubs standing. The Mets haven’t won since 1986, the Blue Jays have been waiting since 1992 and the Royals haven’t claimed a World Series title since 1985.

It’s a nice change of pace from the usual names that dominate October, as author Joe Posnanski quipped:

While it’s been a long time coming for all four teams, that’s not to say any of them are flukes or failed to earn their way here. In fact, all four are equipped to run the table.

But only one can do that, and only two can emerge from their respective leagues in order to get a shot. In the AL, the Blue Jays appear to be that team.

Toronto started slow in the postseason but rattled off three straight victories over the Texas Rangers in must-win fashion. The team’s bats came alive at the perfect time, scoring 19 runs in those final three games.

Kansas City’s number was nearly up against the Houston Astros before an unlikely comeback, and the Royals don’t have the pitching across the board to slow down the Blue Jays. Led by Jose Bautista and Josh Donaldson, the Toronto bats will rake their way into the World Series.

On the National League side, it won’t be the hotter offense but rather the steady arms that lead the way as the Mets emerge victorious over a Cubs team that has seemed to have destiny on its side.

New York may start slow, with Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard both having pitched Thursday in Game 5 of the NL Division Series, but the Mets feel confident with Matt Harvey on the mound for Game 1 of the NLCS, as the team’s Twitter account noted:

Having deGrom and Syndergaard ready for the middle part of the series will end up boding well for the Mets, and those aces will play a part in stymieing the Cubs attack.

Doing so against the Blue Jays with the world championship on the line, however, won’t be as easy.

Not only did Toronto lead baseball in scoring, but it also did so by an incredible margin. The Blue Jays’ 891 runs were nearly 130 more than any other team scored—and over 200 more than the Mets’ tally of 683.

The Blue Jays will have a stud on the mound in David Price, and the lineup is capable of giving their pitching enough room to feel comfortable throughout the postseason. It’s hard to go back on my Blue Jays-over-Mets prediction from the beginning of October, with neither team showing much reason to choose differently.

Prediction: Blue Jays defeat Mets in six games.

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It’s power against pitching as the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets meet in the National League Championship Series to decide which team will represent the Senior Circuit in the 2015 World Series.

Let’s get one thing straight from the start: This is not 1969, and this series has nothing to do with that legendary baseball season. The Mets did not beat the Cubs in the playoffs that year. They passed them with a powerful surge in August and September because the New York pitching staff, led by Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman, was superb, and the Mets had clutch hitting.

The Cubs had built a big lead during the spring and summer because of superstars like Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Ron Santo and Ferguson Jenkins. But manager Leo Durocher ran his stars into the ground, and they had nothing left in reserve once the Mets made their move.

The 2015 versions of these two teams have little to do with their predecessors. While both teams are good and bordering on great right now, the future is even brighter.

The Mets have a remarkable pitching staff, led by Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey and Steven Matz, which should allow the team to stay at or near the top of the league for years to come.

On the other side, the Cubs feature a slew of great young hitters, led by Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and the powerful left-handed stroke of Kyle Schwarber. The Cubs seem to be ahead of schedule, considering they lost 89 games in 2014, and their young players have a chance to do a lot of damage in the future.

The Mets have their hitting stars in Yoenis Cespedes, Daniel Murphy, David Wright and Lucas Duda, but if they are going to advance, their brilliant pitching staff will have to carry them through.

The Cubs have Cy Young candidate Jake Arrieta leading the way among their pitchers, and former Red Sox World Series hero Jon Lester is backing him up. Both are capable of shutdown performances, but it will be difficult for manager Joe Maddon to have confidence in the rest of his starters.

Both of these teams transformed from good teams to legitimate National League contenders as a result of moves they made in the middle of the season, according to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark:

My column: It wasn’t just the #Mets who remade themselves in midseason. The #Cubs transformed themselves too! http://t.co/NLMVq6CnAt

— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) October 16, 2015

This figures to be a close, hard-fought series between two hungry teams that have not won a World Series in many years.

The Mets won their second and last World Series in 1986, taking the championship in seven memorable games against the Red Sox. Many New England baseball fans have never recovered from that loss, even though the Reds Sox have won three World Series titles in the last 11 years.

The Cubs have had a longer wait. They have not won the World Series since 1908, when they beat the Detroit Tigers. The Cubs have not even been to the World Series since 1945, when they lost to the Tigers.

This time around, Las Vegas linemakers are giving the nod to the Cubs. Chicago is a 20-29 favorite to advance to the World Series, while New York is a 5-4 underdog to win the National League pennant, according to Odds Shark.

This series should go six or seven games, and by the time the National League pennant has been won, the Cubs will be celebrating and going to their first World Series in 70 years.

They have the young slugging stars, enough starting pitching with Arrieta and Lester and the great mind of Maddon.

The team from the Windy City will make history.

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The dramatics brought by the opening rounds of Major League Baseball’s postseason are a necessary appetizer, but nothing compares to the League Championship Series round.

Four teams remain, and each of them has the opportunity to punch its ticket to the World Series by stringing together four wins. Considering the long-suffering clubs still left standing at this point in October, we’re guaranteed to have a special conclusion.

Before thoughts of the World Series can even begin to pop up, though, two magnificent series in the ALCS and NLCS await that will truly tell how this postseason will be remembered. But there’s no need to wait, so let’s jump right into predictions after we glance at the relevant odds. 

2015 MLB Playoff Bracket and Odds

Full postseason schedule available at MLB.com.

Odds courtesy of Odds Shark.

World Series Predictions

When looking into the ALCS picture, it’s almost difficult to figure out how these two teams ended up eight wins away from a world title.

While nobody would have been surprised two weeks ago to hear the Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals would be squaring off, the same couldn’t be said about five days ago. Instead, it seemed like we’d have an all-Texas showdown between the Rangers and Houston Astros.

Alas, the Rangers blew a 2-0 series lead and allowed the Blue Jays to find their mojo late in the series. And Houston folded its series with Kansas City away with a four-run lead late in Game 4, going on to drop the decider. 

So, which AL squad has the edge in a still-young series? Considering the ALDS, there’s no question it’s the Blue Jays.

Toronto’s offense, which ranked as the best in baseball by a wide margin during the regular season (891 runs), truly got going late in the divisional round after starting out slow. The Jays amassed 19 runs in a three-game span to clinch the series.

Even if it comes down to pitching, Toronto has the edge with David Price and Marco Estrada. Price is getting the ball next, as MLB noted:

With Price getting his outing out of the way Saturday, he’ll be well in line to turn around and be fresh to pitch in a potential Game 5 or 6. It’s just hard to see the Royals offense generating enough to outscore Toronto in those situations, leading to a Blue Jays series win in six.

Out in the NL, a long-awaited title run is coming for a rabid fanbase. But unfortunately for the folks in the Windy City, it’s not the one that’s lasted over 100 years.

The Chicago Cubs’ bats are on fire coming out of their series win over the St. Louis Cardinals, the only divisional series that didn’t go the full five games. Even more impressive is that it was against the best team in baseball.

But they face a New York Mets squad that will be able to answer the Cubs’ X-factor of pitching. Even with Jacob deGrom not immediately available after a Thursday start, the Mets will have the advantage on the mound.

Jake Arrieta is good for a win, as is perhaps Jon Lester, but the Cubs bats won’t be able to carry them against hot pitching like they did last round.

That brings us to the World Series that so few could have predicted before the season—Mets and Blue Jays.

In a battle of incredible aces versus an unstoppable offense, who wins? Conventional wisdom would suggest the pitching, but not with these Blue Jays raking at a historic rate. According to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark, Toronto is in great company with its 2015 numbers:

The Blue Jays finished with an astounding plus-221 run differential. No one else in the AL was within 110 of them. According to Elias, they’re the fifth team in the division-play era with that large a gap over the next-closest team in their league. The other four all reached the World Series. Just the 1995 Indians failed to win it.

With power at multiple levels of their lineup and consistency across the board, there’s no reason to believe the Blue Jays can’t join that list and keep the offense rolling. I went with the Blue Jays over the Mets at the beginning of October, and neither has shown anything to make me waver from that.

Prediction: Blue Jays over Mets in six games.

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The top two clubs in the American League showcased their resiliency in a pair of five-game division series thrillers, and now the Kansas City Royals and Toronto Blue Jays will clash in the ALCS for a spot in the 2015 World Series.

It’s safe to say that both squads had some moments of doubt as to whether they would even get this far. The Blue Jays faced an 0-2 deficit and had to rattle off three straight wins over the Texas Rangers to keep their season alive, while the Royals battled back from a four-run deficit in a must-win Game 4.

With last season’s Cinderella in Kansas City going against a Toronto club that is aiming to make a similar ascent to the top for the first time in decades, a memorable series should be on the cards.

Let’s take a look at everything to know for a Royals-Blue Jays ALCS.

2015 ALCS Coverage Guide

Matchup: Kansas City Royals vs. Toronto Blue Jays

Odds (via OddsChecker): Blue Jays 4-5, Royals 21-20

TV Coverage: Fox/Fox Sports 1

Live Streaming: Fox Sports Go

ALCS Schedule

Preview

As the only two AL squads to reach the 90-win plateau in 2015, the Royals and Blue Jays were the obvious favorites to get to this point. But that’s not to say that either team got here by strolling through the park.

In fact, it couldn’t have been any tougher for these teams to advance and move four wins away from the World Series. 

It looked as though fate was constantly working against the Royals throughout their ALDS series with the Houston Astros, and it seemed that the magical World Series run of a year ago wouldn’t be making a repeat appearance. But just six outs away from elimination in Game 4, Kansas City quietly put together a five-run inning and returned home to clinch the series in Game 5.

Somehow, the Royals appear to be the most experienced squad left in these playoffs, as Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star quipped:

Not one to avoid dramatics in their own ALDS series, the Blue Jays had to fight back from an even tighter spot than the Royals. Toronto looked doomed from the very start, dropping both home games against Texas to begin the ALDS.

Of course, the rest is history. The Blue Jays rattled off 19 runs in the next three games (all must-wins), capped off by Jose Bautista’s go-ahead three-run jack in the seventh inning of Game 5 that all but sealed the series.

What was the MLB‘s best offense (by far) in the regular season is catching fire at the right time, and they have the aces on the mound to complement them. As Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com noted, the Blue Jays have their pitching rotation set:

The Royals obviously have prowess on the mound as well, but not to the same level. While two Blue Jays starters have an ERA below 3.00, no Royals starter is near that mark.

Sure, there have been flashes of brilliance from Johnny Cueto and Yordano Ventura in these playoffs. But it’s impossible to ignore the fact that the Astros’ bats raked eight home runs against the K.C. arms in just a five-game span.

With an advantage in both aspects of the game, the Blue Jays just have to keep it simple, as Toronto second baseman Munenori Kawasaki told Cut4:

They took some time to get their feet wet and get used to October baseball, but the Blue Jays are finally finding their gear. When the bats are on point, it takes near-perfect pitching to stymie them—and the Royals don’t have a Dallas Keuchel or a Jacob deGrom on their roster.

When it comes down to it, the Blue Jays’ bats have scored five or more runs in six of the seven games they’ve played against the Royals this season. If that continues, there’s no way the Royals offense will be able to keep up.

Prediction: Blue Jays win in six games

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The two lovable losers of baseball will face off with a chance to go to the World Series as the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs battle in the National League Championship Series.

While both teams entered the year with promising young talent, few actually believed either would reach this stage so soon. But they both kept winning in the regular season and reached the playoffs, where they pulled off impressive upsets in the division series.

Many have come to expect some form of choking from both organizations, but one of them will have to advance in what should be an exciting series from start to finish.

NLCS Coverage Guide

Matchup: New York Mets (90-72) vs. Chicago Cubs (97-65)

Series Odds (via Oddschecker): Cubs (-140), Mets (+120)

TV Coverage: TBS

Live Stream: TBS.com

Preview

Early in the season, trade speculation swirled around the Cubs and Mets, as they were the perfect match for each other. Chicago had an abundance of young hitters, while New York had a seemingly endless supply of pitchers.

They never made a deal, though, which makes those two factors one of the big storylines of this series.

The Mets come into Game 1 with truly impressive depth in the rotation. Jacob deGrom stepped up as a true ace in the NLDS, putting up great numbers even when he didn’t necessarily have his best stuff:

Of course, the most impressive part is the fact that he earned wins in games against Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke. As good as Jake Arrieta has been in the second half of the season, deGrom clearly won’t fear the Cy Young contender this time around.

Beyond that, the Mets have Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz and Game 1 starter Matt Harvey, all of whom can throw in the upper 90s with deadly breaking stuff. 

“They have power pitching across the board,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of the Mets, via Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com.

Arrieta and Jon Lester form a nice 1-2 punch, but the ability to bring out a new ace-level starter every night gives the Mets an advantage in this area.

On the other hand, the battle of the lineups is a clear win for the Cubs. Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo deservedly got most of the publicity during the regular season, but other top players like Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Soler have come through with big-time performances in the postseason.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today described one major offensive explosion during the NLDS:

The Cubs have a lot of players who can change the game with one swing and it could lead to a stressful series for all of the Mets pitchers.

Daniel Murphy had an outstanding offensive series for New York, but a few other key hitters haven’t exactly been carrying their weight in the 2015 postseason:

Chicago did win all seven games against the Mets this season, although even Maddon admits that was basically a different team, via Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times:

Of course, we had a good record against the Mets this year, but they’re a pretty different team than we had seen earlier. The Mets have a lot of power pitching across the board. … On the field, I don’t know what the Mets look like right now. I know what they looked like a couple of months ago.

With Yoenis Cespedes and Michael Conforto added to the roster and David Wright and Travis d’Arnaud healthy, this is a much better lineup than Chicago saw before the All-Star break. At the same time, however, the Cubs have gotten big contributions from Schwarber, Javier Baez and others.

The early-season success doesn’t mean much at this point, but it doesn’t take away from what the Cubs lineup has done all year long. With Arrieta and Lester capable of matching if not exceeding the performances of the young Mets starters, Chicago should have the overall advantage in this series.

This will be a great battle to watch for both diehard and casual fans, and it could go the distance. But on paper, it seems like the Cubs will advance and get back to the World Series.

Prediction: Cubs win in six.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for more year-round sports analysis. 

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Somebody different will win the World Series this year.

Sick of the San Francisco Giants hoisting MLB‘s trophy every even year? Tired of the St. Louis Cardinals filling all the gaps in between? Longing for the day where the Evil Empire gets conquered while the other budding, big-market villains in Boston also step aside? Good news: Both the American League and National League Championship Series present fresh faces far removed from their last victory parade. 

Of the four teams standing, the Toronto Blue Jays were the latest to run the table. They last brought the title to Canada in 1993, two years before current closer Roberto Osuna was born. The Chicago Cubs have a slightly longer drought to snap.

These two series have a tall act to follow. After concluding a wild division series full of controversial calls, broken legs, broken feelings, near riots, shattered baseballs and five-star bat flips, four teams remain standing.

ALCS Preview: Royals vs. Blue Jays

Both favorites took a hectic path to the ALCS showdown, but the AL’s top two teams survived five-game series capped off by Game 5 rallies.

Think Wednesday got testy between the Blue Jays and Texas Rangers? The Jays and Royals aren’t exactly best buds, either. Tensions mounted when these contenders collided for a heated August series. Royals pitcher Edinson Volquez hit Toronto third baseman Josh Donaldson early in one game, and he further infuriated the MVP candidate by continuing to pitch inside.

Per the Kansas City Star‘s Andy McCullough, the 32-year-old pitcher showed no sympathy after the game.

“He’s a little baby,” Volquez said. “He was crying like a baby. He got mad at everybody like he’s Barry Bonds. He’s not Barry Bonds. He’s got three years in the league. We’ve been around longer than he has.”

Guess who’s starting Game 1? McCullough confirmed Kansas City’s decision shortly after eliminating the Houston Astros:

Bad blood aside, a pitcher with a 3.82 fielding independent pitching (FIP) must combat baseball’s premier offense. For their standards, the Blue Jays’ 19 runs scored over their final three American League Division Series wins are perfectly normal.

The Royals are no offensive juggernaut, but they’re better than the unit that fell one victory shy of winning the World Series last year. They finished No. 7 in runs scored and No. 11 in weighted on-base average (wOBA). For the record, Toronto rates first in both those categories and virtually everything else.

Beating the Blue Jays at their game doesn’t work. Ask the Rangers. Unfortunately for everyone else, scoring runs is the entire point of this game. Kansas City will have to make the most of its speed and defense to overcome its powerful adversary.

Toronto boasts a clear offensive edge, but neither side can claim a far superior pitching staff. Both clubs rate in the middle in terms of ERA and FIP, but the Blue Jays bring better command into a series against a hyper-aggressive offense.

During the opening round, Clayton Kershaw broke the “He can’t pitch in October” narrative. Now it’s David Price’s turn. The 30-year-old, who was acquired by Toronto at the trade deadline, surrendered five runs in Game 1’s loss. Then, inserted into Game 4 with a 7-1 lead for some weird reason, he relinquished three more scores.

He now holds a career 5.04 postseason ERA, with Texas inflicting most of the damage. Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post even suggested Toronto didn’t want Price pitching Game 5. Those 50 innings, however, are too small of a sample size to suggest a former Cy Young Award winner with a career 3.09 ERA in the regular season can’t handle October.

After overcoming an unceremonious exit down 2-0, Toronto is back in the driver’s seat as the team to beat. Ferocious hitting and a couple of strong starts from Price and Marcus Stroman will lift the Blue Jays past the defending AL champions.

Note: All advanced statistics courtesy of FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.

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Two long-suffering franchises enjoying a period of strong talent and good fortune will meet in the 2015 American League Championship Series, making this best-of-four series a particularly exciting, acutely anticipated matchup.

The Toronto Blue Jays are in the ALCS after defeating the Texas Rangers in a thrilling five-game series. The deciding contest on Wednesday was one of the strangest, craziest games you’ll ever see in baseball, turning on errors, a little-known rule and a three-run Jose Bautista dinger accompanied by a bat flip better and cooler than any finishing gimmick you’ll find in pro wrestling. 

Their opponent is the Kansas City Royals, who also needed the full five games to top the upstart Houston Astros in their AL Division Series matchup. The Royals won Game 5 by a score of 7-2, decidedly less dramatic than the Blue Jays’ clincher. 

It’s a fitting pairing, as the Royals and Blue Jays finished No. 1 and No. 2 in the American League final standings, and they didn’t find separation until the very end of the season.

Here is the Game 1 viewing guide, ticket info and odds. Spread and betting lines courtesy of Odds Shark and updated as of October 16 at 7 a.m. ET.

Blue Jays vs. Royals Game 1 Guide

Where: Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri

When: Friday, October 16 at 7:30 p.m. ET

Tickets: ScoreBig.com

TV: FOX

Odds: Toronto (-1.5) at 27-20, Kansas City 20-31

The Blue Jays are looking for their first World Series berth since they won it all in 1993, which also happens to be the last time they made the playoffs, long on the outside looking in, playing third (or fourth, or fifth) fiddle to the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees in the AL East. For Kansas City, it’s looking for a second consecutive trip to the World Series. The franchise’s lone championship came in 1985 during the George Brett era.

Toronto will trot out Marco Estrada to start Game 1. The 32-year-old righty won Game 3, his only appearance of this postseason. Estrada went 6.1 innings, scattering five hits for one earned run while chalking up four strikeouts.

A dependable member of the Blue Jays rotation this year, the veteran Estrada went 1-1 against the Royals this year, allowing 12 hits and four earned runs in 12.1 innings pitched.

His opposition on the mound is another righty in Edinson Volquez. The hard-throwing right-hander lost to Houston in Game 3 and was only moderately effective in two starts against Toronto this season. 

Despite the two teams involved in a couple of dust-ups this year, Volquez said he will “of course” pitch inside against Toronto, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). Manager Ned Yost is backing his Game 1 starter up on that assurance.

“I’m not a mind reader. I’m not a fortune teller. I don’t know if it’s going to be an issue,” Yost said, via the AP. “But we’ll pitch inside aggressively. That’s a power-laden club over there. We’re going to formulate a really good game plan and try to go out and execute.”

Backing Toronto off the plate is a necessary strategy. The Blue Jays racked up 26 runs and eight home runs in the ALDS, despite a team .228/.294/.418 slash line, per ESPN.com. The offense was powered by the usual suspects, with Bautista and Josh Donaldson combining to hit four home runs and drive in nine runs.

Toronto will be looking for more from shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who, despite driving in four runs in Game 3, managed just two hits in 21 at-bats.

Kansas City had one less run and the same number of dingers in its five ALDS games but did a better job of getting on base with a team .321 OBP. The Royals enjoy a decent speed advantage over Toronto.

Lorenzo Cain can cover plenty of ground on the basepath and in center field, while Jarrod Dyson and Terrance Gore are dangerous pinch runners. Kendrys Morales was the main source of power in the ALDS. The veteran hit three home runs and notched six RBI against Houston.  

ESPN Stats & Info pointed out he’s been a clutch hitter in 2015: 

As far as defense goes, center field is where would-be line drives are likely to die in this series, per Tyler Kepner of the New York Times: 

According to FanGraphs’ Ultimate Zone Rating, Kevin Kiermaier of the Tampa Bay Rays was by far the best center fielder in the majors this season. But the second- and third-best A.L. center fielders are on display in this series: the Royals’ Lorenzo Cain and the Blue Jays’ Kevin Pillar. Both cover lots of ground and overcame long odds: Cain did not play baseball until he was a sophomore in high school, and Pillar was not drafted until the 32nd round in 2011.

These two squads have been jockeying for supremacy all season long, and this series definitely has the potential to go seven games. Toronto looks to have the early pitching advantage, with Volquez shaky against the Blue Jays and David Price ready to start Game 2 against Yordano Ventura (13-8, 4.08 ERA in regular season).

However, the Royals can draw on their experiences from last year, with many of the same key players in line to push this team to the mountaintop once again.

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